Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Tesla debuts ‘Full Self-Driving’ beta, but it comes with a warning

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

Tesla has debuted its much-anticipated “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) feature in beta mode, allowing select Tesla owners to experience the next phase of the Autopilot software. However, the company has warned drivers that the feature requires additional caution and they should not remove their hands from the wheel or fail to pay attention while using it.

The new update is referred to as “Autosteer for city streets,” and expands previous automatic driver assistance but does not yet qualify as fully autonomous self-driving. The software essentially incorporates the previous “Navigate on Autopilot” functions for highway driving onto city streets, as reported by The Drive. It now allows Teslas to perform complex automatic maneuvers, such as following a pre-defined route between two points including making turns, stopping at traffic lights, and moving around obstacles such as other vehicles.

Recommended Videos

FSD beta program here we go. Hell yeah pic.twitter.com/dNVGlwyYv6

— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 22, 2020

The image of the software interface shared by the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Twitter account gives more details of the system and a warning. “Full Self-Driving is in early limited access Beta and must be used with additional caution,” the screenshot reads. “It may do the wrong thing at the worst time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel and pay extra attention to the road. Do not become complacent.”

The safety of autopilot systems have been a focus of interest, with groups such as the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expressing concern about how attentive drivers are when using such systems.

In a statement given to The Verge, the NHTSA warned: “As we have stated consistently, no vehicle available for purchase today is capable of driving itself. The most advanced vehicle technologies available for purchase today provide driver assistance and require a fully attentive human driver at all times performing the driving task and monitoring the surrounding environment. Abusing these technologies is, at a minimum, distracted driving. Every State in the Nation holds the driver responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle.”

There have been previous incidents of Tesla drivers misusing the Autopilot feature, which has lead to crashes when drivers were concentrating on their phones rather than on the road. There have also been fatal crashes that occurred involving a Tesla which had Autopilot was activated.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Former Space Writer
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
Topics
Order an Uber and a self-driving Mustang might show up
Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

Ordering an Uber in London could come with a surprise today. Instead of a conventional car and driver pulling up, you might find a Ford Mustang Mach-E that can drive itself. Uber has launched London's first public robotaxi service in partnership with British autonomous driving company Wayve. The service is available through the Uber app, meaning you don't need to download anything new or book a special type of ride to try it.

There is one important caveat. Although the cars will handle the driving themselves, a trained safety operator will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to intervene if necessary. Fully driverless rides are planned for a later stage. The launch fleet consists of electric Mustang Mach-Es equipped with cameras, radar, and Wayve's AI Driver technology. These systems give the vehicle a 360-degree view of what's happening around it. And if anywhere can put that technology through its paces, London seems like a pretty good candidate.

Read more
Range Rover Electric arrives with 543hp, 600km range, and a starting price of the moon
The electric Range Rover is here, and your wallet may need CPR
Range Rover EV

The Range Rover has never been shy about luxury, size or price, and its first fully electric version is carrying that tradition into the EV era. Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) first battery-electric Range Rover is now open for orders, starting at £154,070, or about $208,420. That makes it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the market.

The electric model costs almost £50,000 more than the standard combustion-engine Range Rover. It is priced in the same territory as the electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 and not far from ultra-luxury gasoline SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga.

Read more
A solar ambulance has successfully tackled 500 miles of difficult terrain
Stella Juva

For years, solar-powered vehicles have largely lived in the world of prototypes, university projects and ambitious demonstrations. Now, one has completed the kind of test that matters far more than a flashy concept reveal: it drove hundreds of miles through difficult terrain while carrying medical equipment and generating enough electricity to operate independently.

Called Stella Juva, the vehicle was developed by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of 23 students from Eindhoven University of Technology and two other educational institutions. According to a CNN report, the team describes it as the world's first solar ambulance. Unlike a conventional ambulance, however, Stella Juva is designed less to rush patients to hospitals and more to bring medical care to people who cannot easily reach it.

Read more