How Tesla faked autonomous-car test video results, insider tells US court

US electric-car specialist Tesla has again come under scrutiny for over-promising the true abilities – and limitations – of its semi-autonomous driving technology.

An exclusive report by news agency Reuters has unearthed US court documents that list the testimony of a Tesla engineer who lifted the lid on how a video promoting the semi-autonomous technology was in fact staged.

Tesla had previously been accused of staging the video in 2021, but this is the first time a Tesla employee has revealed what happened.

The bombshell revelations have emerged as road safety regulators in the US and Europe have launched investigations into the role of Tesla's semi-autonomous driving systems in serious injury and fatal crashes.

The technology is suspected of being flawed and/or drivers are putting too much reliance on what is supposed to be a driver assistance aid, not take control away from the driver.

Tesla has been banned in some jurisdictions from calling the system "Full Self-Driving" because the technology does not work in all conditions and drivers must maintain proper control at all times. It is supposed to be a safety net, not the primary driver of the vehicle.

Road safety authorities are concerned Tesla's description of the technology causes some drivers to become complacent or have too much faith in the technology.

Against this backdrop, the statements of a Tesla engineer in a US court make for chilling reading.

The Tesla video at the centre of the latest controversy was released by the car-maker in 2016 "as evidence that 'Tesla drives itself'," news agency Reuters reported overnight Australian time.

However, the Tesla Model X SUV used in the video demonstration was not driving itself, according to court documents unearthed by Reuters.

When making the video "drivers intervened to take control in test runs" and "when trying to show the Model X could park itself with no driver, a test car crashed into a fence in Tesla’s parking lot," Reuters said the US court documents revealed.

"The intent of the video was not to accurately portray what was available for customers in 2016. It was to portray what was possible to build into the system (in future)," the Tesla engineer reportedly told a US court, according to a transcript of the testimony seen by the Reuters news agency.

"When asked if the 2016 video showed the performance of the Tesla Autopilot system available in a production car at the time, (the Tesla engineer) said: 'It does not'."

Read the complete story by Reuters – the result of an extensive investigation – here.