Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Sina Science and Technology News, Beijing time, October 27, Tesla faces a criminal investigation in the United States because it may have broken the law when describing electric self-driving cars.

According to people familiar with the matter, Tesla's car has had some crashes, some of which have caused deaths, which are related to Tesla's driver assistance system Autopilot. In response to these accidents, the US Department of Justice launched an investigation last year, but did not disclose them.

Tesla first advocated the ability of Aupopilot in marketing materials as early as 2016. In a conference call that year, Musk declared that the Autopilot might be better than human drivers.

Last week, Musk said that Tesla may soon launch an updated version of Full Self-Driving software, which is so powerful that it can take users to work places, friends' homes and grocery stores without even touching the steering wheel.

A video on Tesla's website this year said: "someone is sitting in the driver's seat just for legal reasons. He doesn't need to do anything. The car can drive on its own."

Still, Tesla warned drivers that they must put their hands on the steering wheel and control the car when using the Autopilot. Tesla claimed that the Autopilot was originally designed to assist driving, not to let the car drive on its own.

Tesla's warnings could complicate the Justice Department's prosecution, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Ministry of Justice investigation could mean that Tesla will face stricter scrutiny than ever before, and Tesla or its executives may face criminal charges. Department of Justice prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco may examine whether Tesla misled clients, investors and regulators and whether what he said in describing the ability of assisted driving technology is not supported by the system.

Officials involved in the investigation may eventually seek criminal charges, civil sanctions, or take no action. Of course, the Ministry of Justice will face many difficulties in the investigation, as Tesla has warned users not to rely too much on Autopilot.

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