The US stock market regulator SEC is again investigating Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. This time around, its role in self-driving car claims. According to insiders, the regulator is investigating whether Musk made incorrect statements about the so-called Autopilot system.
Last year, a California regulator accused Tesla of misleading advertising about the self-driving capabilities of its cars. For example, Tesla calls the current variant Autopilot and is testing a more advanced version called Full Self-Driving. The California Department of Motor Vehicles found that Tesla gives the impression that the cars can do much more independently than is possible.
According to the government department, Tesla violated California law with its “false or misleading” statements. Autopilot has been under a magnifying glass for some time for other reasons as well. The US federal regulator NHTSA is investigating several accidents involving Teslas in which the self-driving functions of those cars were on. These include accidents where the Teslas crashed into parked emergency responders’ vehicles.
However, the Tesla CEO insists that self-driving cars are safer than cars driven by humans. According to him, Autopilot is crucial to Tesla’s future.
Musk and his lawyer Alex Spiro could not be reached for comment, according to Bloomberg news agency. The SEC declined to comment on the matter.
