Yesterday something big happened relating to Tesla in California, which largely went unnoticed. New California law effectively bans Tesla from advertising FSD. California passed a new law banning Tesla from calling its software Full Self-Driving (FSD). Although Tesla has never claimed that its Full-Self Driving feature was fully autonomous, the electric–car maker is developing the technology for fully autonomous vehicles. Until Tesla cars are fully autonomous, drivers must be alert and ready to take over at all times when engaging FSD or Autopilot.
However, California lawmakers disagree with the labels of FSD. CA Senate Bill 1398 was one of the hundreds that Governor Newsom signed into law.
An excerpt from the new California law effectively banning Tesla FSD reads as follows:
A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe, that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle..."
Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.