Photo: The Dawn Project
Tesla has demanded the removal of a Dan O'Dowd-funded video that “tests” its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature to misrepresent its performance. The video, filmed as anti-advertising, was presented as a result of responsible testing, but in fact, misled consumers.
About two weeks ago, media outlets published articles that Tesla Model 3 with FSD could not detect children on the road and may hit them. Such claims relied on a so-called “test,” which was in fact advertising, and was conducted and funded by one of the most ardent haters of FSD technology. As the flow of lies against Tesla continues, the company has taken countermeasures. The manufacturer has demanded that The Dawn Project, funded by Dan O'Dowd, remove a video that misleads consumers about the FSD feature.
O'Dowd is widely known for his vehement hatred of Tesla's FSD and has taken a number of absurd steps in an attempt to turn Americans against the technology. This year, he ran a full-page ad in the New York Times advocating a FSD ban on Tesla. In addition, he ran for the California State Senate, but his campaign was focused on a single topic: the Tesla FSD ban. It seems that his obsession is now completely out of control, as this time he faked the testing with absolutely no fear of the consequences.
In the email, which has been reviewed by The Post, Tesla claims that a video showing its vehicle, with allegedly activated FSD, hitting child-size dummies is defamatory and misrepresents how the feature works. In addition, this video ignores the results of widely recognized tests conducted by independent professional agencies that work to recognized standards.
“The purported tests misuse and misrepresent the capabilities of Tesla's technology, and disregard widely recognized testing performed by independent agencies as well as the experiences shared by our customers,” Tesla deputy general counsel Dinna Eskin wrote in the letter dated August 11.
In an interview, O'Dowd ridiculed the letter he received from Tesla, and the company's CEO, Elon Musk. “This letter is so pathetic in terms of whining: Mr. Free Speech Absolutist, just a crybaby hiding behind his lawyers,” he said in an interview.
Cease-and-desist orders sometimes precede a lawsuit, but at the moment, there are no reports that a lawsuit has been or is planned to be filed.
© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts; follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
