No comment from Tesla Australia on US fatality

Tesla’s Australian connections have declined to comment on the much reported autonomous drive fatality in the USA last week. In what is claimed by some to be the world's first fatal autonomous car accident, a North American motorist's Tesla Model S electric vehicle (EV) hit a truck while the vehicle's 'Autopilot' self-driving mode was engaged.

The USA's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating the crash to ascertain whether the autonomous car tech was at fault.

In the past, the NHTSA's findings have resulted in vehicle recalls.

Tesla says says Autopilot is currently in 'beta' mode and should never be fully relied upon. The Model S is one of the world's most advanced EVs and was carsales.com.au's Car of the Year in 2015.

So, should Australian Telsa Model S owners be concerned? Will there be a patch or will some elements of Autopilot need removing and/or recalibrating?

We asked Tesla Motors Australia the very same question and the response from the company's Senior Communications Manager, Heath Walker to local owners was: "There is nothing further to advise outside of what is provided in the [Tesla] blog at this stage."

The crux of the official Tesla Blog is that owners are warned not to rely solely on the Autopilot. Here's an excerpt:

"It is important to note that Tesla disables Autopilot by default and requires explicit acknowledgement that the system is new technology and still in a public beta phase before it can be enabled.

"When drivers activate Autopilot, the acknowledgment box explains, among other things, that Autopilot "is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times," and that "you need to maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle" while using it."

In late 2015 a senior Jaguar executive warned that Tesla was "very irresponsible" for offering self-driving systems that were not properly tested for all conditions.

Jaguar has also been on record as saying the technology in its current state was "dangerous" because it created a false sense of security for drivers.

Six months ago Stephen Boulter, Project Manager on the Jaguar XF car – a potential rival for the Tesla Model S – told Mashable that "If something happens [with Autopilot], it could set the technology back a decade".

Tesla scaled back its Autopilot functionality in late 2015 after drivers posted Youtube footage of themselves taking risks, such as climbing into the back seat of the car while it was self-driving at high speed.

One of Tesla's own Autopilot beta testers questioned whether the technology should be dialled back after the spate of idiotic practices were shown and Tesla Motors CEO, Elon Musk, was forced to introduce an update to stop people doing what he said was "crazy things".

The official Tesla Motors line on the first autonomous car fatality is that "extremely rare circumstances" were at play, as "neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied."

Related reading: OPINION: Will Your Car Decide to Kill You?