Screenshot via Twitter
- Video showing a Tesla Model S driving at speed on a road with no one in the driver’s seat circulated on social media Tuesday night.
- The luxury electric car appeared to be operating on Autopilot, Tesla’s semi-autonomous-driving technology that allows its vehicles equipped with the feature to steer, accelerate, brake, and change lanes with driver supervision.
- At one point, a camera pans around the cabin to reveal a person lying down in the back seat.
- Videos showing Tesla drivers asleep or otherwise preoccupied behind the steering wheel are fairly common, even as the carmaker implores its customers to remain in control of their vehicles while operating them on Autopilot.
Video showing a Tesla Model S driving at speed on a road with no one in the driver’s seat circulated on social media Monday night.
The luxury electric car appeared to be operating on Autopilot, Tesla’s semi-autonomous-driving technology that allows its vehicles equipped with the feature to steer, accelerate, brake, and change lanes with driver supervision.
At one point in the video, the camera pans toward the windshield to show the car is traveling at speed down a two-lane road. The digital instrument cluster can be seen with "115" displayed, but it was not immediately clear whether that number represented miles-per-hour, or kilometers-per-hour.
Read more: Hackers steered a Tesla into oncoming traffic by placing 3 small stickers on the road
A beverage holder containing a bottled drink is attached to the car’s steering wheel.
The camera then turns away from the Model S’s empty driver’s seat to reveal a person lying down on the back seat.
Videos showing Tesla drivers asleep or otherwise preoccupied behind the steering wheel are fairly common, even as the carmaker implores its customers to remain in control of their vehicles while operating them on Autopilot.
The system requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel. It activates a series of warnings if it detects no steering feedback from the driver, and deactivates itself if there’s no response.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment about the video on Monday night.
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See Also:
- Hackers steered a Tesla into oncoming traffic by placing 3 small stickers on the road
- Here are all the differences between Tesla’s sedans — the Model S and Model 3
- Elon Musk just emailed all Tesla employees to address ‘uncertainty’ around the company’s plan to close stores
SEE ALSO: Here are all the differences between Tesla’s sedans — the Model S and Model 3
Source: Business Insider – blogan@businessinsider.com (Bryan Logan)