A high-profile split between Tesla Motors and a key supplier for its Autopilot technology is growing more acrimonious.
Following a fatal crash that involved the semi-autonomous feature, Mobileye, a supplier of vision and obstacle-detection systems, said it intended to end its relationship with the electric carmaker because it wanted greater input and control in how its technologies were deployed. Earlier this week, Mobileye?s chairman and chief technology officer, Amnon Shashua, elaborated on the company?s discomfort in continuing to work with Tesla. In an interview with Reuters, he said the electric carmaker was ?pushing the envelope in terms of safety? in the design of its Autopilot system.
?Long term, this is going to hurt the interests of the company and hurt the interests of an entire industry, if a company of our reputation will continue to be associated with this type of pushing the envelope in terms of safety,? Shashua told the news organization. The comments come in the aftermath of the first known death involving autonomous-vehicle technology. Joshua Brown was killed behind the wheel of a Model S on May 7, when neither he nor the activated Autopilot feature took action when a truck crossed their paths on a Florida highway. The car struck and passed underneath the trailer portion of the truck, and Brown was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the auto industry prepares to launch more self-driving features and fully autonomous cars within the next five years, Brown?s...