(Reuters) – The U.S. auto safety regulator on Thursday said it was closely watching Tesla Inc’s TSLA.O release of a software version intended to allow its cars to drive themselves, saying it would not hesitate to take action to protect the public.
Tesla on Tuesday night released a beta, or test version, of the software upgrade to an undisclosed number of “expert, careful” drivers. During a Tesla earnings call on Wednesday, Musk said the latest upgrade was planned to be widely released by the end of this year.
Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York, David Shephardson in Washington