A Tesla enthusiast has posted a video showing a Model 3 Performance vehicle traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles, California in Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta mode, with almost no human intervention necessary during the entire trip.
The video (above), spotted by Teslarati, has been sped up to compress the 380-mile journey int0 15 minutes of footage, though it’s still easy to see the vehicle’s driving decisions play out on its touchscreen display.
Tesla began a limited FSD beta rollout in late October 2020, though the electric car company said the feature requires additional driver caution, warning them to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while the vehicle is in motion.
The only apparent intervention during the SF-to-LA trip took place when the vehicle approached some debris in the road. Video poster World Mars Catalog (WMC) said the debris “popped up suddenly after a car moved out of the way,” adding, “I couldn’t wait to see if FSD would avoid it and had to make sure to move over myself.”
The Tesla fan also said that at one point his car “exhibited some strange behavior and changed into the adjacent lane,” adding that while he should’ve perhaps intervened, he was monitoring the situation closely and felt it was safe to continue without taking control.
WMC acknowledged that while “the drive was not perfect … it was such an impressive milestone that I had to share it anyway.”
And, yes, according to the video, the drive is certainly remarkable, though it should be noted that there’s still much development work to be done — and regulatory hoops to jump through — before our streets become full of highly autonomous vehicles that let you simply sit back and relax.
FSD offers additional driver-assist features over Tesla’s current Autopilot offering. For example, it lets you navigate on Autopilot, change lane automatically, park automatically, direct your vehicle in or out of a tight space via a command issued by the mobile app or key, recognize and respond to traffic lights and stop signs, and autonomously navigate city streets.
In a recent interview, Tesla boss Elon Musk said that in his own experience of using FSD, he’s able to “go through a very complicated series of intersections and narrow roads, without ever touching any of the controls. All the way to work and back.”
