The announcement of another federal investigation has many wondering about the future of Tesla's self-driving technology. But experts warn that regulators may have a hard time slowing down the speed at which Tesla moves ahead with its autonomous cars.
What's happening?
Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into Tesla's so-called "Full Self-Driving" mode, after the organization said it received dozens of reports of cars driving dangerously while in FSD.
As CNN reported, this is at least the sixth such investigation into Tesla's self-driving technology — but that doesn't mean the feature will be discontinued any time soon.
Several experts told CNN that regulatory bodies such as the NHTSA aren't designed to approve or test technology such as FSD. Instead, if problems occur, they can investigate those issues and ultimately increase safety standards for vehicles.
However, it can take years to complete those investigations.
"I call it regulatory whack-a-mole," Stanford law professor Bryant Walker Smith told CNN. "This process takes a very long time. … It's a regulatory process that isn't necessarily well-aligned with the technological time frame."
Why is this concerning?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that autonomous cars and robots are vital to the company's future, and he has aggressively pushed such technologies. And although the idea of self-driving cars is intriguing, Tesla's FSD rollout has seen its fair share of speed bumps.
Earlier this year, after some delays, the company launched its much-hyped Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. And despite many passengers describing Robotaxi issues, such as cars stopping in the middle of the road or driving on the wrong side of the street, the company has rapidly expanded that service.
Even the name "Full-Self Driving" has caused issues. In most locations, a person must be sitting in the driver's seat to legally use the feature, ready to take over in case issues arise. But the company faces a class-action lawsuit in California from drivers who claim they were misled by the company's FSD claims.
What's being done about this?
That lawsuit could prove consequential to Tesla's future. If a judge rules against Tesla, it could have to pay out millions in damages and be banned from selling cars in California for a month, and other states may follow with similar suits.
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I want one ✅ Otherwise, experts told CNN they don't expect much to happen from a regulatory standpoint with the company's FSD features. And that's not just because of the company or the technology, but instead because of the limited power regulators have to rein in advancements on any automobile.
"We are all real-world guinea pigs in the century-long experiment introducing two-ton vehicles that travel at speed faster than we can comprehend," Smith said.
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