WASHINGTON — Tesla Inc. said Tuesday it has been requested by the U.S. Department of Justice for documents related to its fully autonomous driving and Autopilot driver assistance systems amid heightened regulatory scrutiny.
Reuters reported in October that Tesla was under criminal investigation over claims that its electric vehicles could drive themselves.
The U.S. Justice Department will launch a previously closed investigation in 2021 following more than a dozen crashes, some fatal, involving Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistance system, the people said. rice field.
CEO Elon Musk has championed the system as an innovation that improves road safety and positions the company as a technology leader.
Regulators are investigating whether claims about Autopilot’s design and its capabilities could give users a false sense of security, complacency behind the wheel, and potentially deadly consequences.
Ann Carlson, acting director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said earlier this month that it was conducting a “very extensive” investigation into Tesla Autopilot, which began in August 2021. In June, NHTSA upgraded its defect study of his 830,000 Tesla vehicles with Autopilot to engineering analysis. This is a necessary step before an agency requests a recall.
Autopilot is designed to assist with steering, braking, speed and lane changes. This feature currently requires active driver monitoring and does not automate the vehicle. Tesla sells its $15,000 fully self-driving (FSD) software separately as an add-on that allows vehicles to change lanes and park autonomously.
Shares of the automaker fell 1.5% in morning trading.
Tesla also forecast capital spending of $7 billion to $9 billion in 2024 and 2025 on Tuesday. The midpoint of that projection will be $1 billion higher than he ranges from $6 billion to $8 billion this year.
Part of the spending will go toward a $3.6 billion expansion of the Nevada plant. Tesla builds his 4680-cell factory to mass-produce long-delayed semi-trucks and build enough batteries for two million small cars. every year.
Tesla said it recorded a $204 million impairment loss on its bitcoin holdings while posting a $64 million gain from converting tokens into fiat currency.
Last year, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin took a hit as rising interest rates and the collapse of major industry players such as crypto exchange FTX shook investor confidence.