Tesla under fire after hacker discovers hidden speakerphone feature

Elon Musk is said to have taken his hands off the wheel and closed his eyes as he drove then-girlfriend Grimes on their second date. Credit: REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Tesla is under scrutiny for an alleged secret feature that allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel when cruise control technology is enabled.

Fans have discovered Tesla's secret electric vehicle setting , nicknamed «The Elon Regime». This feature allows drivers to engage the autopilot and take their hands off the steering wheel without triggering warnings.

The US Highway Transportation Regulatory Authority has now required Tesla to provide information on how this key safety feature can be disabled, amid fears it could be disabled. can lead to more accidents.

Autopilot is a kind of advanced cruise control, and drivers must agree to hold the steering wheel «all the time» before they can turn it on.

Them are also reminded of this requirement each time they turn it on. Drivers who remove their hands are offered to return their hands to the steering wheel.

Mr. Musk has repeatedly promised better self-driving tools for his vehicles. In December, he said there would be an «update in [January]» that would remove the warning signals.

Tesla Trouble

The billionaire is also said to have taken his hands off the wheel while driving then-girlfriend Grimes. on a second date.

«As he drove her to a restaurant, he showed her how fast the car accelerates, then took his hands off the wheel, closed his eyes, and let her test the autopilot,» biographer Walter Isaacson wrote in his book on the Tesla executive.

Hidden in the car's settings is a way to disable pushes, discovered by an autohacker. An anonymous hacker known as Green posted a series of videos of driving a Tesla car without instructions to keep your hands on the wheel.

The US Highway Regulator said it was «concerned that this feature has been introduced to consumer vehicles and now , when the existence of this feature became known to the public, more drivers may try to activate it.

Disabling hints «may lead to more driver inattention» when driving a Tesla, the watchdog added. In a regulatory filing, the agency said Tesla asked that its response be kept confidential from the public.

U.S. officials are already investigating a series of crashes involving Tesla's self-driving technology. Investigators have looked into more than 40 accidents involving Tesla vehicles that had autonomous driving or driving assistance enabled.

In addition to Autopilot, Tesla drivers can pay to enable Full Self Driving. ”, which can automatically change lanes and stop at traffic lights and traffic.

The capabilities fall short of autonomous driving and still require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. As with Autopilot, the car will issue a «progressive series of audible and visual warnings» if the driver stops paying attention to the road.