The Dawn Project got in trouble with the feds for its anti-Tesla FSD Super Bowl ad
The Dawn Project, a group that runs ads attacking Tesla’s full self-driving system, has received a letter from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) demanding that it cease using its logo in advertising, which Dawn Project did in contravention of US federal law in its Super Bowl ad aired this weekend.
The Dawn Project is run by Dan O’Dowd, CEO of a software company which sells automotive driving software services, putting it in competition with Tesla. The Dawn Project itself is founded and funded by O’Dowd via his significant personal wealth (his net wealth isn’t public, but is estimated to be around a billion dollars), with the main goal of attacking Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system (FSD), claiming it to be unsafe.
The group has placed several advertisements online making dubious claims about FSD, posing as a public interest group solely interested in “making computers safe for humanity.” Its campaign has drawn a cease-and-desist letter from Tesla.
Dan O’Dowd also ran for California’s US Senate seat in 2022, with a campaign that largely focused on this one issue.
Both this year and last, the group ran an advertisement in the Super Bowl. This year’s ad cost $552,000 according to the Dawn Project, much less than the well-publicized ~$7 million price for a typical Super Bowl ad slot, because it ran as a regional ad and was not seen in all markets where the game aired.
The group posted two ads on its YouTube channel, one claiming that Tesla did not respond after it warned Tesla of FSD’s inability to stop for school buses, which it claims led to an accident that put a child into the hospital in 2023, after its first Super Bowl ad aired.
That incident is still being investigated, and it is not known yet whether the vehicle was operating on FSD. It has however been widely observed that FSD does not stop for school buses, so it is plausible that the incident could have happened if both the car and its driver did not notice the school bus stop sign.
However, in contradiction to the name Tesla has given to the system, FSD is not actually equipped to be used for full self-driving tasks, but rather as a driver aid which requires the driver to be attentive at all times. Despite the misleading name, FSD is still classed as a “level 2” autonomous system, like the systems on many other cars today, where the driver still has responsibility for everything the vehicle does.
Dawn Project violated federal law in its ad
The second ad is where NTSB’s letter comes in. In it, Dawn Project claims that Tesla shirks liability for autopilot claims with a note in the owner’s manual saying that it should only be activated on highways.
In doing so, it used footage from various Tesla crashes, with the logo of the NTSB overlaid in the corner of the ad. See a screenshot, provided by the NTSB in its letter:
In NTSB’s letter, it says that this use of its seal violates federal law:
RE: Unauthorized Use of NTSB’s Official Seal in Super Bowl Commercial
Dear Sir/Ma’am:
It has come to our attention that your second Super Bowl LVIII commercial
airing on February 11, 2024, prominently – and unlawfully – displays the official seal of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In addition to its public airing, the commercial has been posted to your webpage, dawnproject.com, and to your YouTube page. A screenshot of the commercial in question is attached.By federal law, the NTSB is authorized a judicially recognized seal. 49 U.S.C. § 1111(j). Use of the NTSB Seal outside of the NTSB is prohibited without the prior written approval of the NTSB. 49 C.F.R. § 803.5. Due to the nature of our work and the need to be unambiguously independent from commercial interests, we strive to protect the international reputation of the NTSB by preventing unapproved use of our
seal.Contrary to Federal law, you did not obtain, and the NTSB did not grant,
permission to use the NTSB Seal in your Super Bowl LVIII commercial or on any other materials. Moreover, your unauthorized use of the NTSB’s seal spuriously implies endorsement of your company and/or message by the NTSB. Accordingly, the NTSB demands that you cease any further unsanctioned use of the NTSB Seal, and that the NTSB’s Seal be immediately removed from your website and YouTube page, as well as any further airings of the offending commercial. We further request that you notify us in writing when all changes have been made.
The Dawn Project seems to have quickly complied with the letter, as its youtube video now has a large, conspicuous blur visible for roughly half of its runtime, obviously covering up the illicit use of NTSB’s logo:
However, despite the quick followup by the Dawn Project, the ad still aired with the logo in the first place, and in front of a lot of eyeballs in what was apparently the most-viewed American television event since the moon landing.
Electrek’s Take
There are no heroes here.
It seems that Dan O’Dowd has repeatedly stretched the truth in his attacks on FSD, and that both his business and potential political aspirations are benefitted by the publicity he gets from those attacks.
That latter point doesn’t mean he’s wrong all on its own, as it’s totally fine for people to align their personal interests with what they believe to be the greater interests of humanity. But being so laser-focused on attacking one particular system, and doing so in inaccurate ways, doesn’t really help O’Dowd’s case that this is being done in the public interest.
The tone of the Dawn Project’s advocacy does not serve to improve FSD or similar partial-automation system, but rather to fearmonger about them, and we don’t think that’s helpful.
But also, Tesla, and in particular its CEO Elon Musk, has repeatedly lied or misled about FSD.
The name itself is misleading, as Tesla cars do not drive themselves, as pointed out above. Tesla calls it “beta” software, and has repeatedly said that these are just steps on the way to actual eventual full self-driving, but we’ve been hearing Elon Musk say that FSD is coming “next year” for a full decade now (and he’s still saying it).
The way that Tesla talks about FSD, and the name itself, has led to a sense of overconfidence in the system, which could lead to people using it in an unintended manner. This was pointed out by the widow of a Tesla employee who died while driving drunk with FSD activated, who says “we were sold a false sense of security.”
And Tesla has broken direct promises with FSD as well. It said in 2016 that every Tesla has the hardware for FSD, but it’s still charging owners for hardware upgrades to enable it. It’s possible that this could happen again in the future, if Tesla finds out that true self-driving tasks are too much for HW3 or HW4.
So there is fault from all parties involved. Tesla’s approach with FSD is pushing the concept of self-driving forward, but the company takes liberties in doing so. However, criticism of the company isn’t served well by taking its own liberties and stretching the truth in response.
There are plenty of valid points to criticize Tesla and FSD on, and if O’Dowd were truly doing this for the public interest, he wouldn’t need to falsify government logos, stage fake tests, or misrepresent real-life events along the way.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Environment
Trump tariff threats are pushing Canada’s largest oil producer to break its dependence on the U.S.
The Suncor Energy Refinery is seen during extreme cold weather in Edmonton, AB, Canada, on Feb. 3, 2025.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
HOUSTON — The deeply integrated North American oil and gas market stands at crossroads, with Canada’s largest oil producer warning that it will diversify its exports away from the United States if President Donald Trump‘s tariff threats do not end.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Wednesday presented two possible futures for the continent. In one, Canada and the U.S. reach an agreement to create “Fortress North America,” with new pipeline capacity built to support 2 million barrels per day in additional exports to the U.S. market, Smith said at the CERAWeek energy conference.
This will support Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda, Smith said, allowing the U.S. to increase its exports to the global market by backfilling those barrels with imported oil from a neighbor and close ally. It will maintain low consumer prices in the U.S., she said, which is also part of the agenda Trump campaigned on.
Alberta wants to supply the U.S. with the energy it needs to win the race against China to achieve dominance in artificial intelligence, Smith said. “I don’t think any of us want to see a communist, totalitarian regime become a world, global leader in AI,” the premier said.
In the other future, Trump continues to wage his trade war against Canada and Alberta starts looking for oil and gas customers beyond the U.S., Smith said.
Canada is the fourth largest oil producer in the world and Alberta is the country’s biggest producer. Some 97% of the country’s 4 million bpd of oil exports went to the U.S. in 2023 with several European nations and Hong Kong taking the remainder, according to Canada’s energy regulator. Alberta supplied 87% of the oil exported from Canada to the U.S. in 2023.
“There are at least six or seven projects that are emerging in Canada in the event we’re not able to come to a partnership agreement with the U.S.,” Smith said.
The uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff threats has already forced Alberta to start “looking at more opportunities to get more barrels off our borders besides the United States,” provincial energy minister Brian Jean said Tuesday.
Alberta is in active discussions with South Korea, Japan and European nations about shipping oil exports to those countries, the energy minister said. “The truth is we’re looking in every direction right now except the United States in relation to our priorities,” Jean said.
Canada looks to Europe, Asia
Trump’s tariffs have roiled financial markets and caused confusion among investors over the past week. The president on Wednesday imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada. He has paused until April 2 penalties on Canadian oil and gas as well as duties on other goods that are compliant with the trade agreement that governs North America.
The Trump administration has not provided clarity on how much of Canada’s energy exports to the U.S. conform to the trade agreement. Oil and gas that is not compliant would face a 10% tariff. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright declined to provide details when asked Monday by CNBC.
Smith said Wednesday that Canadian oil producers are busy filling out paperwork to ensure that their exports to the U.S. are compliant.
“There was a bit of a paperwork issue that our companies had,” Smith said. “There was no reason to register, and so now there is. I would imagine that they’ve all called their lawyers and they’re in compliance. I wouldn’t expect very much of our oil and gas is tariffed at all.”
But it is unclear whether Trump will proceed with tariffs when his pause expires on April 2. Wright said Monday a deal with Canada that avoids tariffs on oil, gas and other energy is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say.”
“We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal,” Wright said in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
It will take time for Alberta to pivot to markets beyond the U.S. if the tariffs do go into effect. Nearly all the pipelines in Canada run south to the U.S. Canada only has one pipeline stretching from Alberta to the country’s West Coast in British Columbia, providing access to Asian markets. There are no pipelines that run from Alberta to the country’s East Coast.
Smith said Canada is looking at three different pipeline proposals to its West Coast, at least one pipeline into the Northwest Territories, one into Manitoba, one to the Hudson Bay, and one into Eastern Canada.
“Those are conversations we were not having three months ago,” Jean said of the pipelines. But it took 12 years for Canada to expand its Trans Mountain Pipeline that connects to the country’s West Coast.
Alberta is not interested in taking a page from Ontario’s playbook, Jean said Tuesday. Premier Doug Ford imposed a 25% surcharge on electricity exported to the U.S. in response to Trump’s tariffs. He later suspended the penalty after the U.S. agreed to resume talks.
“We don’t believe that that this is the right way to do it,” Jean said of Alberta’s position. “We want to deescalate the situation.”
Canada has presented the U.S. with several options, the Alberta energy minister said. Jean declined to provide specifics, but he said the Trump administration needs a strong strategic petroleum reserve to achieve its goal of energy dominance.
“It also means that they have to be able to continue to get a good steady supply of product from Canada,” he said.
If the tariffs go do into effect, they will hurt both Canadians and Americans, particularly people who cannot afford a price increase, he said. The price hike will be split “fairly evenly” between U.S. customers and producers in Canada, he said.
“It’s going to be felt by all parties and frankly there’s many people right now […] that can’t afford it,” he said. “We need to think about those people because they’re the less fortunate that truly have no other choice but to buy fuel.”
Jean took a swipe at Trump’s repeated calls for Canada to become the 51st state.
“As long as we’re in charge, we don’t mind,” Jean said. “But the truth is the Republicans would never be elected again.”
Toyota’s first electric SUV is getting a major overhaul. The new bZ4X now has a bigger battery for more range, faster charging, dedicated EV features, a stylish facelift, and much more. Here’s our first look at the new Toyota bZ4X.
Toyota unveils new bZ4X with significant improvements
The bZ4X launched in 2022 as Toyota’s first fully electric SUV. Although it was expected to rival the Tesla Model Y and other top-selling electric SUVs, the bZ4X failed to live up to the task.
“I think it’s fair to say that we experienced a few bumps in the road during the launch,” Toyota’s chief branding officer, Simon Humphries, said during the company’s premiere event in Brussels this week.
Toyota listened to feedback from drivers, retailers, and journalists who experienced the bZ4X and delivered with the upgraded model.
The new electric SUV has more driving range, up to twice as fast charging, and double the towing capacity. But, that’s not all. The bZ4X has been updated inside and out. The interior is completely redesigned with a new 14″ infotainment and instrument display panel.
Toyota finally added a battery pre-conditioning feature as standard. For the first time, Toyota said the bZ4X can now fast charge in around 30 minutes in cold weather. Maximum DC charging power is still 150 kW.
A new route planning function that automatically selects the best charging station is also included. Toyota said the feature is available through an OTA update for current bZ4X drivers.
The new bZ4X has two battery options, 57.7kWh and 73.1 kWh. The smaller battery will be available exclusively in FWD while the larger battery has FWD and AWD configurations.
With up to 338 hp (252 kW), the upgraded AWD model is one of the most powerful Toyota vehicles in Europe. Its towing capacity has doubled to 1,500 kg.
Combined with an upgraded eAxle, the new long-range bZ4X has a WLTP driving range of up to 573 km (356 miles). That’s a significant improvement from the outgoing model’s range of up to 516 km (320 miles).
Although US specs have yet to be revealed, the 2025 bZ4X is rated with up to 252 miles on the EPA rating scale. When it arrives in the US, you can expect to see upwards of around 270 to 280 miles.
Toyota will launch the updated bZ4X in Europe later this year, one of three new EVs arriving by the end of 2025. The smaller Toyota C-HR+ and Urban Cruiser electric SUVs will join the updated model in Toyota’s growing European EV lineup.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
A man set fire to three Tesla chargers at a charging station in a South Carolina parking lot, but karma got him back quickly as he also set his clothes on fire.
Tesla has been under attack recently due to its CEO, Elon Musk, enraging a large part of the popular through his involvement with the Trump administration and his behavior on social media.
Those attacks are, for the most part, legal protests at Tesla stores and calls to boycott the brand, but we have also seen some illegal actions, like vandalizing cars, stores, and charging stations, from some more extremist individuals and groups.
In a new example, North Charleston Police is looking for a suspect who burned 3 Tesla Superchargers last Friday.
They are looking for “a White man in a grey jacket/hoodie with a black face mask”. The suspect spray painted “F*** Trump, long live Ukraine” next to the charging station.
He reportedly used homemade Molotov cocktails out of beer bottles to burn the chargers.
The police report mentions that a witness saw that the suspect set himself on fire during the arson:
“Witnesses advised that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices.”
The firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the fire, but the three Supercharger stalls affected had to shut down.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is leading the investigation.
We previously reported on other cases of vandalism against Tesla properties, in which federal law enforcement also got involved.
Yesterday, President Trump said that he wants to label Tesla vandals as “domestic terrorists.”
Electrek’s Take
As we have often mentioned in the last few weeks, we sympathize with the people peacefully protesting and boycotting Tesla, but we condemn any violence, including vandalism.
The protests and boycotts are much more efficient in affecting Tesla than setting yourself on fire to shut down a few charging stalls for a few days at worst.
Everyone getting involved in this is actually eroding the credibility of the “Tesla Takedown” movement.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway