US regulator asks Tesla to provide data on ‘Elon mode’ Autopilot configuration

SAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk-run Tesla has been pulled up by the US road safety regulators to provide extensive data about its driver assistance and driver monitoring systems, known as 'Elon mode'.

The US National Highway Transportation Administration recently sent a letter to the electric car company, seeking to know more about a configuration for Tesla vehicles known as 'Elon mode'.

The agency has asked Tesla to provide data on how many drivers had this configuration enabled.

“NHTSA became aware that Tesla has introduced an Autopilot configuration that, when enabled, allows drivers using Autopilot to operate their vehicles for extended periods without Autopilot prompting the driver to apply torque to the steering wheel,” the letter read.

NHTSA is concerned that this feature was introduced to consumer vehicles and, now that the existence of this feature is known to the public, more drivers may attempt to activate it.

“The resulting relaxation of controls designed to ensure that the driver remains engaged in the dynamic driving task could lead to greater driver inattention and failure of the driver to properly supervise Autopilot,” the regulator asked Tesla.

With the 'Elon mode' configuration enabled, Tesla can allow a driver to use the company’s Autopilot, FSD or FSD Beta systems without the so-called “nag.”

Tesla was given a deadline of August 25 to furbish all the information required by the US agency. The company had replied but the information has been granted confidential treatment by NHTSA, according to reports.

Last weekend, Musk live-streamed a drive through Palo Alto, California holding a smartphone, which was an illegal act by law, showcasing the car's self-drive functionalities.

However, Musk was forced to stop his “Full Self Driving” system from running a red light partway through the livestream.

During the drive, Musk chatted with his passenger who was Tesla’s head of Autopilot software engineering, Ashok Elluswamy.