Expert: “Tesla is going too much to the borders” – SPIEGEL ONLINE

SPIEGEL: Mr Fintl, Tesla reported the first fatal accident involving a partially self-propelled car. What does this mean for the future technology of autonomous driving?

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  Robert Sommerauer

   
    Peter Fintl , a trained electronics engineer, has worked in the automotive industry for more than 16 years. He works as Director Technology and Innovation in the Technology and Innovation Consulting, Altran. He is mainly concerned with the development of driver assistance systems and passive safety.


 

Peter Fintl: The euphoria is now a setback, however, must be said: The Model S is not an autonomous, but only partially automated vehicle. It can perform certain driving maneuvers without any action, but is under constant observation of the driver. In this case, would have as far as the accident scenario is known the emergency brake, offering the traditional manufacturers, the accident actually have to prevent. The problem is that Tesla has the hype around the robot car over firing and the people suggested by the name of autopilot that it is the Model S is an autonomous car. If this accident will now be seen by the public as a result of autonomous driving, which is harmful

SPIEGEL ONLINE:. Tesla has thus become victim of its own, aggressive marketing

Fintl: Tesla is in many fields pacemaker in the automotive industry – for example, in e-mobility. What Tesla now gets to feel: It is not always good. For safety-related functions, special caution is advised and since Tesla is perhaps going too much to the limit of reasonable force. Other producers, including the German, are much more conservative

SPIEGEL ONLINE:. The autopilot is therefore not sure

Fintl: Without insight into the accident data can not judge whether Tesla has made technical errors. It behaves here like in a plane crash, in which no specific cause of research is possible without box. However, it is known that after the introduction of the system hair-raising videos appeared on the Internet, the Tesla driver in the back seat of her car showed during the car at high speed racing down the highway. Tesla has then done too little to make users the limits of the system clear. Who ever reads the terms and conditions before you accept by clicking on

SPIEGEL: it is not difficult to explain the limits of technology, if it is, when the autopilot as Tesla says to is a beta version. A system so that continuously evolves through software updates

Fintl: The majority of people have learned to live with defective beta versions. Almost everyone knows the computers or smartphones. In which it’s now common for new programs often work only to 90 percent and the manufacturer then nachschiebt a quick update. So far, however, a beta version was never critical for personal safety. Now, if we but have an autopilot, which anticipates already many features of autonomous driving, but can not leave the driver due to the lack of safety-related details of the responsibility, which is a dangerous Grenzgang. People have not yet learned to deal with beta versions in the car and therefore see this less critical than they need it actually

SPIEGEL ONLINE:. If betas prohibited at Auto Software are

Fintl: increasingly find No, beta releases will continue their way into the car. With our smartphones, we appreciate the opportunity of continuous improvement through updates, too. Still playing traditional manufacturers have their software updates at callbacks or routine service actions – that will change. The other automakers are having their “Over the air” imitate Tesla technology. However require updates for security equipment higher standards than the software for consumer electronics in the car. The accident in Florida could be a wake-up call for the authorities in charge.