• About Us
  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Charter
  • Corrections Policy
  • Sitemap
Freelanews
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Crime
  • Business
  • Brands
  • Banking
  • Opinion
  • Interview
  • Entertainment
  • Podcast
    • Àtẹ́lẹwọ́
  • Sports
  • Events
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Crime
  • Business
  • Brands
  • Banking
  • Opinion
  • Interview
  • Entertainment
  • Podcast
    • Àtẹ́lẹwọ́
  • Sports
  • Events
No Result
View All Result
Freelanews
No Result
View All Result
Home Business & Finance Business

Engineer testifies against Tesla, says video promoting self-driving was staged

Quadri Olaitan by Quadri Olaitan
January 19, 2023
in Business
0 0
0
screenshot 2023 01 19 at 17 18 07 tesla video promoting self driving was staged engineer testifies

screenshot 2023 01 19 at 17 18 07 tesla video promoting self driving was staged engineer testifies

thenacre-campaign

A 2016 video that Tesla (TSLA.O) used to promote its self-driving technology was staged to show capabilities like stopping at a red light and accelerating at a green light that the system did not have, according to testimony by a senior engineer.

The video, which remains archived on Tesla’s website, was released in October 2016 and promoted on Twitter by Chief Executive Elon Musk as evidence that “Tesla drives itself.”

But the Model X was not driving itself with technology Tesla had deployed, Ashok Elluswamy, director of Autopilot software at Tesla, said in the transcript of a July deposition taken as evidence in a lawsuit against Tesla for a 2018 fatal crash involving a former Apple (AAPL.O) engineer.

The previously unreported testimony by Elluswamy represents the first time a Tesla employee has confirmed and detailed how the video was produced.

The video carries a tagline saying: “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself.”

Perfect-Aesthetic-social-1

Elluswamy said Tesla’s Autopilot team set out to engineer and record a “demonstration of the system’s capabilities” at the request of Musk.

Elluswamy, Musk and Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. However, the company has warned drivers that they must keep their hands on the wheel and maintain control of their vehicles while using Autopilot.

The Tesla technology is designed to assist with steering, braking, speed and lane changes but its features “do not make the vehicle autonomous,” the company says on its website.

To create the video, the Tesla used 3D mapping on a predetermined route from a house in Menlo Park, California, to Tesla’s then-headquarters in Palo Alto, he said.

Odun Ifa 2026
ADVERTISEMENT

Drivers intervened to take control in test runs, he said. When trying to show the Model X could park itself with no driver, a test car crashed into a fence in Tesla’s parking lot, he said.

adron lemon friday

“The intent of the video was not to accurately portray what was available for customers in 2016. It was to portray what was possible to build into the system,” Elluswamy said, according to a transcript of his testimony seen by Reuters.

When Tesla released the video, Musk tweeted, “Tesla drives itself (no human input at all) thru urban streets to highway to streets, then finds a parking spot.”

Tesla faces lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over its driver assistance systems.

The U.S. Department of Justice began a criminal investigation into Tesla’s claims that its electric vehicles can drive themselves in 2021, after a number of crashes, some of them fatal, involving Autopilot, Reuters has reported.

The New York Times reported in 2021 that Tesla engineers had created the 2016 video to promote Autopilot without disclosing that the route had been mapped in advance or that a car had crashed in trying to complete the shoot, citing anonymous sources.

When asked if the 2016 video showed the performance of the Tesla Autopilot system available in a production car at the time, Elluswamy said, “It does not.”

Elluswamy was deposed in a lawsuit against Tesla over a 2018 crash in Mountain View, California, that killed Apple engineer Walter Huang.

Andrew McDevitt, the lawyer who represents Huang’s wife and who questioned Elluswamy’s in July, told Reuters it was “obviously misleading to feature that video without any disclaimer or asterisk.”

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in 2020 that Huang’s fatal crash was likely caused by his distraction and the limitations of Autopilot. It said Tesla’s “ineffective monitoring of driver engagement” had contributed to the crash.

Elluswamy said drivers could “fool the system,” making a Tesla system believe that they were paying attention based on feedback from the steering wheel when they were not. But he said he saw no safety issue with Autopilot if drivers were paying attention.

Quadri Olaitan
Quadri Olaitan

Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.

Related Posts

44A6088323 scaled
Business

Nigerian Breweries blames modest profit earning on economic crunch

by Quadri Olaitan
March 10, 2023
bamboo
Business

‘Offerings for customers’ Bamboo raises $15 million in funding to expand infrastructure

by Rtn. Victor Ojelabi
January 31, 2022
Court
Business

Court orders final seizure of aircraft in landmark ruling

by Peculiar Adirika
January 28, 2026
CBN PS
Business

‘Low credit development’ Banks’ operations harmed by N1.3 trillion NPLs, recovery challenges

by Rtn. Victor Ojelabi
January 24, 2022
Untitled 1
Business

Dr. Onadeko appointed to CIBN Business and Government Relations Committee

by Rtn. Victor Ojelabi
July 14, 2024

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Tiktok Community

You're not logged into Tiktok, please login here
UBA bank ad UBA bank ad UBA bank ad

Recent News

Carter Efe

Carter Efe beats Speed Darlington, retains boxing title

October 2, 2026
Ronaldo

Ronaldo faces possible six-month Portugal ban

October 2, 2026
Ogun

Ogun: Police arrest woman seen threatening officers with knife

October 2, 2026

Nuno Mendes calls for patience with Ronaldo

October 2, 2026
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
N250k signature

Abiodun vs Amosun: N250k signature plot deepens Ogun political crisis ahead Tinubu visit

April 3, 2026
Omoge Saida

Omoge Saida sparks Nigerian social media over leaked video

October 28, 2025
james akaie scaled

Nollywood SFX makeup artist James Akaie allegedly dies after explosion on Abeokuta movie set

January 13, 2026
Political persecution in Ogun State

Political persecution in Ogun State: Abiodun moves against Otunba Gbenga Daniel with demolition threats again

August 9, 2025
amoke

‘Meals by Amoke’ We serve traditional dishes in a modern way, Bukoye Fasola reveals

19
Image 2024 03 26 at 120645 AM jpeg

Charles Inojie, Ali Nuhu call on communities to #MakeWeHalla against domestic violence

11
Meran Primary Health Centre Lagos father Meran hospital

Lagos father shares heartbreaking experience at Meran Primary Health Centre (Photos)

4
fls2

‘Disarticulated system’ Gov’t confused about Nigerian education, expert laments

3
Carter Efe

Carter Efe beats Speed Darlington, retains boxing title

October 2, 2026
Ronaldo

Ronaldo faces possible six-month Portugal ban

October 2, 2026
Ogun

Ogun: Police arrest woman seen threatening officers with knife

October 2, 2026

Nuno Mendes calls for patience with Ronaldo

October 2, 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
October 2026
SMTWTFS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Sep    
Freelanews

Freelanews is a Nigerian digital news platform that delivers timely, credible, and engaging stories across politics, business, entertainment, lifestyle, and the creative industry, with a strong focus on promoting innovation, integrity, and inclusivity in storytelling.

Today’s Popular

  • #image_title

    17 mobile money operator companies licensed by CBN in Nigeria

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • City Boy Movement hails Tinubu’s reforms at 66

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trump instructs Pentagon to draw up military response over Nigeria crisis

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • US congratulates Nigeria at 66, reaffirms strong ties

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Just Published!

Carter Efe

Carter Efe beats Speed Darlington, retains boxing title

October 2, 2026
Ronaldo

Ronaldo faces possible six-month Portugal ban

October 2, 2026
Ogun

Ogun: Police arrest woman seen threatening officers with knife

October 2, 2026

Nuno Mendes calls for patience with Ronaldo

October 2, 2026
Kwara

Flood hits Kwara communities, destroys houses, farmlands

October 2, 2026
No Result
View All Result
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Editorial Charter
  • Corrections Policy
  • Advertisement

© 2026 Freelanews | by Iretura.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Crime
  • Business
  • Brands
  • Banking
  • Opinion
  • Interview
  • Entertainment
  • Podcast
    • Àtẹ́lẹwọ́
  • Sports
  • Events

© 2026 Freelanews | by Iretura.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.