The NHTSA is wrapping up in investigation on Tesla's Autopilot feature
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After an intensive two-year probe into Tesla's Autopilot system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is poised to publicly announce its findings "relatively soon." In a recent interview with Reuters, Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson hinted at an impending resolution, though specifics remain tightly under wraps.
The Investigation and Tesla's Leading Role
The NHTSA's investigation, focusing on more than a dozen crashes involving stationary emergency vehicles, has spotlighted Autopilot's performance. Carlson acknowledged the complexity of the investigation, stating, "It's complicated."
The probe, which has now escalated into an engineering analysis of 830,000 Tesla vehicles, could reflect Tesla's leadership in cutting-edge technology. Tesla and the NHTSA are seemingly in constant contact, and whenever they are, it produces headlines. You don't see that with too many other brands.
Human Trust in Technology: A Shared Responsibility
While not pointing to Tesla specifically, Carlson spoke about driver assistance systems in general, "It's really important that drivers pay attention. It's also really important that driver monitoring systems take into account that humans over-trust technology."
Autopilot does warn drivers to remain alert and ready to take control. Hearing the shared responsibility angle rather than indicting Tesla's technology is refreshing. This should resonate with the industry's broader need to balance innovation with driver engagement. Tesla's commitment to this balance is evidenced by its ongoing enhancements to Autopilot.
A recent incident in Montgomery County, Texas, involving a Tesla Model X, vividly illustrates this point. Despite receiving 150 warnings from the Autopilot system, an allegedly intoxicated driver failed to take control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash that injured five police officers. Footage revealed that the system detected the police car just 2.5 seconds before impact, disengaged, and expected an alert driver to take over.
Tesla argues that the fault lies with the driver, yet the incident raises critical questions about driver monitoring and how automated systems interact with human behavior. It also emphasizes Tesla's commitment to refining its technology, as evidenced by its recent updates to detect driver alertness.
Previous Investigations and the Path Forward
Tesla's Autopilot system was previously under NHTSA's microscope, with a 2017 investigation closing without any action. This earlier experience reflects positively on Tesla's dedication to safety and innovation.
As the NHTSA wraps up its latest investigation, the outcome could set a precedent for the future of automotive automation. For Tesla, the probe's conclusion may be another milestone in its journey toward revolutionizing transportation.
Tesla has begun installing a new set of anti-theft measures on some Supercharger cables. This is a two-part process, and includes an exterior-wrap called DyeDefender, as well as engravings on the actual copper of the Supercharger cables themselves.
Superchargers, just like other high-speed electric vehicle charging stations, have been consistently subject to both vandalism and theft. While vandalism is something that can be reduced by increasing policing and security in the area, theft is a different beast to tackle.
Thieves are usually after the copper inside the charging cable - which is densely packed and valuable when taken to a scrap yard. So how is Tesla tackling this?
DyeDefender
First up is a field trial of a product called DyeDefender. You can find this product online to secure ICE catalytic convertors, but the overall premise is fairly simple. A pressurized staining dye is housed inside a stainless steel hose, which is laid overtop or around the object you need to protect - in this case, the Supercharger cable.
The stainless steel cable itself is called CatStrap - and is extremely difficult to cut through. If you do manage to cut through, the dye squirts out, coloring you blue quickly. The dye itself is harmless, but helps to identify potential thieves. Tesla’s Head of Charging - Max de Zegher, confirmed that this is only a trial rollout - instead, Tesla is considering another alternative.
Tesla has begun installing new anti-theft measures on some Supercharger cables, consisting of an exterior wrap called DyeDefender and engravings on the copper wiring inside the cables.
Like other high-speed EV charging stations, Superchargers have been frequent targets of vandalism and theft. While vandalism can often be mitigated through increased security, theft presents a bigger challenge. Thieves primarily target the copper inside the charging cables, which is densely packed and valuable as scrap metal.
DyeDefender
To address this, Tesla is trialing DyeDefender, a theft deterrent system commonly used to protect catalytic converters. It consists of a pressurized staining dye housed within a stainless steel hose called CatStrap, which wraps around the Supercharger cable. The CatStrap is highly resistant to cutting, but if breached, it releases a bright blue dye. While harmless, the dye is difficult to remove, making it easier to identify suspects.
In addition to DyeDefender, Tesla is also engraving the actual copper wiring inside the cables, making stolen material harder to sell since scrapyards often reject marked metals.
Engraved Cables
This alternative is more scalable, more cost effective, and doesn’t impact service operations or the customer experience - and its simply engraving the copper inside the cables. Superchargers cables will state “Property of Tesla” on them - engraved right into the cable from the factory in Buffalo, New York.
Engraved -
Not a Tesla App
Recycling companies and scrap yards will see that the cables belong to Tesla - and won’t accept them. Instead, they’ll reach out to Tesla to inform them that they have received stolen goods. While that may not have an impact immediately - as thieves learn that the copper they steal from Superchargers is worthless and could risk them getting in trouble, they’ll be less likely to go ahead and try.
It is definitely interesting to see Tesla try out some rather unique options to keep Supercharger sites safe and functional. Tesla will likely focus the deployment of DyeDefender in areas that experience continual theft - but again, this is only a trial. The impact of cable engraving will likely take some time, but it’ll pay off in the long run.
Until then, make sure to keep reporting any downed Supercharger sites. You can do that in the Tesla App through Location > Charging >Select Site > Report an Issue. If you have any other neat ideas on how Tesla can stop vandalism and theft, let us know in the comments or in the forums!
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This solution is more scalable, cost-effective, and doesn’t disrupt service operations or the customer experience—it simply involves engraving the copper inside the cables. Supercharger cables will be permanently marked with “Property of Tesla Motors,” engraved directly at the factory in Buffalo, New York.
Recycling companies and scrap yards will immediately recognize that the cables belong to Tesla and refuse to accept them. Instead, they may notify Tesla that they’ve received stolen goods. While this may not have an immediate impact, over time, as thieves realize that stolen Supercharger copper is unsellable and could get them caught, they’ll be less inclined to target them.
It’s interesting to see Tesla experiment with unique ways to protect Supercharger sites. While the company will likely focus on DyeDefender deployments in high-theft areas, this remains a trial phase. The full impact of cable engraving may take time to materialize, but it should prove effective in the long run.
In the meantime, continue reporting any downed Supercharger sites through the Tesla app by navigating to Location > Charging > Select Site > Report an Issue.
If you have any creative ideas on how Tesla can prevent vandalism and theft, share them with us on social media.
Tesla has released software update 2025.2.6, and while minor updates typically focus on bug fixes, this one introduces a major new feature. With this update, Tesla has activated the in-cabin radar, a sensor that has been included in some vehicles for more than three years but remained unused until now.
Why Not Vision?
Unlike vision-based systems, radar can precisely measure object dimensions and even detect movement behind obstacles by bouncing radio waves off surrounding surfaces. This allows for more accurate and reliable measurements of objects that vision may not even be able to see, such as behind the front seats.
What Tesla Announced
Tesla recently highlighted the 4D radar in the new Model Y, explaining how it will improve passenger safety. Tesla executives stated that the radar would be used to properly classify passengers and improve the way airbags deploy.
Tesla went on to say that in a future update, Tesla will use the in-cabin radar to detect any potential passengers left in the vehicles. Since radar can even pick up on heartbeat and breathing patterns, it can provide a much more accurate method of detecting children left in a vehicle. Tesla talked about how the vehicle will send owners a notification via the Tesla app and enable the HVAC system if it detects a passenger in the vehicle. It’ll even call emergency services if needed.
New Feature in Update 2025.2.6
Tesla has officially named this feature in update 2025.2.6, “First-Row Cabin Sensing Update,” which appears to align with the first portion of what Tesla discussed in the new Model Y video.
In the release notes, Tesla describes the update as:
“The first-row cabin sensing system has been updated to use cabin radar, which is now standard in all new 2025 Model Ys. Your Model Y was built pre-equipped with the necessary hardware, allowing Tesla to also bring this technology to your vehicle.”
For now, it appears that Tesla is using the radar to detect and classify passengers in the front seats. This could eventually replace traditional seat sensors, reducing the number of hardware components and lowering production costs.
Tesla plans to expand the feature later this year, bringing rear-seat passenger detection in Q3 2025. While Tesla talked about the feature for the new Model Y, we expect it to be available for all vehicles with the in-cabin radar.
Supported Models
Although Tesla is vague in their release notes, this feature is being added to all Model Ys that include a cabin radar. Tesla started including the cabin radar in 2022, but its availability may vary by region and model. The Model 3 didn’t receive the cabin radar until it was redesigned in 2024, while all Cybertrucks already include it.
The owner’s manual for the redesigned Model S and Model X doesn’t specifically mention the interior radar, although Greentheonly believes the vehicles also include one, so we’ll have to wait to determine whether those vehicles also receive this new feature.
At this time, the feature appears to be only going out to Model Y vehicles, but we expect it to become available on other supported models soon.
We love to see these kinds of updates. Tesla is increasing the safety of existing and new vehicles through a software update while also making them more affordable to own.
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