You Can Apparently Fool Tesla’s Autopilot With An Orange (We Saw It) [Updated]

There is more to this orange than meets the eye. Or, at least there was.

Tesla’s autopilot seems pretty nifty, but how do you feel about it demanding you put pressure on the wheel every couple of minutes to appease the safety gods? Fear not, because this guy just posted a YouTube video showing you precisely how to get around that.

Unfortunately, that video was just removed from existence, which seems a little bit suss. We reached out to Tesla for comment but can’t gather for certain whether they have seen the video, nor whether they asked for it to be removed.

The video showed Dave Mitton taking his Tesla out for a drive with the autopilot engaged and an Orange wedged into the steering wheel. At first I thought it was just an easy place to stash a quick, fruity snack. But no. He had a much more important use for it.

The weight of the orange pressed into the wheel disabled the vehicle’s system specifically designed to prompt the driver to hold the wheel for a moment. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound so unreasonable to me, even if the warnings get a little annoying. Still, they got annoying enough for this guy to get creative with his workaround.

Update 3:20pm: We heard from a Tesla spokesperson, who sent this image of the warning provided to drivers when they go to activate the Autosteer function on the car while using autopilot, and the following statement:

As per the information provided in car when turning Autosteer on, we recommend hands are placed on the steering wheel at all times when in use. Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance feature and should be used correctly for the driver’s safety and the safety of others.