Engineer Testifies That , Tesla Self-Driving , Promotional Video Was Staged.<br />NBC reports that a 2016 Tesla video used to promote <br />its self-driving technology was allegedly staged to <br />demonstrate capabilities that the system did not have. .<br />According to the testimony of a senior engineer, <br />the video was released in October 2016 and <br />promoted as evidence that the technology works.<br />Ashok Elluswamy, director of Autopilot software at <br />Tesla, says that the Model X used in the video was <br />not driving itself with deployed Tesla technology. .<br />Elluswamy's July deposition was taken as evidence<br />in part of a lawsuit against Tesla for a fatal <br />2018 crash involving a former Apple engineer.<br />Elluswamy's July deposition was taken as evidence<br />in part of a lawsuit against Tesla for a fatal <br />2018 crash involving a former Apple engineer.<br />NBC reports that the video <br />in question is still archived <br />on Tesla's website.<br />The video's tagline claims that , “The person in the driver’s seat <br />is only there for legal reasons. He is not <br />doing anything. The car is driving itself.”.<br />However, according to Elluswamy, <br />the video was created by using <br />3D mapping on a predetermined route. .<br />Elluswamy's testimony also reportedly <br />details how drivers intervened to take <br />control of cars used in the test runs. .<br />According to Elluswamy's testimony, when trying to <br />demonstrate the Model X's ability to park itself without a <br />driver, the car crashed into a fence in the Tesla parking lot.<br />The company's website also states that Tesla technology is <br />designed to assist with driving and emphasizes that the features , “do not make the vehicle autonomous.”
