August 4, 2025 - Tesla Finally Loses an Autopilot Trial

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for August 4, 2025 and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.

For nearly a decade, Tesla has been selling its Autopilot advanced driver assist system on the promise from CEO Elon Musk that with software updates, it would eventually make these vehicles able drive completely autonomously. Musk and Tesla also continuously claim that Tesla vehicles with Autopilot are safer than human drivers alone but have never provided any statistically valid evidence to back this up. There have been hundreds of crashes and numerous fatalities in vehicles using Autopilot or the more advanced full-self-driving software. 

While there have been numerous lawsuits over the years claiming that Tesla and Musk overstated the system's capabilities, all have either gone to arbitration or been settled before a jury verdict until last week. A jury in Miami held Tesla partly responsible for a crash that killed a Miami woman and severely injured her boyfriend. Tesla was ordered to pay over $240 million in damages. 

The driver of the Tesla was reaching to pick up the phone he was using and dropped while using Autopilot. The Tesla ran through an intersection and slammed into a parked car which in turn struck the two people. While the driver was primarily responsible, the fact that the Tesla software failed to detect and avoid the stationary vehicle should make it liable for ⅓ of the compensatory damages. The jury also found Tesla wholly liable for $200 million in punitive damages. 

This case is a stark reminder that anyone using a Tesla vehicle is responsible for supervising the assist systems with eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times. They shouldn't be using their phones while operating the vehicle and if it falls, it should be left there until the vehicle comes to a stop. 

It's also a reminder that Tesla's camera only approach to assisted and automated driving is wholly inadequate and should never be trusted to operate on its own. Since Tesla launched its supervised robotaxi service in Austin Texas several weeks ago, the small fleet has required numerous interventions to avoid crashes. Tesla will be appealing this verdict, but now that a jury has finally ruled against Tesla, it will be interesting to see if other plaintiffs avoid settlements and go to trial. 

Thanks for listening.