Tesla’s highly anticipated “Full Self-Driving” system is facing mounting safety concerns and increased regulatory scrutiny following a series of incidents and accidents. William Stein, a technology analyst at Truist Securities, recently tested the system on three separate occasions and reported that the vehicles made unsafe and illegal maneuvers. In one instance, Stein’s 16-year-old son was left terrified by the car’s actions. These incidents, along with a fatal crash involving Full Self-Driving in Seattle earlier this year, have caught the attention of federal regulators who have been investigating Tesla’s automated driving systems for over two years due to safety concerns.
The skepticism surrounding Tesla’s autonomous driving capabilities has grown among experts who monitor self-driving technology. Stein doubts that Tesla is anywhere close to deploying a fleet of autonomous robotaxis by next year, as Elon Musk has predicted. Tesla is scheduled to unveil a vehicle specifically designed to be a robotaxi in less than two months. However, for Tesla to put robotaxis on the road, Musk has claimed that the system must demonstrate safer driving than humans and meet national vehicle safety standards.
Musk has released data showing the number of miles driven per crash, but this data only pertains to Tesla’s less advanced Autopilot system. Safety experts argue that this data is flawed as it only includes serious crashes with airbag deployment and fails to account for instances where human drivers had to intervene to avoid collisions. Currently, approximately 500,000 Tesla owners are using Full Self-Driving on public roads, but Tesla emphasizes that the system does not make cars fully autonomous and requires constant driver readiness to intervene if necessary.
Despite Tesla’s claims, Stein’s experiences and those of others raise doubts about the system’s readiness for widespread use. Stein’s test drive of a Tesla Model 3 equipped with the latest Full Self-Driving software revealed unsafe maneuvers, including running a red light and straddling multiple lanes. Stein believes that Tesla’s driving technology will eventually be profitable but predicts significant delays and limitations for a fully autonomous robotaxi service.
While some Tesla owners have shared videos on social media showcasing their cars driving themselves, these videos do not provide a comprehensive assessment of the system’s performance over time. Alain Kornhauser, who leads autonomous vehicle studies at Princeton University, borrowed a Tesla from a friend and found that it generally detected pedestrians and other drivers. However, Kornhauser also had to take control of the vehicle when it made alarming moves, leading him to conclude that Full Self-Driving is not yet ready for unsupervised operation in all locations.