Musk refused to add more safety sensors to Tesla autopilot

According to the Wall Street Journal, several years ago, Tesla engineers considered adding more sensors to the autopilot to increase safety. Musk would have rejected these plans partly in view of the costs. The Tesla CEO denies this.

The Wall Street Journal reported citing sources that some technicians have expressed concerns that insufficient safety safeguards have been integrated with the autopilot to ensure drivers remain vigilant. The engineers are said to have repeatedly discussed the option of adding additional sensors.

This involved a system to monitor the driver’s eyes, so that it can be determined that the road is being watched. Another proposal was the addition of sensors in the steering wheel, so that it can be determined whether the driver keeps his hands on the steering wheel at all times.

According to the engineers, Musk rejected these plans because of excessive costs and because the technology was not thought to be effective enough. Musk also believed that these additional sensors would only irritate the driver because they would beep too often.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on Twitter. He states that the sensor to monitor the driver’s eyes was rejected because it was ineffective; According to him, that had nothing to do with cost considerations. Musk thinks the report in the Wall Street Journal is ridiculous, because he believes Teslas are the safest cars on the road. According to him, the chance of a fatal accident in a Tesla is four times smaller compared to other cars.

Teslas do have a sensor that detects small movements of the steering wheel, so that the system can determine whether the driver is holding the steering wheel. By moving the steering wheel slightly, the warnings on the dashboard can be stopped for 20 to 60 seconds.