美国国家公共电台 NPR--Nearly 363,000 cars are recalled by Tesla to fix self-driving flaws

Nearly 363,000 cars are recalled by Tesla to fix self-driving flaws

Transcript¹

Federal regulators say Tesla software was breaking traffic laws in dangerous ways. The company is updating its "Full Self-Driving" software, after pressure from regulators.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Federal regulators say Tesla software was breaking traffic laws in dangerous ways.

ASMA KHALID, HOST:

So the company is rolling out a fix to its full self-driving feature in a recall that was announced yesterday. The software is controversial. And, in fact, depending on where you watched the Super Bowl, you might have seen an ad showing a Tesla that was mowing² down child-sized mannequins.

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Tesla's full self-driving is endangering the public with deceptive³ marketing⁴ and woefully inept⁵ engineering. Ninety percent agree that this should be banned immediately. Why does NHTSA allow Tesla full self-driving?

FADEL: Now, NHTSA is the federal highway safety regulator. NPR's Camila Domonoske joins us to talk about this recall. Good morning, Camila.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE⁶: Good morning.

FADEL: So what does this recall mean for Tesla owners?

DOMONOSKE: Well, it'll only affect people who have full self-driving, which is an expensive option. But about more than 360,000 people do have this software. And they'll be getting a software update over the air - so they don't have to go anywhere - that's going to change how full self-driving behaves. So just to be clear, these cars are still driving on the road. They can still use full self-driving. But in the coming weeks, the program is going to be tweaked.

FADEL: OK. So what was wrong with the software?

DOMONOSKE: Well, federal regulators say that after, in part, driving around on vehicles that had full self-driving enabled, they zeroed in on four particular things that it was doing. One was in turn-only lanes going straight through an intersection⁷. Another was not responding properly when the speed limit changed in areas where the speed limit can change. Stop signs - sometimes, the software was not coming to a full stop before the stop sign. And the last was running yellow lights in an unsafe way. Tesla didn't agree with regulators' analysis but did agree to push out a software fix. Like I said, that'll be coming out soon.

FADEL: OK. The software that's being updated, full self-driving, if you could talk about what it is exactly. And with this fix, is it safe?

DOMONOSKE: Yeah. You know, I think this fix doesn't address the underlying⁸ dispute over the safety of full self-driving. I mean, if you ask Elon Musk⁹, this is both a safety feature that is safer than a human driver and absolutely essential to the future of Tesla as a company. If you talk to a lot of safety experts, they would say this is a dangerous experiment that's being played out on public roads. That's the underlying concern. Either way, it's unique to Tesla, right? Full self-driving is a misleading name because a person behind the wheel still has to supervise what the vehicle is doing. That's critically important. But the software will steer¹⁰ and accelerate and brake not just on highways but on city streets with pedestrians¹¹ and bikers and stoplights, the whole shebang. Sometimes, it behaves really impressively. Sometimes, it makes mistakes, which is why - it doesn't always happen, but people are supposed to keep an eye on what their car is doing, so they can take over. The other thing is it's technically¹² still in beta. It's getting constant updates but in the meantime, being used by hundreds of thousands of drivers.

FADEL: OK. What's the future for full self-driving?

DOMONOSKE: Well, this isn't the end to the conversation. There's more scrutiny¹³ from regulators. There are also some lawsuits¹⁴ about this and related tech that are going to be unfolding in the months ahead.

FADEL: NPR's Camila Domonoske. Thank you so much, Camila.

DOMONOSKE: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF DUO SIRC'S "REPLICATION")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

3 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 inept   

adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的

参考例句：

• Whan an inept remark to make on such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，怎么说这样不恰当的话。
• He's quite inept at tennis.他打网球太笨。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

8 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

9 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

10 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

11 pedestrians   

n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Several pedestrians had come to grief on the icy pavement. 几个行人在结冰的人行道上滑倒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Pedestrians keep to the sidewalk [footpath]! 行人走便道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

13 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

14 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句