Time is running out for Tesla

THE past couple of weeks have not been pleasant for electric car manufacturer Tesla, badly tarnishing the biggest jewel in the unsteady crown of blood-emerald heir and World's Most Annoying Person Elon Musk. And it's about damned time.

First, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered a recall of nearly 2 million Tesla vehicles — essentially, every one ever sold in the US — due to a defect in the car's Autopilot system that is ineffective in monitoring the driver's attention and ensuring that he or she can take control of the car if it encounters an obstacle or situation the Autopilot can't manage, which apparently is more or less all the time.