Tesla Tester Nearly Crashes While Using ‘Full Self-Driving’

During recent earnings calls, Elon Musk emphasized the importance of experiencing Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system for understanding the company's value. Analyst William Stein from Truist Securities decided to test drive a Model Y and reported a close call with an accident, where he had to intervene as the car accelerated through an intersection. Despite expressing his concerns, Stein maintained his hold rating and price target of $215 for Tesla stock, but felt perplexed about the upcoming robotaxi unveiling. While testing the FSD system, Stein observed uneven performance from the technology. Although he noted improvements in handling lane closures and traffic scenarios during one drive, he discovered it allowed him to disengage from attentiveness, raising safety concerns. He experienced situations that required manual intervention when the car misjudged driving behaviors, such as not yielding properly at an intersection and changing lanes despite legal restrictions. Musk has recently shifted focus to FSD as a potential driver for stock support amidst declining EV sales. However, Stein described FSD as "amazing" but far from achieving full autonomy, reflecting a cautious stance on the technology's readiness for general public use. In the field of transportation, experts advocate for thorough testing and regulatory oversight as advanced driver-assistance systems evolve. Consistency in user engagement and robust fail-safes are critical to ensure safety, particularly when users may place undue trust in autonomous features. Continual evaluation of such systems is essential to establish their reliability and mitigate risks associated with their deployment on public roads.