Tesla makes automated driving available to North American owners

[AVANTI R5]

Ooooo

Tesla makes automated driving available to North American owners

Until now, some paying customers have been blocked from accessing the feature known as FSD because they did not score high enough on metrics Tesla uses to set insurance rates.

Those predictions have not panned out. FSD still requires a fully attentive driver to keep their hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any moment. This disconnect has opened Tesla up to intensifying legal and regulatory risk:

The U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission have been investigating Tesla’s self-driving claims, a person familiar with the matter said last month.

A customer in California is seeking class action status for his lawsuit filed in September claiming that Tesla has deceptively marketed its driver-assistance systems.

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles accused the company in August of misleading consumers about its FSD and Autopilot systems.

The company has said it only recognized a portion of the amounts customers pay for FSD, with the remainder going to a deferred revenue balance.

“FSD purchases have not been fully recognized in Tesla’s P&L because consumers had bought a promise rather than a fully working product,” Patrick Hummel, a UBS analyst said in a Nov. 14 note.

At the end of September, Tesla’s deferred revenue balance was at $2.8 billion. While the company said then that it expected to recognize $1.09 billion of deferred revenue in the coming 12 months, Tesla has for years overestimated this figure.

Musk has taken advantage of a relatively light-touch approach to regulating automated-driving technology in the U.S.


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said shortly before Tesla’s first fatal crash involving Autopilot in 2016 that existing laws in the country posed few barriers to driver-assistance systems.

When asked in March when Europeans will get to test FSD, Musk told fans at the plant Tesla was opening near Berlin that the company was holding off because regulators in the region were less permissive.

“In the U.S., things are legal by default,” Musk said. “In Europe, they are illegal by default. So we have to get approval beforehand, whereas in the U.S., you can kind of do it on your own cognizance, more or less.”

The National Highway Transportation Safety Board, which lacks the power to compel automakers to follow its recommendations, has been critical of Tesla’s deployment of Autopilot and FSD.

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[4S-TURBO]

“In the U.S., things are legal by default,” Musk said. “In Europe, they are illegal by default. So we have to get approval beforehand, whereas in the U.S., you can kind of do it on your own cognizance, more or less.”

Try telling that to certain brainwashed Americans who live their lives on the sLiPpErY sLoPeS of politics.

[godfather2112]

Not sure if coincidence of recent release or telling sign, but my near collisions with 2 model 3's this morning doesn't give me confidence in this. Never had a near collision with a Tesla (seen a few but never experienced. Car 1 decelerated rapidly causing me tk slam on my brakes and coming fairly close to plowing into the back. 20'ish minutes later, car 2 aggressively swerved into my lane causing me to swerve and the driver to over correct and swerve into other lane slightly before coming back into his lane.

This is why I'm glad I have a truck despite being not a truck guy.

[godfather2112]

Not sure if coincidence of recent release or telling sign, but my near collisions with 2 model 3’s this morning doesn’t give me confidence in this. Never had a near collision with a Tesla (seen a few but never experienced. Car 1 decelerated rapidly causing me tk slam on my brakes and coming fairly close to plowing into the back. 20’ish minutes later, car 2 aggressively swerved into my lane causing me to swerve and the driver to over correct and swerve into other lane slightly before coming back into his lane.

This is why I’m glad I have a truck despite being not a truck guy.

[arghx7]

I've had it (city streets driving feature) for a month now. Currently on FSD 10.69.3.1 which is the wide release in question. I bought the option in 2019 (was $6k then) and waited that long, about 3 years, to get city streets. Until that time I had over features that are included, such as auto lane change, and auto parking. Only the auto lane change (when initiated by the driver) was consistently useful.

I'd say it works ok. On a typical day driving through suburban streets it will get where you need to go, but struggles with construction zones still. You need to change your driving style to a mentality of supervising a new driver or something. The stress level decreases after you use it a few days and intuitively know its limitations.

For example, in rainy weather it has less confidence in lane detection when making turns, so it can be more hesitant, and it's best to take over at times. In a way it's amazing what it can do, but to a normal non early adopter it has a ton of limitations/frustrations that would make it not worth it. Is it worth the upfront $15k (or even the $6k) i paid? No, unless money is no object. Is it worth trying the $200 a month subscription for a while? Sure, I'd say give it a shot for at least a month.

We'll see where it is at in maybe a year, especially if rumors of updated hardware (new processor and maybe new cameras) hold up.

[dwf137]

great. I'll be even more intentional about getting around teslas on the road. been stuck behind some clearly using autopilot and it really erks me in traffic.