Tesla CEO Elon Musk faces disputes over safety issues

Rajib Roy
9 min readJul 27, 2022

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Revisioning the projects over and over again is not the kind of approach that Tesla integrates into their works. Rather they initiate an approach where the internal processes of the work are automated. Hence, it can be stated that the technology of automation is a predominant force in the company.

But on the flip side, the work-from-home policies are set in the company in such a manner that it led the workers to work even harder. On the other hand, humanoid robots and their inaugurations are viewed as one profitable solution. Company owner, Elon Musk thinks that the robot business would be more profitable than the vehicle business. The labour shortage issues will be met through this nascent robot plan that the company has recently managed. Furthermore, the AGI artificial general intelligence has got beneficial results from the Tesla AI.

According to the US road safety regulator, around 475,000 Model 3 and Model S electric cars of Tesla are taken back due to a rearview camera and trunk issues. They have identified around seven injury incidents, 16 crashes, and one death from the car models. Furthermore, the driver assistant system has been investigated by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They have found that the cars possess serious camera issues. Around 356,309 2017–2020 Model 3 cars have been recalled by the U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer. The federal regulator has claimed that 119,009 Model S have front hood problems. It is seen that the front trunk tends to get opened without any warning and thus obstruct the view of the driver. This issue has created accident reports. Moreover, the gaming features are one of the reasons why accidents tend to happen and this is why the carmakers have agreed to remove the feature from their cars.

Customer-related issues have posed a threat to the company in a lot of other ways. For example, a Munich court has commanded Tesla to reimburse a customer 112,000 euros ($112,884.80) for a Model X SUV. The model has issues with regards to the Autopilot function and thus the claim has been registered by a lady. A fault in the automatic emergency call system was found by the German road traffic agency. Due to the software flaw, a breakdown of the eCall is created.

The model S of Tesla has issues with its performance sedan. When the test drive for the considerable purpose has been organised at the Virginia International Raceway, issues are found. It is seen that in the middle of the single hot lap, the power mode of Model S P85D is reduced. Hence, at the race tracks the Model S has not yet performed up to the mark.

Heating issues

In one lap on the racetracks, the electric cars have faced overheating issues. The auto safety regulator of Canada has introduced investigations into the heating systems of Model Y and Model 3 cars of Tesla. During cold weather, customers have faced performance-related issues. Around 16 consumer complaints have been registered. Both the air-conditioning system and the malfunctioning heating have a proclivity to create issues for driver visibility. According to Drive Tesla Canada, the heat pumps are proven futile in the extensive cold.

Privacy Concerns

A cybersecurity firm claimed that cars of Tesla can be penetrated by hackers through the use of Bluetooth technology. At the same time, a small relay device that is attached to the laptop generally bridges a huge gap between the Tesla owner’s phone and Tesla. It is also seen that any device which is reliant on a trusted BLE connection is vulnerable to potential threats. Thus the residential smart locks which are used in the models of Tesla can be unlocked remotely and it is a threat that can be taken into account.

Layoff issues in Tesla

All across North America, the layoffs have made plenty of workers leave their job at Tesla. The hourly workers in the sales and delivery team have been terminated. At the end of the quarter delivery wave, the company owner decided such a thing but Musk has warned the employees about it as well.

In the same year, other sectors experienced a similar instance. People who work in the autopilot driver assistant system have lost their jobs too. 200 employees in this segment have lost their jobs in the company.

The issues of staff layoff have been created due to the impact of supply chain problems and raw material costs problems. In the year 2018, the company also made attempts toward layoffs as they did that to gain profitability and production targets. Model 3 production targets that the company has is somewhat akin to making 5,000 cars a week. At the same time, autopilot and hardware engineering are the kinds of areas where a significant amount of focus has been put.

Humans are replaced by Tesla

Artificial intelligence (AI) has more capability for adaptation than humans. The changed situations as per the owner are handled more aptly by the robots than they are done by humans. Elon Musk has also planned to enter the motion of AI on the factory floors. The factory floors are fully automated as well by the incorporation of AI to a great extent. The work process when appearing in its physical forms creates issues. Issues regarding adaptability in manufacturing. The soft materials are managed and created by robots in the Tesla company and AI algorithms are integrated in an advanced manner. But the owner has planned to make the whole work process automated. This is planned to make the production output faster than ever. Human speed is limited and this is the reason why the help of technology is conceptualised here. To check the unforeseen situations, highly adaptable robots are used in Tesla. Tesla has also added the biological elements in the robots where biological resilience is integrated.

One of the common practices that these robots do in the company is related to picking raw material and placing it. Picking and placing the raw materials in the assembly line is the kind of task that is formally maintained. A huge amount of data concerning objects are transformed through the AI system and it makes the process harder and more complex by all means. Hence, it can be stated that the future of Tesla cars would be fully automated from a technological point of view.

Type of solutions that transform the technological base of Tesla

Tesla has used home-grown software to disrupt the franchise’s car dealership business. This strategy has been initiated to make the process more consumer friendly. The homegrown software has been sold directly to the customers via the online method. The critical system in the company has been majorly supported by the ERP software. The e-commerce growth strategy of Tesla is to move all sales online and to improve the IT systems. One million cars per year are the landmark that Tesla has achieved due to their great obsession with technology. On the other hand, the internally-developed e-commerce platform has made them reach the trillion-dollar milestone. Transitioning towards a sustainable company is also under their plan and they are committed to acquiring this position similarly.

At the same time, at the start of the business, Tesla claimed that its cars will be more reliable and faster than gasoline-powered cars. D2C eCommerce and the commitment to zero-emission electric power are registered in the company. All the operations that comprise making the car a sports car and also making it affordable, zero-emission power generation ideas are followed in the process. They also sell batteries that can charge the vehicle and also make vehicle software for that. On the other hand, charging networks and auto insurance are made as well in the company which has made them a more digitally transformed company than their competitors. The most valuable company software is the operations and is called proprietary enterprise software.

Pitfalls of using the Tesla cars

In the year 2008, the launching of an electric powertrain and cutting-edge battery technology was seen. The group model S in the company has also enabled them to create the ever-premium all-electric sedan. The zero-emission plan is the most exciting aspect of the company which makes sense from an environmental perspective. The 21st-century car has helped the company to become the classic model and the Model S has combined safety, efficiency, and performance to its core altogether. On the other hand, the Model X has acquired a 5-star rating of safety. But sport utility vehicles have been warned as a technology threat by statistics. NHTSA administrators have claimed that the company must know the emerging threats that could be posed by the cars. Since the cars of Tesla have partially automated driver-assist systems, the risk with the drivers is always associated.

According to Elon Musk, self-driving technology can save lives that might be lost to human error on the roads. And he has spoken publicly of a future in which a driver gets in a car, falls asleep, and wakes up at their destination. While using the Autopilot feature of Tesla, Jeremy Banner, Josh Brown, and Walter Huang are the number of drivers who have died in fatal crashes.

Hence, the norms and methods must be learned by the drivers to such an extent that during serious times, they can save their lives. The fuel costs can be saved to a great degree with the other model which is known as the Tesla Semi. Model 3 is best used for the participants who can not afford the high prices. The Model 3 is a high-volume electric vehicle with an affordable price range. The NHTSA data have claimed that driver-assist systems have killed around six people. Most importantly crashes of Tesla happened during times when the car was at Full Self-Driving, Autopilot, and in Traffic-Aware Cruise Control modes.

Kind of technological transformations in Tesla

Tesla has integrated plenty of technological solutions like solar panels, computer solutions, different types of batteries, rooftop solar tiles, and charging stations. At the same time, the truck facilities that the company has are also technologically well equipped. The technologies are by no means normal and commonplace; they are supported by AI automation and many more. The software solutions are advanced as well and the issues related to a shortage of microchips are easily handled in Tesla. Microchip production is much less in other automotive companies whereas Tesla creates them pretty fast. The supply of electric vehicles to a lot of factories is the kind of strategy that Tesla has concerning its management process. Other than these factors, EV, carbon emissions through sustainable plans are one of the exciting new elements that the production management and software development team of Tesla have taken into account to a great degree. The newly integrated electric articulated lorry has challenged the diesel trucks when it is produced and launched into the market. It is also known as the Tesla Semi and it can drive 500 miles with a single charge as well. At the same time, on a single charge, the roadster can also drive around 1,000km. Producing the battery at a reasonable price is the kind of concern that Tesla occasionally deals with in the management. The cost of the vehicle along with the battery is a lot higher which is quite harsh from a practical point of view.

Battery-related issues and opportunities

The demand for electric vehicles is increasing at a great number and because of that more new renewable sources are coming into the market as well. By this general assumption, battery technologies are taken into account. A 300-mile-capable battery pack costs about $200,000. The production of a million-mile battery system has consolidated the business to a great extent as well. The battery-related challenge that is present in the market of the electric vehicle industry is the cost. The electric vehicle-related batteries cost around $100 (£78) per kilowatt hour which is quite expensive and hard for normal people to buy as well. The big batteries are said to charge faster and this is what leads battery business higher as well. With just 10 minutes of charging the vehicle can run around 300 miles which is quite fantastical from a technical perspective. The battery-related plans of Tesla are handled in their Gigafactories as well. The gigafactories are made by Tesla so that they can store billions of watt-hours of power. To make the batteries free of cobalt, Tesla has partnered with the Chinese company CATL. By all sorts of operations, it is quite presumable that the management is well equipped from a lot of perspectives.

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Rajib Roy

I am a writer who likes to write about personal experiences, Business, Psychology and Fashion.