A little over a month after releasing Tesla Autopilot’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) to a small group of select drivers, Tesla is gearing up for a wider release of the software, according to the company’s CEO, Elon Musk
Tesla has so far only released the FSD update to “expert and careful” drivers, and so a wider release creates the scary prospect of more Tesla owners experimenting with the feature on city streets.
Autopilot has enabled lane changes on clearly marked highways, but FSD allows drivers to automatically handle city streets, traffic lights, roundabouts and street turns.
It also offers assisted parking, the summon feature for parking lots, highway driving assistance, but the feature does not make a Tesla an autonomous car.
Responding to a question on Twitter about a wider FSD beta, Musk said it would probably roll out in about two weeks.
@elonmusk can we get the #FSDbeta in Minnesota? Roads are dry and I’m happy to put it through its paces on our interesting roads.
— Dan Burkland (@dburkland) November 28, 2020
Early FSD beta testers have been in awe of the technology, when it works. But some users have shared video of situations where they’ve had to quickly grab the wheel when the software doesn’t correctly handle a street corner.
YouTube user Brandonee916 shows his drive down a suburban street. The Tesla correctly stopped at red lights but interpreted the one-way street as a two-way street and didn’t pick the right angle to make a left turn.
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Tesla driver Brandonee916 has posted a video of his FSD drive. Source: Brandonee916/YouTube
Tesla warns drivers in a message on the console that FSD is an early beta and that it “must be used with additional caution”.
“It may do the wrong thing at the wrong time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel and pay extra attention to the road. Do not become complacent,” it states.
As Electrek notes, the broader rollout is exciting but also terrifying because more people will test it when it’s available and accidents are bound to happen.
Despite Tesla’s warning for drivers not be complacent, the technology gives drivers the ability to pay less attention on highways and that’s when accidents have happened in the past.
Tesla is expected to release the version 11 software update around the holidays. Using emoticons, Musk has suggested the update is “on fire” and will be released over the holiday season.
