UK Tesla owner successfully settles lawsuit against Tesla
Tesla
In a landmark decision, Ed Butler, a UK Tesla owner, won a significant settlement from Tesla after challenging the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature claims. Butler successfully settled his lawsuit over FSD capabilities, which he argued had not been delivered as promised when he purchased his Model 3. This settlement not only returned the cost of the undelivered FSD feature but also set a notable precedent for consumer rights in the region.
Butler's case reinforces the strength of the UK's Consumer Rights Act of 2015, which proved to be a formidable tool in holding Tesla accountable. The act's stipulation that goods must match their advertised description was the linchpin of Butler's claim, highlighting the legal obligations of companies to fulfill their marketing claims.
Contrast with the US Arbitration Ruling
In stark contrast to the UK's consumer-centric outcome, a California federal judge's ruling last month paints a different picture of Tesla's legal defenses. The judge ruled that Tesla owners must settle their disputes through individual arbitration rather than in court, adhering to Tesla's terms and conditions agreed upon at purchase. This decision emphasizes the binding nature of such agreements and showcases the company's success in utilizing arbitration to avoid class action lawsuits.
Tesla's reliance on arbitration clauses in the US is a common practice within the tech industry, designed to mitigate legal risks and manage disputes out of the public court system. The California ruling illustrates the effectiveness of these clauses in protecting corporate interests, even amid allegations of misleading advertising and safety concerns related to Tesla's automated driving features.
Analysis of Legal Strategies and Consumer Rights
The contrasting outcomes of these cases in the UK and US highlight differing national stances on consumer rights and corporate accountability. While UK law enabled Butler to challenge and settle with Tesla, the US arbitration ruling underscores the challenges consumers face when bound by pre-agreed contractual terms. These divergent paths reflect the complexities consumers and corporations encounter in the evolving landscape of automotive technology and legal recourse.
With over £8,000 (About $9,800 USD) in settlement and the removal of FSD from his vehicle, Butler's case against Tesla concludes, setting a benchmark for consumer rights in the technology and automotive industries. This case could lead to increased legal scrutiny of Tesla's FSD feature descriptions and a push for more transparent communication from the company to avoid similar legal disputes in the future. For Tesla owners, this case is a clarion call to remain vigilant about the features they are promised and to seek correction if those promises are not kept.
The recent UK settlement in favor of Ed Butler against Tesla, adjacent to the California ruling on mandatory arbitration, presents a nuanced view of the legal battles surrounding Tesla's advanced driving technologies.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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