Self Driving Has 2 Court Dates, Dealer EV Bootcamp, Cybertruck Playing Dress Up

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It’s Tuesday time, and we’re talking about the industry’s EV ongoings from Tesla’s court dates, one Dealer’s EV Bootcamp, and a little good natured ribbing from one automaker to another. 

• Tesla is set to defend itself in its first trial involving an Autopilot fatality, a crucial test for CEO Elon Musk and the technology he promotes. The first of two trials, scheduled for mid-September in a California state court, will scrutinize a 2019 crash where a Tesla Model 3 veered off a highway, struck a palm tree, and burst into flames, resulting in the death of the owner and serious injuries to two passengers.
  • Tesla denied liability for both accidents, blaming driver error and stating that Autopilot is safe when monitored by humans. Internal emails may reveal what Musk and other officials knew about Autopilot’s capabilities and deficiencies. The company clearly stated "There are no self-driving cars on the road today."
  • Another unique point of the case is that it positions Musk as the leader of the engineering team behind the Autopilot technology, challenging his reputation as an engineering leader. This highlights Musk's direct involvement and potential accountability in the development and deployment of the Autopilot system.
  • Late last week Elon Musk's livestream of a drive using Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta v12 was underwhelming due to poor video quality and operational flaws, including driving in the wrong lane and trying to pass a red light. Despite Musk's previous hype and over 10 million views, the video did not successfully showcase the FSD v12's effectiveness, highlighting ongoing challenges with Tesla's self-driving technology.
• As the emergence of more and more EVs continues, many progressive Dealers are leaning into the trend preparing themselves, their teams, and their communities for whatever is in store. One Dealer at the forefront is Liza Borches, owner of Carter Myers Automotive, a 23+ store group headquartered in Charlottesville, VA who executed a great idea last week…an EV Bootcamp
  
  
• In what we’ll consider a nod to some great trucks, a Tesla Cybertruck was spotted with a wrap resembling a Toyota Tundra, following a previous instance of a Cybertruck wrapped to look like a Ford F-150. Is Tesla trolling competitors, testing wraps, or innocently camouflaging the vehicle before its official launch?
  • CEO Elon Musk has previously expressed frustration with traditional pickup truck designs and justified the radical design of the Cybertruck. The Toyota Tundra is one of the bestselling pickups in the US, selling about 100,000 units per year.
  • Although Tesla has rarely used camouflage or wraps on prototype vehicles, it has been using wraps on the Cybertruck more frequently. A wrap is the only way to get a different color on the stainless steel body of the vehicle, and it remains unclear whether Tesla will offer factory wraps or let third parties take over the ma

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