Tesla Autopilot is UNSAFE says VOLVO engineer

The Tesla Autopilot Autonomous Driving system is unsafe, says a Volvo engineer, as it expects drivers to take over without warning.

Tesla’s Autopilot system is a clever piece of technology that delivers semi-autonomous driving ability to let drivers give over control of their car on motorways, and is perhaps the most sophisticated autonomous driving technology in any production car.

But according to Trent Victor – a crash avoidance technician at Volvo – Tesla’s Autopilot is unsafe.

In an interview with The Verge, Victor said that Tesla’s Autopilot – which he believes is a ‘Level 3’ autonomous driving technology – is dangerous because it gives the impression of being fully autonomous, yet it expects the driver to intervene without notice when it meets a situation it can’t cope with.

Tesla claim their Autopilot is Level 2 Autonomous – designed to make driving easier with the driver still in control – but the Tesla’s ability to control safety-critical functions actually makes it a Level 3. And Level 3 is, according to Volvo’s Victor, a bad place to be.

That’s because a Level 3 system doesn’t have the ability to react safely if the driver doesn’t take over when a situation arises that’s beyond its abilities – or if a fault develops – so drivers get the impression of full autonomous driving but without a safety back-up.

To be truly safe, the Volvo man believes only Level 4 autonomous systems are properly safe as they are designed not only drive the car, but take it to safety and park up if the driver fails to intervene when the system demands it.

That’s the sort of system Volvo is trialling in Sweden (and in China and London soon) in its ‘Drive Me’ trails, and Volvo is intent on making sure that drivers don’t have to be alert when their system is in action, which is just as well as Volvo has declared it will accept insurance liability for any accidents in their autonomous cars when they arrive.

The Volvo man has a valid point, and it’s typically Volvo that they want to make the systems for autonomous driving as safe as they can be.

But ultimately, it’s going to be down to regulators to decide what’s safe and what’s not.