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Tesla’s safety record and Autopilot defended by longtime TSLA analyst

(Credit: Justin Wegner)

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Being one of the most notable advanced-driver assist systems in the market today, Tesla’s Autopilot is subjected to a lot of scrutiny. This became particularly evident recently amid three crashes involving Teslas. Investigations are still ongoing, though one of the vehicles’ drivers had claimed that Autopilot was engaged when the crash happened. 

Longtime Tesla analyst and bull Gene Munster of Loup Ventures has shared his two cents on the fresh scrutiny surrounding the company’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software. According to Munster, scrutiny or not, the fact remains that if one looks at the big picture, Teslas are still safer. This could be seen in Tesla’s safety reports, which have shown that Autopilot is getting steadily better. 

Despite being a system that is still a work in progress, Tesla has reported one accident for every 3.7 million miles driven while Autopilot is engaged. That’s an improvement of 18% compared to the system’s scores over the past two years. In comparison, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported one accident for every ~475,000 miles driven for all US vehicles. 

Teslas are equipped with a robust set of safety features, most of which are standard. For example, active Safety Features like Blind Spot Monitoring, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Front Collision Warning are included in all of the company’s cars. Autopilot, which includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer, has been standard in Teslas since April 2019. Only the Full Self-Driving system, which includes Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, and Smart Summon, is a paid upgrade at $10,000. 

Ultimately, Munster remarked that numbers do not lie. Compared with the national data, Teslas are safer, and with Autopilot, even more so. This is despite Autopilot and Tesla’s advanced FSD features still being in their early days. The Loup Ventures Managing Partner explained that it would likely take some time for people to be comfortable with technologies like Autopilot, and there will be accidents from time to time. However, Munster emphasized that Autopilot could save even more lives than seat belts once the system is fully matured. 

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“That said, we believe autonomous systems will drastically reduce the number of vehicle fatalities, similar as seatbelts did in the ’70s but on a greater scale. For perspective, there are still around 35k-40k vehicle fatalities every year in the US, around the top 10 causes of death. This equates to 11 fatalities per 100k people, compared to 25 per 100k in 1970,” Munster wrote. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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California proposal to allow self-driving tests for heavy-duty trucks

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A new proposal in the state of California would allow initial testing of self-driving heavy-duty trucks, as Tesla and others aim to bring their driverless technologies to market with Class 8 trucks and other large vehicles.

On Friday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said that it’s proposing self-driving vehicle tests be allowed on public roads for heavy-duty trucks and other large vehicles, as detailed in a report from Reuters. The news comes as heavy-duty vehicles about 10,001 pounds are currently unable to utilize public self-driving tests in California, as well as others such as Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas.

The proposal would restrict autonomous testing for semi-trucks and other oversized vehicles to specified, pre-selected routes that would be pre-determined to be legal for size, weight, and loading requirements. It would also ban testing these vehicles on city streets, with selected routes primarily including major highways.

The state would also prohibit testing of specific heavy-duty vehicles until further notice under the proposal, including household movers, commercial vehicles used to transport passengers, oversize loads, bulk liquids, or hazardous materials.

READ MORE ON SELF-DRIVING FOR HEAVY-DUTY TRUCKS:

The DMV plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal on June 10, after which point it would be allowed to move forward with the agency.

California has been preparing regulations for autonomous trucking since at least last August, when the state submitted an initial draft for such a legal framework.

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The state is also evaluating whether light-duty vehicle testing requirements should be updated. Currently, the state requires a permit to test self-driving vehicles utilizing a safety driver, before applying for subsequent phases of driverless testing and deployment permits.

To apply for driverless testing permits, manufacturers are required to conduct testing for a minimum of 50,000 miles, while heavy-duty manufacturers would be required to complete at least 500,000 autonomous testing miles under the proposal. Of them, up to 40,000 of the miles are allowed to be completed outside of California.

The news also follows the Trump administration’s aims to accelerate self-driving deployment this week through the expansion of exemptions for certain reporting requirements.

Although Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) is not currently available for the company’s electric Semi, it’s expected to become available at some point in the future. Tesla has also been spotted testing its FSD on the Semi in and around Giga Nevada, ahead of the company’s plans to launch the software on the Class 8 truck.

Tesla is currently aiming to ramp up production of the Semi, and it’s constructing an expansion to its Gigafactory in Nevada to eventually scale up to volume production.

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Tesla reservation emails hint at imminent launch in India

Tesla appears to be nearing the launch of vehicle sales in India, as hinted at in a recent correspondence with early reservation holders.

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A report this week says that Tesla has sent out a new batch of emails to some of its earliest reservation holders in India, suggesting that the company’s highly anticipated launch of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country could be imminent.

As seen in emails viewed by Bloomberg in a Friday report, Tesla has begun refunding early reservation holders in India, indicating that the U.S. automaker seems to be nearing its official debut in the country. Some Model 3 reservation holders in India initially paid deposits to purchase a Tesla as early as 2016, and they come due to the company having refreshed the vehicle’s design last year.

“We would like to return your reservation fee for the time being,” Tesla writes in the email. “When we finalize our offerings in India, we will reach out in the market again. We hope to see you back with us once we are ready to launch and deliver in your country.”

The launch is thought to be highly consequential for Tesla, as India is the world’s third-largest auto market, and thousands of people in the nation are employed by vehicle and component manufacturing facilities. However, years of talks between Tesla and the government about launching sales and potentially a factory there have hit a standstill multiple times, largely due to disagreements over the country’s high import duties.

READ MORE ON TESLA INDIA: India to hold EV import policy workshop in bid to attract Tesla, other EV makers: report

While many are speculating as to when exactly Tesla could launch vehicle sales in India, several other indicators have also suggested that the maker is getting close to doing so.

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Last weekend, a Tesla Model Y with a privacy wrap was seen being tested in India, marking the second such sighting to take place in the past few weeks. The company also officially began the certification and homologation processes for the new versions of both the Model Y and Model 3 in India last month, and it has been hiring and picked out two sites for initial stores in the country, the first in Mumbai and a second in New Delhi.

A Bloomberg report in February also claimed that Tesla was aiming to sell vehicles in India around the third quarter of the year, though models being sold in the country had not yet been revealed at the time.

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These Tesla Superchargers are free today for Earth Week

Canada and other countries are missing on the free Earth Week Supercharging map, while the U.S. state of California gets the promo at two sites.

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Tesla has made several of its Supercharging stations free in markets around the world over the weekend, in order to commemorate Earth Day, which took place earlier this week.

On Friday, Tesla posted on its charging account on X that it would be offering free Supercharging across 30 select stations on Saturday in celebration of Earth Day and Week. The chargers are set to be free during daytime work hours, and they’re scattered in locations across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Tesla also says it may have employees handing out “goodies” at some of the sites, though the company didn’t disclose what they would be.

“Closing out Earth Week with free charging at the following Superchargers on April 26th,” Tesla writes. “You might even catch some Tesla employees with goodies!”

In the U.S., the Supercharger stations offering free charging include two located in California, along with one each in Florida, Arizona, Illinois, and New Jersey. The company is also offering free Supercharging in Nuevo León, Mexico, in the city of Monterrey.

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You can see the full list of free Supercharger locations below, along with the times the offer is still available on Saturday.

READ MORE ON TESLA SUPERCHARGERS: Tesla’s Hollywood Diner is finally getting close to opening

Tesla Superchargers offering free charging on Saturday, April 26

Europe (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

North America (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

Asia-Pacific

Tesla’s Superchargers in North America opening to non-Tesla EVs

Along with allowing Tesla’s vehicles to charge at Supercharger stations, the company has slowly been rolling out access to other, non-Tesla electric vehicle (EV) brands in North America over the past several months. For example, Superchargers opened to Kia’s EVs in North America on Thursday, increasing the company’s chargers to the over 40,000 DC fast-charging stations and doubling the number of stations owners of the car brand can use.

Other brands with access to Tesla’s Superchargers include Kia parent company Hyundai, Ford, GM, Genesis, Lucid, Mercedes, Nissan, Polestar, Rivian, and Volvo, and Volkswagen and subsidiary Audi are the next brands in line to gain access.

Tesla also runs three-month Supercharger voting periods for owners to cast votes on where they’d like to see new Superchargers built, and the company recently opened its voting round for the second quarter along with revealing the winning locations from Q1.

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Tesla Superchargers were over 10 times as reliable as these rivals

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