Tesla has acknowledged the possibility of remotely controlling its robotaxis — Wired
Tesla has officially confirmed that its autonomous vehicles can be taken under direct human control in exceptional circumstances.
This was revealed in an official letter from the company sent to U.S. Senator Ed Markey, the contents of which were published by Wired.
The electric car manufacturer explains that this feature is a necessary precaution to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users.
“As a last resort in rare cases… remote support operators may temporarily take direct control of the vehicle as a final step after all other intervention options have been exhausted,” said Karen Stakely, Tesla’s director of public policy and business development.
The technical parameters of remote intervention have strict limitations to minimize risks associated with signal delay.
An operator can take control when the vehicle is traveling at approximately “3 km/h” and, if necessary, accelerate it to “16 km/h” if the software permits.
Tesla’s approach differs significantly from the strategies of its main competitors in the autonomous driving market.
For example, Waymo uses remote assistants only to analyze data and provide advice to the algorithm, but does not allow people to directly manipulate the steering wheel or pedals.
Most developers of autonomous driving technologies typically avoid remote control due to technical limitations.
The main obstacles remain "signal delay and limited sensor field of view," which can lead to dangerous situations on the road when attempting to control the car via an internet connection.
As a reminder, Tesla is officially ending production of the legendary Model S and Model X.
Lexus has unveiled an electric crossover with virtual gears and a new type of steering wheel.
American consumers envy affordable Chinese electric vehicles.
Additionally, global auto giants are refusing to fully transition to electric vehicles.
