The California attorney general is investigating Tesla, CNBC has learned, seeking information from customers and former employees regarding Autopilot safety and false advertising complaints.
Tesla is starting off with 10 to 20 Model Y SUVs running as robotaxis in a geofenced area of Texas, with not only safety teleoperators able to control the vehicle in case of emergency but also a Tesla employee sitting in the passenger seat who can turn the vehicle off in case of an issue.
Only select invited Tesla users were invited to test the robotaxi service in Austin.
A Florida jury found Tesla was partly to blame over a fatal 2019 collision involving a vehicle equipped with the company’s driver-assistance software, awarding the plaintiffs nearly $329 million in damages.
It marks the first time a jury has awarded damages in a lawsuit related to Tesla’s driver-assistance features… The jury concluded the automaker failed to provide sufficient warnings or instructions for its Autopilot feature in the 2019 Tesla Model S involved in the accident, making the car unreasonably dangerous.
…The case stems from a car crash in Key Largo, Fla., where the driver of a Tesla Model S, George McGee, hit a parked car that rammed into two pedestrians. The jury found that Tesla was 33% at fault for the crash and McGee was responsible for the remainder.
…The jury awarded the plaintiffs $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Tesla will have to pay a third of the compensatory damages and the entirety of the punitive damages for a total of $243 million in damages.