Tesla’s self-driving software, known as Autopilot, has proved adept at preventing Tesla cars from rear-ending other vehicles, but situations involving crossing traffic — as was the case in the crash that regulators investigated — “are beyond the performance capabilities of the system,” Mr. Thomas said. His 2015 Tesla Model S was operating under its Autopilot system on a state highway in Florida when it crashed into a tractor-trailer that was crossing the road in front of his car. “That’s an industrywide concern the agency has,” Mr. Thomas said. While the update addressed some concerns that the agency had about Autopilot, Mr. Thomas said automakers could not rely on software updates to fix safety issues and avoid recalls. Advertisement Continue reading the main story“If there is a defect identified, it’s not enough to do a software update,” Mr. Thomas said.

Source: New York Times January 20, 2017 01:35 UTC