In the face of growing concerns about the safety and efficacy of its fully autonomous driving technology, Tesla on Tuesday started rolling out its ‘Full Self-Driving‘ (FSD) software to select drivers in the US as part of an early access program. In an earnings call on Wednesday, Musk said that more users would get the update in the coming days, with a ‘wide release’ expected by the end of the year. Following the update, the cars can be driven on full autonomous mode on public roads in the US.
FSD beta rollout happening tonight. Will be extremely slow & cautious, as it should.
According to The Washington Post, Tesla’s move to go ahead with the rollout is being squarely criticized by many safety advocates, as well as an industry coalition that includes Uber, Ford, General Motors’ Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo, among others. While the vehicle safety advocacy groups are worried about how safe the automated system will be, the industry body has objected to the categorization of the new technology, saying it’s not truly autonomous because they still require an active driver.
