

News
NHTSA launches Tesla Autopilot investigation over crashes with emergency vehicles
The United States government has announced that it is formally opening an investigation into Tesla Autopilot, stating that the driver-assist system has issues spotting parked emergency vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted the probe’s announcement on Monday.
The investigation would be covering 765,000 vehicles from the start of the 2014 to the 2021 model year that were sold in the United States. It would also cover vehicles from Tesla’s entire lineup today: the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. The NHTSA has identified 11 collisions since 2018 involving Teslas on either Autopilot or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control which ended up hitting parked emergency vehicles.
“ODI has opened a Preliminary Evaluation of the SAE Level 2 ADAS system (Autopilot) in the Model Year 2014-2021 Models Y, X, S,and 3. The investigation will assess the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with the dynamic driving task during Autopilot operation. The investigation will additionally assess the OEDR by vehicles when engaged in Autopilot mode, and ODD in which the Autopilot mode is functional. The investigation will also include examination of the contributing circumstances for the confirmed crashes listed below and other similar crashes.”
The NHTSA cited crashes in Culver City and Laguna Beach, California; Norwalk, Connecticut; Cloverdale, Indiana; West Bridgewater, Massachusetts; Cochise County, Arizona; Charlotte, North Carolina, Montgomery County, Texas; Lansing, Michigan; and Miami, Florida.
An NHTSA spokesperson has issued the following comment about the investigation:
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation’s roadways. In keeping with the agency’s core safety mission and to better understand the causes of certain Tesla crashes, NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla Autopilot systems and the technologies and methods used to monitor, assist, and enforce the driver’s engagement with driving while Autopilot is in use.
“NHTSA reminds the public that no commercially available motor vehicles today are capable of driving themselves. Every available vehicle requires a human driver to be in control at all times, and all State laws hold human drivers responsible for operation of their vehicles. Certain advanced driving assistance features can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes that occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly and responsibly.”
Tesla’s Autopilot is a hands-on system, and the company makes it a point to remind drivers to pay close attention to the road whenever they engage the feature. Tesla also detects pressure on the steering wheel, and lately, video camera feeds, to determine if drivers are operating Autopilot properly.
But despite this, the robust capabilities of the system have resulted in Autopilot abuse among careless drivers, many of whom are all too willing to operate the driver-assist suite as a hands-free system. One of these, a Model 3 owner, actually got arrested after he insisted on operating his Tesla from the backseat of his car.
While Autopilot tends to attract a lot of attention and controversy, the advanced driver-assist system’s safety statistics are quite notable. As per the company’s accident data as of Q1 2021, Tesla only registered one accident for every 4.19 million miles driven in which drivers had Autopilot engaged. By comparison, the NHTSA’s most recent data shows that in the United States there is an automobile crash every 484,000 miles.
The NHTSA’s document on its Tesla Autopilot investigation could be viewed below.
INOA-PE21020-1893 by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
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News
Tesla creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service
Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.

Tesla has created a clever solution to simplify and improve its Service. Tesla performs most of the services that are needed on its vehicles at its company-owned Service Centers.
However, service has been a weak point of the company, as some regions have fewer Service Centers than others. This can cause long wait times for Tesla owners in some parts of the country.
There are also instances where customers do not agree with what Tesla is saying about their vehicle. In fact, one instance that revealed this new change Tesla is making to its Service was precisely that.
One owner posted on X that his vehicle’s battery seal had failed after a recall was issued. Tesla insurance and Tesla Service both did not assist, and it took CEO Elon Musk stepping in to get the issue resolved:
Will investigate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2025
Another owner suggested there should be a more streamlined communications process between the customer and the Service Center, a solution that has been missing.
Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.
Elon Musk wants Tesla Service to fix two-thirds of cars in the same day
Jegannathan said that Tesla has started to share local and regional leader contact information so customers have the ability to reach out when they have complaints or disagree with warranty claims, changes in estimates, or initial diagnostics.
It is available in a handful of locations already, and Jegannathan said that once abuse guardrails are built, this will expand to all locations:
In few service locations, started to share local and regional leader contact information via service in-take in mobile in-app messages so customers can reach out via phone when they disagree with initial diagnostic/warranty/changes in estimates. (Once we build guardrails from…
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) August 7, 2025
This would be a major improvement in the Service portion of Tesla’s business. There are common disagreements between Service and customers, specifically when Service’s suggestions don’t align with the customer’s beliefs.
When it comes to things like a warranty claim, these issues are not really up for interpretation. Instead, the repairs should be made. If there is a misunderstanding on Service’s side, a simple message from the customer could have resolved the issue. That’s basically what happened here.
Investor's Corner
Tesla gets its best analysis from Morgan Stanley as ‘it’s all about to change’
He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.

Tesla has gotten perhaps its best analysis from Morgan Stanley in quite some time, as the Wall Street firm claims that “it’s all about to change.”
That phrase could be used for both the company’s status and the world in general.
Analyst Adam Jonas said in a new note on Thursday to investors that Tesla could be one of the major winners in terms of the global transition from what it is now to what it will be.
He describes the global shift that will occur over the next few years:
“Have you interacted with a robot today? Have you even seen a robot today? No? Well, take a mental picture because it’s all about to change. When we meet someone who has never been in a Waymo or a Tesla Cybercab (which is most people), we frequently see a wince and a response such as ‘I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable getting in a car without a driver.’ We imagine going back in time to 1903 and asking people if they’d feel comfortable in an airplane.’”
The same technological revolutions that have occurred over the past 150 years will continue to occur again and again. We are on the verge of another, Jonas believes, as companies like Tesla are working on artificial intelligence tech, which includes changing the way we look at things like transportation and labor.
Jonas includes an interesting tidbit in his note about how humanoid robots could change wages, and how it could work into the advantage of Tesla, especially as it is developing its own Optimus robot:
“We estimate 1 humanoid robot at $5/hour can do the work of 2 humans at $25/hour, generating an NPV of approximately $200k/humanoid. 1 robot shaped car can potentially drive down cost/mile of a ride share vehicle to <$0.20 mile (1/10th human-driven ride-share).”
Jonas sees Tesla as a key player in how AI will impact things like manufacturing and various automotive industries, and he believes there is long-term potential for AI, robomobility, and even autonomous eVTOL platforms.
Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter
He maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating and the $410 price target Morgan Stanley had on the stock.
Elon Musk
Tesla expands Robotaxi program in Austin to new riders
Tesla has been expanding both the rider group and the geofence in Austin slowly, making sure to prioritize safety and avoid any major events with the early rollout.

Tesla is expanding its Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, as several people have received invitations to participate and take rides.
Tesla first launched the Robotaxi platform on June 22. It invited a handful of people to participate in the first-ever public rides. We were lucky enough to get an invitation, and our permissions have been expanded in the Bay Area pilot program as well.
The group was small and consisted of big names in the Tesla community. It expanded and is continuing to offer these exclusive invitations to notable members of the Tesla community.
There have been fewer than five subsequent invitations after the first group’s were sent in late June:
I’m so stoked!! LFG 🙌🏽🙌🏽 @Tesla @Tesla_AI @robotaxi @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/F4chRhMjc9
— Arash (@MinimalDuck) August 7, 2025
I finally got it, guys!! 💯🙌 @robotaxi early access invite 🤠
Wait, does it mean I have to be 65 or wait another 65 years? 😎 pic.twitter.com/yAVPHXISY6
— JeebsTX 🇺🇸 (@JeebsTX) August 7, 2025
Tesla has been expanding both the rider group and the geofence in Austin slowly, making sure to prioritize safety and avoid any major events with the early rollout.
Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence shape is an FU by Elon Musk to the competition
“We are being very cautious. We do not want to take any chances, so we are going to go cautiously. But the service areas and the number of vehicles in operation will increase at a hyper-exponential rate,” CEO Elon Musk said during the Q2 Earnings Call.
Eventually, the Robotaxi platform will not require an invite, and it will operate without geofences. Musk believes Tesla can get there within three or six months, and plans to have at least half of the U.S. population with access to a Robotaxi by the end of the year:
🚨Tesla plans to offer driverless Robotaxi rides to half the U.S. population by the end of the year, Musk says https://t.co/xEDoTF6fIt
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 23, 2025
“I think we will probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the U.S. by the end of the year. That’s at least our goal, subject to regulatory approvals. I think we will technically be able to do it. Assuming we have regulatory approvals, it’s probably addressing half the population of the U.S. by the end of the year.”
Tesla plans to have regulatory approval in Nevada, Arizona, and Florida sooner than in other states.
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