Tesla Executive Says Senator Blumenthal's Autopilot Claims 'Misinformed,' Invites Meeting With Safety Teams for Clarity

Tesla Inc TSLA executive Rohan Patel on Tuesday responded to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal‘s  (D-Conn) criticism of autopilot features terming them “misinformed attacks on employees” and urged him to meet Tesla safety teams.

What Happened: “We'll continue to try and correct his misunderstandings and misstatements,” Patel, Tesla’s Public Policy and Business Development Vice President, wrote on X. In addition to being educated, the senator would also be inspired by the team’s work if he chooses to meet them, Patel added.

“If I were his constituent in Connecticut, I'd at least want him educated on the data and facts,” Patel wrote after Blumenthal urged for an investigation into Tesla on Monday alleging that the features on the vehicles posed risks to everyone.

"The record of Tesla crashes, fatalities & injuries should be bone-chilling to regulators," Blumenthal said in an X post last week while urging auto safety regulator NHTSA to ‘put its legal muscle where its mouth is.’

Patel had responded to the senator’s allegations on X last week and reiterated faith in autopilot.

“The data from billions of miles is crystal clear – autopilot is saving lives and preventing injury. If you'd like a more thorough briefing, we'd be happy to walk you and your staff through some of our best-in-class safety efforts,” Patel then wrote.

Why It Matters: Last week, Tesla issued a recall for over 2 million vehicles equipped with all versions of Autosteer in the U.S., citing insufficient controls to prevent misuse and offering a fix through a free software update. This recall stemmed from a 2021 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation involving 11 incidents with stationary first-responder vehicles and Tesla cars using Autosteer.

Senator Blumenthal thinks that the recall falls short. "NHTSA must meet the breadth of Tesla Autopilot safety flaws—virtually every Tesla on American roads is now under recall—with real action & enforcement," Blumenthal said.

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