Autonomous Driving Standards: Tesla Faces Scrutiny at Senate Hearing
Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy recently testified before a Senate committee hearing concerning federal autonomous driving standards. Also present at the event was Waymo's Chief Safety Officer, Mauricio Peña. During the proceedings, Tesla notably encountered more criticism compared to Waymo.
Key Discussions
Senator Ben Ray Luján initiated a discussion on the fundamental difference in sensing technologies employed by autonomous vehicles, specifically addressing the use of lidar versus cameras.
Waymo's Approach
Mauricio Peña articulated Waymo's philosophy on system design, underscoring the importance of redundancy.
Waymo's Mauricio Peña emphasized that redundancy in safety-critical systems allows for higher reliability and safety, providing backup if primary systems malfunction.
Tesla's Stance
Lars Moravy defended Tesla's camera-centric approach, arguing that it aligns with human perception of driving environments.
Lars Moravy stated that human roads are designed for pure vision.
He rejected claims of a lack of redundancy in Tesla's systems, pointing out that Tesla vehicles are equipped with nine independently wired cameras. When questioned about CEO Elon Musk's view that lidar and radar reduce safety, Moravy affirmed Tesla's conviction that all self-driving requirements can be met through vision alone.
Additional Criticisms
Beyond the debate on sensing technologies, Tesla faced further scrutiny regarding its driver assistance systems and marketing practices.
Senator Luján raised concerns about driver behavior related to Tesla's systems.
Senator Ben Ray Luján stated he has evidence that Tesla salespeople instruct buyers on how to bypass systems designed to keep drivers' hands on the wheel, reportedly using weighted devices purchased online.
Furthermore, Senator Ed Markey expressed strong reservations about the nomenclature and operational boundaries of Tesla's advanced driver-assist features.
Senator Ed Markey criticized Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology, describing it as misleading and inadequately constrained.