Tesla recently launched tests for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised ride-hailing service. They are encouraging staff located in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in this innovative initiative. Regardless of the competitive implications, this rollout marks an important step in Tesla’s ongoing efforts to enhance its autonomous vehicle offerings. Concurrently, it pushes for safety by implementing supervised driving.
Tesla owners are able to subscribe to the FSD system. The platform is versatile enough to take on all different types of automated driving functions. As part of the testing phase, Elon Musk anticipates deploying between 10 to 20 vehicles on the first day of the service in Austin. In December, Musk gave us the kind of thrill-inducing announcement only he can deliver— no drivers in the company’s launch vehicles. Instead, they will point to the future “unsupervised” version of FSD technology.
Thousands of Tesla owners currently utilize the supervised version of FSD, which requires a safety driver to monitor operations and intervene if necessary. Tesla has been very clear that even with FSD’s advanced capabilities, their vehicles will not be fully autonomous with this system.
“Safety driver is present to supervise and only intervene as necessary. FSD (Supervised) does not make the vehicle autonomous.” – Tesla
Tesla has launched its efforts on this testing front by introducing the FSD Supervised ride-hailing service. It allows, for example, for early adoption for a limited number of Austin and Bay Area employees. So far according to Tesla AI the FSD Beta service has driven more than 1,500 trips with nearly 15,000 miles of driving experience.
“FSD Supervised ride-hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin & San Francisco Bay Area.” – Tesla AI
Even as Tesla’s innovations lead the charge, it is doing so under a regulatory environment that is inconsistent depending on where you are. To operate legally in California, companies developing autonomous vehicles must obtain numerous permits, as has been indicated by the California DMV. This regulatory framework is a significant reminder that safety and compliance will be paramount as Tesla forges ahead with its autonomous efforts.
