--- title: "California Wants Tesla to Stop Calling Half-Finished System “Full Self-Driving”" description: "Tesla’s \"full self-driving\" (FSD) may have to come to a full stop because the California DMV isn’t a fan of the feature’s misleading marketing." date: "2022-08-16" modified: "2022-08-16" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/california-tesla-full-self-driving" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" - "Tesla" tags: - "autopilot" - "full self-driving" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # California Wants Tesla to Stop Calling Half-Finished System “Full Self-Driving” ![Tesla’s "full self-driving" (FSD) may have to come to a full stop because the California DMV isn’t a fan of the feature’s misleading marketing.]() *\Image: Tesla/Futurism\* ## Name Game Tesla’s "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) package may soon come to a full stop — under its current name, at least, because California authorities aren't fans of what they say is the feature’s misleading name. In a [complaint]() against the electric automaker last month, the California DMV alleged that Tesla put out "untrue or misleading" advertisements on its website in relation to its Full Self-Driving and Autopilot tech. And that’s gotta sting for Tesla, given that the Golden State is its home and that San Francisco is basically its backyard for testing its locally best-selling cars. ## Hitting the Brakes For some, it's about time the DMV took action. "Full self-driving describes a system that is used by a driver. That's making me dizzy," Bryant Walker Smith, a researcher of autonomous vehicles at the University of South Carolina law school, [told *CNN*](). "How can a driver use a full self-driving system?" Despite what names like FSD and Autopilot imply, these aren’t features that are anywhere near fully autonomous, as impressive — [or dangerous]() — as the technology may be. Drivers still need to keep their attention on the road, though some don't, with [tragic consequences](). After all, Tesla’s FSD feature is still in its beta, which is cute when you’re talking about an early access video game, but decidedly more worrying when you’re describing an AI responsible for moving a two-ton vehicle. And at a basic level, the sort of breathless sci-fi enthusiasm that a name like FSD inspires may be antithetical to Tesla’s purported goal of [revolutionizing road safety]() with autonomous vehicles. If drivers are led to believe the technology is more capable than it really is, that only opens the door to more accidents. ## Fear the Reaper You may think a complaint isn’t going to stir the pot, but the California DMV isn’t afraid of bullying automakers in line, like [forcing Uber out]() of the state for testing its autonomous cars without a permit. "Once you talk about one state investigating, you could talk about 50 states potentially investigating," said Smith. Right now, it's uncertain how the two parties will proceed, but a drawn-out legal battle may be on the horizon. **More on Tesla:** [*Tesla Mistakes Horse and Buggy for Murderous Semi Truck*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()