Tesla, a leader in self-driving technology, lost for the first time in an Autopilot-related death trial, taking a big hit in expanding its self-driving business.
According to foreign media such as Reuters and CNBC on the 3rd, a jury in the U.S. Federal Court in Miami recognized Tesla’s responsibility for the death in Florida in 2019 at 33% and ordered the bereaved family to compensate for $243 million.
Of this, $200 million is equivalent to punitive damages.
This is the first loss in a Tesla Autopilot-related incident lawsuit.
Earlier, Tesla had been winning most of its lawsuits or concluding with settlements.
However, the ruling is expected to affect the ruling of similar lawsuits.
More than 50 Tesla Autopilot deaths are estimated.
Autopilot on board the accident vehicle is Tesla’s autonomous driving system and is considered a key technology in the robotaxi business along with fully autonomous driving (FSD).
However, in reality, it falls under level 2 (partial automation) of autonomous driving according to international standards, and is at the level of driver assistance.
Experts point out that names like “Autopilot” or “FSD” can exaggerate technology levels and confuse consumers, causing accidents.
The ruling is also expected to affect Tesla’s expansion of its robo-taxi business. Tesla launched some self-driving taxi services in Austin, Texas, in June, but had planned to expand into California and elsewhere in the future.
The company immediately expressed its intention to appeal.
“The ruling is feared to dampen technological advances and the development of safety devices,” Tesla said.
However, Tesla has not performed well below market expectations for the last two consecutive quarters, and the loss is likely to add to the management burden.
SAM KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
