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Washington state authorities said Tuesday they have identified the man who struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle in April.TeslaThe car was operating in Full Self Driving (FSD) mode when the accident occurred.

Investigators found the 2022Tesla Model SThe driver was arrested "for admitting he was distracted while driving in FSD mode and was using his phone while driving forward, believing the machine would drive for him".

A Washington State Highway Patrol spokesman said no charges have been filed.

As of the close of U.S. stocks on Tuesday, Tesla's stock price fell more than 4% to $222.62, and its total market value shrank by more than $30 billion overnight to $711.2 billion.

Tesla's self-driving system has two parts, Full Self-Driving (FSD), which can take over many driving tasks even on city streets, and Autopilot, which can keep the car in its lane and away from objects ahead.

Tesla says neither system is currently capable of driving itself and a human driver must be ready to take control at all times.

Tesla'sModel YThe owner's manual for the Model Y states that drivers using FSD should: "Always remember that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) does not make Model Y autonomous and requires an attentive driver, ready to take immediate action at all times. During Full Self-Driving (Supervised), you must monitor your surroundings and other road users at all times."

Tesla CEO Musk admitted in a recent earnings call that his past FSD forecasts were "too optimistic." He said that he expects the "FSD" system to be able to operate without human supervision by the end of this year.

According to Xinhua News Agency, FSD is the abbreviation of the automated assisted driving system developed by Tesla, and its beta version was launched in 2020. The ultimate goal of the system is to enable the vehicle to autonomously identify road conditions, plan routes, control speed and direction, and complete driving from the starting point to the end point without human intervention.

However, some people have questioned the name "full autonomous driving" because according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's autonomous driving classification standards, vehicles currently operating under this system are roughly at Level 2 (L2), which means partial automation, but the driver is still required to actively monitor road conditions and be ready to take over at any time. Fully autonomous driving without driver intervention is Level 5 (L5), which can only be said to be a goal for future development.

It is reported that the current FSD system can achieve functions including automatic emergency braking (AEB), automatic lane change and traffic navigation, and also adds semi-autonomous navigation on urban streets and the ability to respond to traffic lights or stop signs. However, due to regulatory requirements, FSD still needs to be equipped with a driver to avoid some emergencies.

Just recently, William Stein, an analyst at Truist Securities, an American investment institution, listened to the advice of Tesla CEO Musk that investors need to try the company's so-called Full Self-Driving (FSD) function to understand the company. According to Fox Business Network, Bloomberg and other American media reports, Stein said that he personally tested the Tesla car's Full Self-Driving System, but almost had a car accident.

Stein disclosed serious safety risks of Tesla FSD in actual road tests. In a report to investors, he said that he test-drove a Tesla Model Y in the suburbs of New York this month and needed to intervene several times, including to avoid an accident when a car in front of him turned early. William Stein said that when the car in front had not yet completed the right turn, the Tesla Model Y he was driving accelerated through the intersection, and without his intervention, a car accident would definitely have occurred.

On another stretch of road that had a solid white line separating the lanes, the Model Y changed lanes twice. "Finally, on a portion of our route, the highway was curved and narrow with a solid line separating the lanes, indicating that lane changes were prohibited. Despite this, the Model Y changed lanes twice in this situation," Stein wrote.

It is worth noting that Tesla recently launched its largest recall this year.

On July 30, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that Tesla is recalling some 2021-2024 model year vehicles because the software may not detect that the hood is unlocked.Model 3、Model S、Model Xand 2020-2024 Model Y, totaling 1.8496 million vehicles. An unlocked hood may open completely, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a collision. In response, Tesla has released an OTA software update, and the owner notification letter is expected to be mailed on September 22.

This is Tesla's largest recall since December last year, when Tesla recalled 2.03 million vehicles in the United States, covering almost all Tesla vehicles on the road at the time, because the autopilot control system of these vehicles was not sufficient to prevent accidental operation.

Editor|Lu Xiangyong Du Hengfeng

Proofreading|Sun Zhicheng

Cover photo source: Photo by reporter Zhang Jian of Meijing

Daily Economic News is compiled from China Business News, Xinhua News Agency, and China Business News App

Daily Economic News