Tesla Motors has been compelled by authorities in Hong Kong to disable the autopilot features on its Model S because they believe that these distract the drivers of this luxurious electric vehicle.
Specifically, the Hong Kong Transportation Department ordered that the automaker should turn off the car's Autosteer and Auto Lane Change functionalities of its semiautonomous driving technology.
A message sent out to local Tesla vehicle owners indicates that the features of the latest 7.0 software update have not yet been authorized by the Transport Department of Hong Kong.
"To ensure we comply with the country's regulators, we will be temporarily turning off these two functions on all Model S in Hong Kong effective immediately," says Tesla.
The automaker used an OTA update to take out these features on the Model S.
Alexis Georgeson, the company's spokesperson, also confirmed to International Business Times on Thursday, Nov. 19, that Tesla was instructed to take the software off from the Model S vehicles in Hong Kong.
Although Tesla says vehicle owners need to keep at least one hand on the steering wheel with Autosteer enabled, it appears that the system is way too sophisticated that some drivers choose to remove both of their hands from the wheel and just let the car do the work. Local traffic officials in Hong Kong are worried about this.
Mercedes-Benz and Honda also offer systems akin to Tesla's. Nevertheless, their technologies necessitate that the driver's hands be on the steering wheel even when the feature is enabled.
Meanwhile, a number of people who own the car are upset about the removal of these features without their authorization.
A member of the Tesla Motors Club forum, with the handle "Lerxt," says they are not impressed with the automaker altering the software without their approval. Another forum member has also says they are experiencing the same situation in Japan. Tesla, however, has yet to verify it is also going through similar problems in other areas of the globe.
