Tesla has been ordered to change the name of its Autopilot cruise control system by a Californian judge or face a sales ban in the US state.
The US Department of Motor Vehicles had ordered a 30-day manufacturing and sales ban, but judge Juliet Cox has suspended the ban for 30 days.
Why is Tesla facing a ban? The judge agreed with the DMV that Tesla has misled customers about the self-driving abilities of its cars, an argument that has been ongoing since 2022.
Any restriction on Tesla sales in the state could have big consequences for the firm. The Californian EV market is far and away the largest in the USA, five times the size of nearest rivals Florida and Texas with 27% of the country’s electric vehicle sales.
Lawyers for Tesla have claimed that the company has never misled its customers and has always maintained that its models can’t be operated without driver supervision.
Autopilot itself is limited in scope to accelerating, braking and maintaining position within a motorway lane – much along the lines of any adaptive cruise control. It was subject to a recall in 2023 over fears that drivers had been 'over-relying' on the system.
Tesla also sells a ‘full self-driving’ package in the US and countries where the tech is allowed on the roads, which is not in dispute with the DMV and the California court, but allows the car to react to traffic signs and lights, change lanes and navigate city streets. It'll even tackle the magic roundabout in Swindon in a pinch.
The Texas-based carmaker hasn’t yet responded to the decision or made any comment, so it’s not known whether it intends to comply with the ruling or challenge it with an appeal. The company currently only sells its Model 3 and Model Y EVs as part of its UK line-up, both of which come with Autopilot as standard.
Do drivers think that Autopilot is more capable than it really is? The California DMV seems to think so... 
