Home

Tesla

News

Police Spare Tesla CEO Elon Musk From Fine Over Illegal Livestream While Driving

Musk livestreamed the FSD V12 test drive while sitting in the driver’s seat.

Elon-Musk-Photo

Suvrat Kothari Suvrat Kothari

By: Suvrat Kothari

Aug 30, 2023 at 8:53pm ET

Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google

Share

Comment

Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk livestreamed the test drive of a Model S, apparently equipped with version 12 of the Full-Self Driving (FSD V12) suite. Critics lashed out at him on X, formerly Twitter, for recording from the driver’s seat, which is a violation in California.

The low-quality livestream showed Musk and Tesla’s head of Autopilot Ashok Elluswamy sharing details about the artificial intelligence-powered FSD V12, while the Model S drove semi-autonomously around Palo Alto’s streets.

Despite violating California state law, Musk won’t be fined for the offense. The Palo Alto Police Department said that officers didn’t witness the crime themselves, which is why Musk won’t get a ticket.

“Had an officer observed the driver with the phone in their hand, they could have issued the driver an infraction ticket for violating California’s hands-free law,” Palo Alto PD Captain James Reifschneider told The Verge.

Read More EV News Here:

Kia EV5 Price And Availability Revealed, Undercuts Tesla Model Y In China

Zinc Air Batteries Might Be Cheaper And Safer Than Lithium-Ion: Study

The billionaire tech magnate appeared to be in control of the Model S, and he promptly intervened when the FSD V12 attempted to jump a red light. If Musk had been issued a ticket, he’d have to pay only $20 – the fine for first-time offenders. Officers can issue a $50 fine for each subsequent offense, as per the California Legislative Code.

Tesla’s Autopilot is the subject of multiple ongoing investigations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in a recent letter to the company that it found the Autopilot to be operating for extended periods without prompting the driver to apply torque to the steering wheel. NHTSA asked the EV maker to respond or face a hefty fine.

What do you think?

View

Comments

The brand is also facing lawsuits over safety concerns. Plaintiffs in two deadly crashes involving Tesla EVs in California and Florida have argued that the Autopilot either caused the accidents or didn’t take measures to prevent them.

In a separate incident, dashcam footage showed a Tesla ramming into emergency vehicles in Texas, hospitalizing four police officers, prompting NHTSA to intervene.

Source: The Verge

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Insideevs.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The InsideEVs team

Share this Story

GO TO COMMENTS

(

)

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@insideevs.com

View all comments ( )

Trending

I Took A Rivian R2 On A Camping Trip To The Middle Of The Desert

I Took A Rivian R2 On A Camping Trip To The Middle Of The Desert

Solid-State Cells Can Make The U.S. Competitive In Batteries Again: CEO

Solid-State Cells Can Make The U.S. Competitive In Batteries Again: CEO

BYD's Futuristic EV Charger Can Run On Sunshine And Batteries

BYD's Futuristic EV Charger Can Run On Sunshine And Batteries

Google’s Gemini AI Assistant Now Works On Apple CarPlay

Google’s Gemini AI Assistant Now Works On Apple CarPlay

Latest Stories

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU



America's 3 Most Popular SUVs Are About To Be Hybrid Or Electric



Slate Is Selling A $30 'Screenless GPS' For Its Low-Tech Truck



Tesla’s Cheapest Cybertruck Ever Is An RC Racer That Goes 37 MPH



The 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss Makes No Sense. I Loved It Anyway



Tesla Extends Cybertruck Production Run To Work Through Order Backlog



Scout's New Factory Is Already Making Trucks. But You Won't Be Able To Buy One For A While



Tesla Is Squeezing More Money Out Of The Cybertruck Before It Dies