According to The New York Times, Tesla had to use a second car to finish filming its Autopilot promo video because the first one failed to follow a carefully outlined route to its destination. This happened five years ago, but was not revealed until now.
Anonymous insiders claim Tesla wanted to showcase the capabilities of its self-driving systems in an impressive-looking video, so it sent an electric car across the city. It can be seen driving itself through intersections, properly reacting to traffic lights, and changing lanes when necessary. The video ends with the car parking itself next to an office building.
Apparently, there were a few nuances we never learned about. First, the very first filming attempt culminated in a car ramming into a barrier and being towed away for repairs. Another one had to be used to finish filming.
Second, the sources claim that Tesla used pre-rendered high-definition 3D maps of the are to help the Autopilot system be aware of its surroundings. The company itself had refuted that claim before, saying that the system operated without such maps.
What remains to be seen is whether Tesla gets hit with more lawsuits over misinformation. To end on a brighter note, the Autopilot was recently found not guilty of a fiery crash with two fatalities in April.