{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "generatedAt": "2026-05-07T12:20:09.496Z",
  "findingType": "lie",
  "findingId": 1,
  "contentHash": "27363044e3e7e1f3b58ff9a2af545814c5fcdd3f4536ba42ba646fb4f03339bf",
  "title": "Musk: Tesla will drive itself coast-to-coast with no human input by end of 2017",
  "summary": "Elon Musk promised: \"I am very confident that we will be able to do a demonstration drive of full autonomy from LA to New York by the end of the year. So basically, you'll be able to get in the car, go to sleep, and wake up at your destination.\" (Wed Oct 19 2016 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)). 3 documented violation(s). Severity: major.",
  "methodology": "Documented promises are sourced from public statements, filings, and transcripts. Each promise must have a non-empty source URL. Violations are independently sourced with evidence strength tiers. The time delta (days after promise) quantifies the gap between commitment and breach. Materiality assessment includes financial cost, people affected, and environmental impact where applicable.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-autonomous-idUSKCN12J2WL/",
      "label": "Reuters, 19 October 2016",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16986526/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-coast-to-coast-elon-musk",
      "label": "The Verge, 7 February 2018",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22322600/tesla-fsd-california-dmv-autopilot-level-2",
      "label": "The Verge, 9 March 2021",
      "type": "primary"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-opens-new-probe-into-teslas-fully-self-driving-software-after-fatal-crash-2024-04-26/",
      "label": "Reuters, 26 April 2024",
      "type": "primary"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [
    {
      "description": "Promise record with entity",
      "table": "documented_promises",
      "parameters": {
        "id": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "description": "Promise violations",
      "table": "promise_violations",
      "parameters": {
        "promiseId": 1
      }
    }
  ],
  "dataSnapshot": {
    "promiseId": "1",
    "slug": "musk-fsd-coast-to-coast-2017",
    "entityId": "3",
    "entityName": "Elon Musk",
    "headline": "Musk: Tesla will drive itself coast-to-coast with no human input by end of 2017",
    "promiseText": "I am very confident that we will be able to do a demonstration drive of full autonomy from LA to New York by the end of the year. So basically, you'll be able to get in the car, go to sleep, and wake up at your destination.",
    "promiseDate": "2016-10-19T00:00:00.000Z",
    "promiseSourceUrl": "https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-autonomous-idUSKCN12J2WL/",
    "audience": "general_public",
    "domain": "autonomy",
    "severity": "major",
    "status": "violated",
    "narrative": "Musk first promised an unsupervised LA-to-New York Tesla autonomy demonstration by the end of 2017. The deadline slipped year after year. As of 2026, Full Self-Driving is still a supervised driver-assist system that requires hands on the wheel and disengages without warning.",
    "financialCostUsd": null,
    "peopleAffectedEstimate": null,
    "violations": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "violationText": "End of 2017 passes with no autonomous coast-to-coast drive; Musk concedes the demo did not happen.",
        "violationDate": "2018-02-07T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16986526/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-coast-to-coast-elon-musk",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "476"
      },
      {
        "id": "2",
        "violationText": "Tesla concedes in writing to the California DMV that Full Self-Driving is a Level 2 driver-assist system, not autonomy.",
        "violationDate": "2021-03-09T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22322600/tesla-fsd-california-dmv-autopilot-level-2",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "1602"
      },
      {
        "id": "3",
        "violationText": "NHTSA opens an investigation after a fatal Autopilot crash; FSD remains supervised seven years after the promised deadline.",
        "violationDate": "2024-04-26T00:00:00.000Z",
        "violationSourceUrl": "https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-opens-new-probe-into-teslas-fully-self-driving-software-after-fatal-crash-2024-04-26/",
        "evidenceStrength": "primary",
        "daysAfterPromise": "2746"
      }
    ],
    "createdAt": "2026-05-03T09:27:08.959Z"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "id": "3",
      "name": "Elon Musk",
      "slug": "elon-musk",
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "verificationSteps": [
    "Retrieve documented promise #1 from documented_promises.",
    "Visit promise source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-autonomous-idUSKCN12J2WL/ — confirm the original commitment was made.",
    "Violation #1 (Wed Feb 07 2018 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16986526/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-coast-to-coast-elon-musk — confirm \"End of 2017 passes with no autonomous coast-to-coast drive; Musk concedes the demo did not happen.\"",
    "Violation #2 (Tue Mar 09 2021 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22322600/tesla-fsd-california-dmv-autopilot-level-2 — confirm \"Tesla concedes in writing to the California DMV that Full Self-Driving is a Level 2 driver-assist system, not autonomy.\"",
    "Violation #3 (Fri Apr 26 2024 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)): visit https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-opens-new-probe-into-teslas-fully-self-driving-software-after-fatal-crash-2024-04-26/ — confirm \"NHTSA opens an investigation after a fatal Autopilot crash; FSD remains supervised seven years after the promised deadline.\"",
    "Verify the SHA-256 content hash by re-generating the JSON bundle."
  ]
}