Volvo engineer blasts Tesla’s semi-autonomous feature as unsafe ‘wannabe’

By Steve Pak / 1462162016
(Photo : Twitter) A Volvo engineer has claimed Tesla's Autopilot feature does less than it claims and could be dangerous

Tesla's Autopilot feature on the Model S and Model X electric cars represents the auto industry's shift to self-driving technology. The semi-autonomous functions on its electric vehicles (EVs) include automatic lane keeping and self-parking. However, a Volvo engineer has criticized Autopilot as having less functionality than Elon Musk's company claims and could even cause dangerous driving situations due to it.

Trent Victor is Volvo's senior technical leader of crash avoidance. In an interview with The Verge the engineer argued that Autopilot does less than Tesla claims, and called it an "unsupervised wannabe," according to Digital Trends.   

Tesla classifies its self-driving tech as Level 2 automation based on the definition of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It requires two or more main control functions to work together.

Autopilot differs from NHTSA's definition for Level 4 autonomy that requires no input from a human driver behind the steering wheel. Tesla describes its Autosteer function as being beta-tested but allows the all-electric cars to drive themselves for somewhat long periods.  

Meanwhile, the Swedish automaker plans to launch its Drive Me vehicle program in 2016, which will use Level 4 driving in regular traffic. Victor claims Level 4 is safer than Level 2/3.

Fully autonomous functions provide a safety net to deal with technical problems. However, lower levels of autonomous such as automatic lane keeper can be turned off if no driver input is given in a certain period of time.

Victor explains that Drive Me will not just switch off the autonomous mode if the driver has fallen asleep or is watching a movie. It will stop the car if the driver does not take over.  

In related news, Musk recently made a bold claim that Autopilot can cut car accident rates by 50 percent when the semi-autonomous system takes over for a human driver, according to Business Insider. His statement could be a game-changer for future self-driving cars.

The SpaceX and PayPal founder did not share how the EV company calculated that figure. However, it defined an accident as a car crash that resulted in airbag deployment. Air bags are designed to work in collisions that occur at 8 miles per hour (12.9 km/hr) or more.