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Tesla's splitting with sensor supplier

Mobileye's new best friends are BMW and Intel, and Elon says he's not worried

Automotive motion-sensor outfit Mobileye has announced that it's broken up with 'leccy car-maker Tesla.

The Israeli company made the announcement during its earnings call yesterday, saying that it wants to concentrate on closer collaborations, rather than merely being a parts supplier.

Chairman Amnon Shashua said the company is concerned about its reputation, with Tesla under the spotlight over autopilot crashes – including Joshua Brown's death when his Model S went under a truck in Florida.

Earlier today, we noted that the National Transport Safety Board's investigation has found that the car was travelling nearly 10 mph over the speed limit at the time of the crash.

Mobileye hasn't been involved in any of the autopilot development: its role has been to supply its EyeQ3 chip to Musk Motors.

According to USA Today, Elon Musk brushed off the significance of the split between the companies. Conducting journalists around the Gigafactory, he said “There’s nothing unexpected here from our standpoint … We’re committed to autonomy. They’ll go their way, and we’ll go ours.”

Earlier this month, Mobileye issued a press release saying it had cut a deal with BMW and Intel, under which the three companies plan to have fully-autonomous cars by 2021.

The company will still provide support to sensors already on the road in Tesla cars. ®

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