Is Tesla telling us the truth over autopilot spat?

Prickly car company has long history of lashing out

And back again

A few days before Mobileye went public with its concerns, Tesla put out a software update and blog post in which it talked extensively about a change to its system that would use radar as a primary input and not rely solely on the camera to determine when the car was at risk of crashing.

The implication, again, was that the camera was to blame for the crash. And that was enough to cause Mobileye to say in public what it had only previously said in private.

While many rightly marvel at Tesla's innovative streak, Elon Musk's tendency to play loose and fast with the facts has some worried that it will result in additional deaths.

In July, Consumer Reports complained that Tesla was putting lives at risk and was not being honest about its autopilot system.

"By marketing their feature as 'Autopilot,' Tesla gives consumers a false sense of security," said VP of consumer policy and mobilization Laura MacCleery. She argued, like Mobileye, that Tesla needs to make people fully aware that Autopilot can't actually drive the vehicle.

With his Silicon Valley disrupt style of thinking, Musk tends to take any criticism of his approach personally. The problem is that while his peers are making apps and software, his companies are making physical objects that can travel at great speed.

Musk shows no signs of changing his thinking. Talking about the recent software update, he said: "This will probably be a threefold improvement in safety. This is not going from bad to good. It's going from good to, I think, great."

What is more concerning is that as the stakes have gotten higher, Tesla's statements have moved from debatable to questionable to quite likely untrue.

Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, Tesla also seems to be receiving Silicon Valley-style unquestioning coverage. The response to Mobileye's serious accusations? Press reports pointing out that its share price has fallen while Tesla's has risen.

"Mobileye's deeply held view is that the long-term potential for vehicle automation to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities significantly is too important to risk consumer and regulatory confusion or to create an environment of mistrust that puts in jeopardy technological advances that can save lives," the company concluded, adding: "Mobileye has commented fully on its relationship with Tesla and will not provide further comment." ®