Mobileye criticizes safety of Tesla’s Autopilot feature

The company Mobileye, which supplied its cameras and collision detection algorithms to Tesla until July, has criticized the safety of Tesla’s autopilot. According to the company’s CTO, Tesla is pushing the boundaries when it comes to safety.

In July, Mobileye severed ties with Tesla over disputes over how the company’s technology for sensing and warning systems was being deployed by Tesla. Now, Mobileye chief executive Amnon Shashua says in an interview with Reuters that Tesla’s Autopilot feature is “not made for every possible accident situation.”

The CTO emphasizes that Mobileye’s technology is intended for assistance and not for an autonomous system. A Tesla spokesperson responded to Shashua’s statements on Wednesday by stating that the system has never been described as an autonomous driving technique. That is why drivers should always be warned to keep their hands on the wheel. However, it was possible to let go of the steering wheel for several minutes, Reuters writes.

The split between the companies came after a fatal accident with a Tesla occurred in the US state of Florida. Tesla recently announced a new update to its software, which includes using radar as the primary sensing system. Until now, this role has been assigned to the camera.

Changes have also been made to the way the auto-steering feature is used. Drivers who ignore warnings to keep their hands on the wheel for too long can only re-enable the function when the vehicle has come to a complete stop. According to Reuters, even after the update, it will be possible to completely release the steering wheel for up to three minutes while the vehicle follows a vehicle in front.