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The group, the Dawn Project, has launched a nationwide TV
campaign warning of alleged potential dangers of what Tesla
calls "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) software, adding to public and
regulatory scrutiny of the technology.
One of the videos posted by the group shows a Tesla vehicle with
FSD software running over child-sized mannequins, and says "Tell
Congress to Shut it Down."
In a Cease and Desist letter dated Aug. 11, Tesla said the Dawn
Project and its founder "have been disparaging Tesla's
commercial interests and disseminating defamatory information to
the public." The letter was disclosed by the Dawn Project on
Thursday.
Tesla threatened to take legal action, saying the tests in the
videos are "likely fraudulent" and "misrepresent the
capabilities of Tesla’s technology."
The U.S. safety regulator has stepped up investigations of
Tesla's Autopilot system following a series of crashes.
The company said its "FSD Beta," a test version of its new
automated driving technology used by a limited number of
consumers, "does recognize pedestrians, including children, and
when utilized properly, the system reacts to prevent or mitigate
a collision."
The Dawn Project was founded by Dan O'Dowd, a critic of Tesla's
FSD system and a software entrepreneur in California who had run
for the U.S. Senate.
The Dawn Project said its tests are "are completely legitimate
and not deceptive," and called Tesla's letter "marketing
propaganda."
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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