Court Forces Tesla To Pay Owner For Dangerous Autopilot

特斯拉可能会提供一系列的巨大popular and capable electric vehicles but the rest ofthe industry is quickly catching up. And not just in terms of electric mobility, either. Mercedes-Benz has since surpassed the company in terms of self-driving technology. While Tesla's Beta Full Self-Driving (FSD) hasbeen embroiled in several incidents, Stuttgart's luxury brand is nowoffering Level 3 autonomy in Germany.

It's not just the USA where Autopilot faces scrutiny. A Munich court has recently ruled in favor of a disgruntledModel Xowner and has ruled that Tesla needs to reimburse her with most of the €112,000 (approx. $113,700) she originally paid for the vehicle. This is according toSpiegel Mobility, a German publication that reports the court found Autopilot to be a "massive danger" to the driver and other road users.

A verdict was reached after the court received a document on the ineffectiveness of the technology. According to the technical report, Autopilot is unable to "reliably recognize obstacles" like narrowing lanes in a construction zone. What's more, it was found that the system relies on the brakes too much. The report refers to this as a "massive hazard" that could lead to the vehicle being rear-ended.

Tesla's defense was quickly shut down by the court. The automaker's legal team argued that Autopilot isn't intended for use in the city. The court rejected this, noting that owners having to manually switch the system on and off could distract from driving responsibilities. The plaintiff's lawyer, Christoph Lindner, had some strong words for the automaker. "Once again. it shows Tesla does not keep full-bodied promises when it comes to Autopilot."

This is not the first time German courts have ruled against Tesla either, previously saying a car on Autopilotdrove "like a drunk novice."