Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system fails in ‘safety test’
Anti-Tesla activists have targeted Elon Musk again, with a series of tests they claim show his EVs have ‘critical safety defects’.
Two Tesla foes have joined forces to attack Elon and his automotive semi-autonomous driving technology.
The Dawn Project and the Tesla Takedown movement have partnered to highlight what they claim are “critical safety defects” in Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software.
In a recent test conducted in the United States (US), a Tesla Model Y equipped with the latest version of Full Self-Driving (version 13.2.9) was presented with a common scenario: a school bus stopped on the side of the road with its flashing lights and stop signs activated. A child-sized mannequin was then pulled across the street, simulating a child attempting to catch the bus.
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The Tesla, travelling at an average speed of approximately 32 km/h, failed to stop at the bus stop sign and proceeded to strike the mannequin in each of the eight test runs. The system also reportedly failed to alert the driver to the collision.
The tests come as Tesla prepares to launch robotaxis in the US, fully autonomous vehicles designed for taxi services.
While Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company is “being super paranoid about safety” regarding its forthcoming robotaxi launch, organisers like The Dawn Project and Tesla Takedown aren’t convinced.
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The Dawn Project said, “Full Self-Driving ran down the child mannequin while illegally blowing past the school bus on every single attempt.”
“Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software did not disengage or even alert the driver to the fact there had been a collision on any of the test runs,” they added.
However, it’s important to note that the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is not fully autonomous but rather semi-autonomous.
Tesla states explicitly that the system is designed for “use with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment.”
Autonomous driving is a key pillar of investment for Tesla. Having introduced its “Autopilot” driver assistance system more than a decade ago, Tesla doubled down on “full self-driving” in the US.
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Recently, Tesla was faced with a significant challenge after Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) unveiled its new driver-assistance system, “God’s Eye.”
This innovative technology, which BYD has installed for free in some of its models, enables cars to drive themselves on highways and in urban environments.
Some experts argue that “God’s Eye” is more advanced than Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which costs nearly US $9,000 ($13,800) in China.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving capability in Australia is currently being tested and is not yet fully legal for public use.
However, the system could be arriving soon.
Earlier this year, the EV giant published a video on X.com of a Tesla Model 3 with prototype software successfully negotiating busy streets in inner-city Melbourne.
The brand’s country director for Australia, Thom Drew, says an expansion of Tesla’s driverless features is high on Elon Musk’s list of priorities.
“That’s Elon’s push,” Drew said.
“We have a global engineering team that are working across markets around a lot of FSD… actively working across all our markets to roll it out.”
Critics are watching closely as Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD systems remain under investigation following a series of crashes and fatalities.
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