New Delhi: The US government has opened a formal investigation into a feature that lets drivers in Tesla vehicles play video games on the main display while driving, the media has reported. The US government is investigating over a million Tesla cars sold since 2017 to 2022, following reports that drivers can play video games while driving.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it had got a complaint a few weeks back that said live games and internet web searching features -- which were apparently restricted to passenger use-only -- could be played by anyone in the vehicle at any time (including drivers). Its Office of Defects and Investigations said in a report that it “confirmed that this capability has been available since December 2020 in Tesla ‘Passenger Play’-equipped vehicles”, says a report by The Verge.
As per a document posted online, the NHTSA reportedly said the feature, called “Passenger Play” could distract the driver and increase the risk of a car crash.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk sold another 934,091 shares of the electric vehicle maker worth $906.5 million, according to US securities filings.
The latest insider transactions by Musk and centi-billionaire were part of a “Rule 10b5-1” trading plan dated September 14, the filings said. This type of plan allows company insiders to execute trades in their own company’s stock for a set, future date.
Musk, who is the wealthiest person in the world and who was just named Time Magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year, still has millions of stock options that he needs to exercise by August 2022. He revealed at the 2021 Code Conference on September 28 that he would likely sell a large chunk of stock in the fourth quarter.
On November 6, Musk asked his legions of Twitter followers to vote on whether or not he should sell a 10 per cent chunk of his holdings in the electric car and solar business. In his Twitter poll, Musk wrote: “Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10 per cent of my Tesla stock. Do you support this?”