Automakers worry Tesla autopilot crash could have chilling effect on driverless car industry

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: The inside of a Tesla vehicle is viewed as it sits parked in a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, Brooklyn on July 5, 2016 in New York City. The electric car company and its CEO and founder Elon Musk have come under increasing scrutiny following a crash of one of its electric cars while using the controversial autopilot service. Joshua Brown crashed and died in Florida on May 7 in a Tesla car that was operating on autopilot, which means that Brown's hands were not on the steering wheel. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S electric sedan crashed into a tractor-trailer. Some are concerned his death will have a chilling effect on the autonomous car industry.

Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S electric sedan crashed into a tractor-trailer.

It’s posited that the self-driving feature of Brown’s Tesla didn’t detect the white side of the tractor-trailer and therefore did not apply brakes, but many questions remain about what went wrong.

Tesla released the “Autopilot” software update last year for a “public beta phase” to help improve the technology.

Without more evidence about what happened, there is concern that the incident could have a chilling effect on development within the autonomous driving industry. And the story has reignited a discussion in auto circles about what the best way is to proceed forward.

Guests:

Susan Carpenter, Co-host for KPCC’s The Ride, and the former car critic for the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register; she tweets from

Mary Cummings, director of Duke University’s Humans and Autonomy Lab. She testified in front of the Senate Commerce Committee in March about the state of self-driving cars.