In the latest interview, a renowned ex-Tesla employee and a whistleblower shared his skepticism over the Autopilot technology, going as far as saying that it is an 'experiment' in its current version. It is widely known that there are investigations and probes regarding the Autopilot technology, Tesla's assistive driver system, which helps control steering, acceleration, and more.
In recent times, Tesla's Autopilot and Full-Self Driving technologies faced scrutiny, as it was involved in multiple accidents that led to severe injuries and loss of lives.
Ex-Tesla Employee Whistleblower Says Autopilot is an 'Experiment'
The latest interview by BBC details the claims from the renowned whistleblower and ex-Tesla employee, Lukasz Krupski, who recently shared his doubts regarding the company's Autopilot.
"I don't think the hardware is ready and the software is ready," Krupski regarded. "It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments on public roads. So even if you don't have a Tesla, your children still walk on the footpath."
Moreover, the whistleblower shared that he found evidence within the company that Tesla did not follow the requirements for the safe operation of vehicles with a certain level of autonomous or assistive-driving technology. Krupski also revealed that several unnamed Tesla employees talked to him about the phenomenon found in the clean energy company's EVs known as "phantom braking," or random braking even without obstacles.
Read Also: Tesla Autopilot Wins Case, Not Responsible for Fatal 2019 Model 3 Crash
Lukasz Krupski: Once Revered by Musk, Later Harassed
Ars Technica detailed that Elon Musk once revered Krupski for putting out a fire at a Tesla delivery location in Norway, preventing a disaster from happening but leading to severe burns on his hands.
However, after Krupski leaked internal information from Tesla's systems detailing thousands of accident reports, he was later harassed and terminated last year. Krupski also faced a lawsuit from Tesla for leaking company data.
Tesla's Autopilot, FSD Crashes and Investigations
In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, Tesla saw 17 crashes in total, with the most recent one taking place earlier this April, and this involves the infamous Autopilot system used by the driver.
Other states and regions also saw various accidents involving one of Tesla's autonomous driving systems, including the Autopilot and the FSD, with the company caught up in various lawsuits.
Moreover, the famed Autopilot video from 2016, which shows how the Autopilot can drive without any interventions from its driver, was said to be fake, with former Tesla Autopilot engineer Ashok Elluswamy, claiming this under oath. His statement regarded that the entire video was staged, with Tesla going as far as editing some parts of its promotional material to make it seem roadworthy.
A fair share of former Tesla employees turned out to be whistleblowers, revealing internal documents and insider information about the many problems in the company's autonomous driving systems.
However, one of the more popular whistleblowers, Krupski, recently said that Tesla's hardware and software are not yet ready, being mere "experiments" as of now.
Related Article: Florida Judge Rules Tesla Knew of Autopilot Defects, Paving the Way for Trial
