If Tesla’s autonomous driving is regularly singled out, the manufacturer has just published a series of videos proving its proper functioning. Enough to reassure, even if these are optimal conditions on a closed road.
If there is one person who firmly believes in self-driving cars, it is undoubtedly Elon Musk. The businessman, became the richest in history since Donald Trump’s victory at the head of the United States has continued to remind us that this technology is a solution for the future, and he wants to continue to prove it.
Reassuring videos
This is how, since its arrival on the market, a little over ten years ago, the Tesla Model S has been equipped with Autopilot, a system of level 2 autonomous drivingoffered in the United States, but also in France. If this device has proven itself, although it is not the best on the market according to a study, it is still often singled out. And for good reason, it has already been involved in several accidentssometimes fatal.
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However, he was exonerated from the collision which took place three years ago in Paris, which left one person dead and several seriously injured. At the same time, the manufacturer also offers its FSD (full self-driving)which should soon arrive in Europe. Although it is technically a level 3 system, it is in reality confined to level 2 for administrative reasons, Tesla not wanting to be declared responsible in the event of an accident. This is what distinguishes this technology from Mercedes Drive Pilotwhich is a “real” level 3.
Every FSD release is rigorously tested, including rare and adversarial scenarios on closed courses — Here’s 16 examples:
1. Reverse Cut-in (Occluded) pic.twitter.com/VWBKDgVuUc
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) November 24, 2024
But let’s return to the American manufacturer, which recently upgraded its Actually Smart Summon functionality in Europe. This once again wishes to reassure motorists and potential future customers about the proper functioning of its 100% autonomous driving system. How ? Quite simply by publishing a series of short videos on the social network (formerly Twitter), via its official account dedicated to its autonomous car division.
Elon Musk’s firm shows no less than 16 scenarios distinct areas in which the FSD system is tested, in order to prove that it is fully operational in most emergency situations. Obviously, these videos were carried out on closed roadsfor obvious security reasons. Which, however, leads us to wonder what this would look like in heavier traffic. Even if there is no doubt that it would probably not change much.
Very common situations
We see the car driving and which is suddenly interrupted by another vehicle which cuts him off in several ways. Whether it is a refusal of priority or a situation where the car swerves and changes lanes at the last moment, as happens regularly on the highway, these situations are all very common. And the videos show us that Tesla’s system, which ignores the LiDAR sensor, manages to manage them perfectly.
We also see the capabilities of the FSD to avoid an opening door, or to brake when the car sees a cone falling on the road. The device also allows emergency braking if a child crosses the road or if the vehicle in front stops suddenly, even at high speed. Of course, you still have to take these videos with a grain of salt, because they are very short and they don’t necessarily show everything.
These tests were motivated by real world events from our customer fleet. Kudos to our talented and brave validation team to test these difficult and scary corner cases. The track tests are one of the more than 10 different validation methods for FSD. https://t.co/AvbO9VVJyH
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) November 24, 2024
The site Not A Tesla App specifies that these maneuvers were carried out with la version v12.5.6.3which currently equips 20% of the fleet in circulation. He also relays the tweet ofa brand engineerwhich specifies that these closed road tests are only one of the ten validation methods put in place for the FSD. However, true autonomous driving on all roads and in all circumstances is not yet for tomorrow, but we are fast approaching it. Remember that the manufacturer is currently looking for teleoperators to monitor its new Cybercab.
