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Tesla comments on FSD development difficulties, regulatory framework

(Credit: Gail Alfar)

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Tesla has recently weighed in on the development of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) and the U.S. regulatory framework, following the company’s rollout of FSD (Supervised) and its announcement of plans to unveil a long-awaited robotaxi later this year.

FSD v12 has been rolling out over the past several months, and with Tesla officially replacing the “beta” moniker with “supervised” and announcing plans to unveil the robotaxi later this year, higher levels of vehicle autonomy have been at the forefront of shareholder and public conversations.

Although some have assumed that the regulatory framework for FSD and other semi-autonomous driving systems would be the most difficult part of bringing FSD and a robotaxi to the market, two Tesla executives have since shared their thoughts, noting the sheer difficulty of developing such a software.

Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers

On Friday evening, CEO Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the matter in response to a thread on X posted last August, which included thoughts on Tesla’s place in the future market of autonomous driving.

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In his response, Musk wrote that it has been “staggeringly difficult to make generalized self-driving work,” adding that Tesla’s investments into training compute, data pipelines and video storage will cost more than $10 billion cumulatively this year. Still, Musk says that this figure pales in comparison to the amount of money Tesla will be able to generate using the software:

Along with Musk’s thoughts late Friday, fellow Tesla executive Rohan Patel, Vice President of Policy and Business Development, shared his thoughts on how difficult developing FSD has been on Saturday morning. Patel responded to a post from Omar of Whole Mars Blog, in which Tesla followers and FSD enthusiasts pointed out that developing the system was much more difficult than the regulatory side of things.

Patel says that, while the regulatory frameworks and fundamental mindset surrounding general autonomy both need to change, his team’s technology advancements will be what pushes these frameworks forward.

Tesla’s FSD v12 has long been discussed as a key piece of the puzzle for unlocking higher levels of autonomy in the future. Last week, the FSD system surpassed one billion miles driven by all of its users, and the system is expected to continue improving as human drivers use it more and more.

The past few weeks have indicated significant confidence in FSD (Supervised), from Tesla offering one-month free trials and mandatory test drives with the system, to the company’s plans to detail the highly anticipated robotaxi later this year. They also highlight Tesla’s recent focus on having executives interact directly with fans, shareholders and others on social media, and in other media appearances.

Updated 4/7/24: Fifth paragraph edited for accuracy.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Lifestyle

Tesla Cybertruck slapped with world’s least intimidating ticket, and it’s pure cringe

One cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of these babies.

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Credit: Ryan Torres/X

A Cybertruck parked at Stanford Shopping Center in California was recently hit with what might be the most try-hard piece of paper ever slipped under a wiper blade: a “fake citation” accusing the driver of supporting a “fascist car.” 

The note, shared on X by Tesla staff program manager Ryan Torres, quickly made the rounds on X, where it quickly gained attention as an example of how not to protest.

The world’s least intimidating ticket

According to the citation, the supposed “violation” was “driving a fascist car.” The remedial action? Take the bus, call an Uber, or ride a bike. The note also dubbed Elon Musk a “chainsaw-wielding Nazi billionaire.” Now, protests against Tesla and Elon Musk have become commonplace this year, but one cannot help but cringe and feel second-hand embarrassment at the idea of a person just driving around with a stack of fake anti-Tesla/Musk citations.

Torres pointed out the irony himself in his post on X. Tesla currently employs over 140,000 Americans, and SpaceX has put the U.S. firmly back at the top of space technology. As Torres put it, maybe the person behind the world’s least intimidating ticket should “read a book on innovation before vandalizing” other people’s property.

Peak performative clownery

Not to mention that the fake ticket’s logic collapses under its own weight. EVs like the Cybertruck are literally designed to reduce emissions, not “destroy the economy.” If anything, Tesla has bolstered the United States’ economy by fueling jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and clean energy. It’s not the first time a Tesla has been the target of vandalism or politically charged notes, but this one stands out for sheer cringe value. 

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Torres summed it up neatly: “Peak clownery.” On that point, at least, the citation earns full marks. In a way, though, perhaps cringe fake tickets are not as bad as the literal firebombs that were being thrown at Tesla stores and cars earlier this year because some critics were gleefully misinformed about Elon Musk.

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Why a Tesla Model Y led to a teen’s failed driving exam in Ontario

The issue was due to the driver using the Model Y’s regenerative braking system.

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A North Bay, Ontario man has raised concerns after his teenage daughter failed her G driver’s license road test while driving his Tesla Model Y. The issue, the Tesla owner noted, was due to his daughter using the Model Y’s regenerative braking system to bring the car to a stop.

Regenerative braking bias

Eric Simard, the Tesla owner, told CBC News that his daughter borrowed his car for her driving test. Because of this, she was not fully familiar with how to disable the Model Y’s regenerative braking system. Unfortunately, the examiner did not allow his daughter to call him for help in turning off the feature.

Simard noted that his daughter ultimately failed her driving test because she never used the car’s physical brake pedal. In his daughter’s road test results from Drive Test Ontario, the examiner marked a box stating that the Model Y was “out of order. 

“I find it pretty frustrating because even though it’s regenerative braking and you’re not using the brake pedal, you’re clearly the one that is in full control of making the vehicle come to a stop or to slow down,” Simard stated, adding that his daughter was also penalized for the Model Y’s feature that alerts drivers when a traffic light turns green. 

Discussions on driver-assist technologies

In a comment, Julia Caslin, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation, stated that the province’s graduated licensing system “requires drivers to always demonstrate safe vehicle operation and full control, regardless of the vehicle’s features.” 

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“Applicants are expected to understand how their vehicle’s system — including lane centring, regenerative braking, adaptive cruise control and automated parking — may affect handling and performance during a road test,” Caslin stated. 

Driving instructors also expressed differing views about Simard’s experience. Saad Tariq of Greater Sudbury Driving School said he advises students against relying on driver-assist features because sensors can fail.

Meanwhile, Amanda Lacroix of Northern Lights Driving School suggested road tests should adapt to the technologies drivers use daily, while still requiring mastery of basic skills like mirror checks and manual braking.

“If the world’s going to change and we’re all going to have assisted driving, then we should be learning how to do it properly,” Lacroix said.

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Tesla says it is working on rides for the handicapped and disabled with Robotaxi

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that this was a focus by responding, “Absolutely,” to the embedded post on X above. Tesla said it is developing its own “wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” also known as a WAV. 

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla says on its Robotaxi app that it is working on enabling “accessibility rides” that would give the handicapped and disabled the ability to hail a Robotaxi to get to an appointment.

While Robotaxi will obviously revolutionize the way we travel for our work commutes, daily activities, and other things, but there is true potential to enable serious change for those who cannot drive.

Autonomous transportation would make life easier for those who are unable to obtain a driver’s license. Of course, with today’s ride-sharing platforms, things are much easier than they once were.

However, rides from Uber and Lyft, while plentiful, always have an opportunity to be unavailable in some regions, especially rural ones, due to a lack of drivers.

Robotaxi aims to solve this problem through autonomous transportation, a technology that Tesla has been developing for years.

However, new language in the Robotaxi app shows that Tesla is working on a solution for people who need rides for medical reasons, and it uses a picture of the Robovan to hammer this point home:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that this was a focus by responding, “Absolutely,” to the embedded post on X above. Tesla said it is developing its own “wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” also known as a WAV.

This is likely the Robovan, which was unveiled on October 10 at the Robotaxi event last year:

Tesla unveils the Robovan at ‘We, Robot’ event

It is pretty interesting to see two Musk ventures working on solutions for those who are physically impaired or have other disabilities. With Tesla, Robotaxi will unlock immense potential for those who are unable to drive themselves, addressing a genuine need in today’s world.

Additionally, Neuralink is continuing its development of technology to fight against various physical and mental disabilities. A great question to ask is, “Which will be more beneficial for humans?”

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