Mobileye breaks ties with Tesla on grounds of safety

According to Reuters (link <%$Linker:2External000oLinkExternalhttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-mobileye-tesla-idUSKCN11K2T8Visit Reuters websitefalsehttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-mobileye-tesla-idUSKCN11K2T8falsefalse%>), 4279 Mobileye has broken ties with 597 Tesla Motors because it felt the Silicon Valley firm was “pushing the envelope in terms of safety” with the design of its Autopilot driver-assistance system.

"It is not designed to cover all possible crash situations in a safe manner," Amnon Shashua, who is also chief technology officer at the Israel-based maker of collision detection and driver assistance systems, told Reuters.

“No matter how you spin it, it is not designed for that. It is a driver assistance system and not a driverless system,” he said in an interview.

Autopilot, which helps drivers stay in lanes and steer on highways, was thrust into the spotlight after a fatal crash in May involving a Tesla Model S driver using the new technology. A Tesla spokeswoman said this week that the company had never described Autopilot as an autonomous technology or self-driving car. "Drivers must be prepared to take control at all times," she said.