Tesla’s grand designs for an eventual driverless robotaxi service have allured the attention of federal safety investigators. This level of scrutiny is raising serious questions about the operational safety of its $15,000 “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software. As the Techcrunch event in Berkeley, California approaches on June 5, Tesla faces scrutiny over how its automated driving system performs, particularly in low-visibility conditions.
Now, federal investigators have sent Tesla a long list of detailed questions. Specifically, they seek to determine how the company plans to test and measure the safety of their driving automation technologies on public roads. The inquiry specifically focuses on whether the planned robotaxi operation is consistent with Tesla’s existing Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised software.
Tesla has done a phenomenal job of marketing its FSD Supervised ride-hailing service as remarkable. Currently, this program is only available to a limited number of employees in Austin and San Francisco Bay Area. As of March, the company says it’s done well over 1,500 trips totaling over 15,000 miles.
“FSD Supervised ride-hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin & San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve completed over 1.5k trips & 15k miles of driving. This service helps us develop & validate FSD networks, the mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control & remote assistance operations.” – source
The federal letter took an important step in recognizing the need for improved safety across a range of difficult driving environments. It’s unclear how Tesla intends to manage their fleet’s operations when visibility on the roadway is reduced. They’re especially focusing on extreme conditions such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain and snow.
The Techcrunch event is coming up fast though! Attendees will have the opportunity to discover a new, expansive exhibit focused exclusively on the exciting innovations in technology and innovation. The exhibit can be reserved via a link that will appear on Techcrunch’s website.
The ongoing investigation underscores the critical balance between innovation and safety as Tesla navigates the complexities of autonomous vehicle technology. Depending upon how this inquiry is resolved, there could be significant ramifications for Tesla’s vision of Level 5 autonomy and the future of autonomous driving overall.