Elon Musk’s ambition to enable “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) features in Tesla vehicles faced multiple obstacles. His unwavering drive to achieve FSD has often being defined by rapid advancements, strategic cost-cutting, and a bold but controversial, approach. Musk predicted that FSD would become Tesla’s pathway to significant value expansion but his company now faces multiple product recalls and customer dissatisfaction following suspended FSD releases.
Elon Musk started his cost-reduction strategy by removing radar sensors from Tesla vehicles. Engineering teams expressed concerns about camera-only systems’ limitations in weather and lighting conditions yet Musk chose to move forward anyway. The FSD technology faces difficulties executing fundamental driving tasks which casts doubt on its operational readiness for public driving environments.
Tesla mainly relied on a “single vision-only” autonomous driving approach backed by real-world data training methods to reach quick milestones however it operated without robust safety practices. The company stands out from competitors who adopt formal testing procedures along with radar and lidar systems to strengthen their perception abilities.
The problems faced by Tesla have prompted investigations from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Justice along with regulatory and government official oversight. The claims from FSD customers maintain that Elon Musk exaggerated the capabilities of the system.
In response to these challenges Tesla maintains its FSD development because they believe FSD-equipped vehicles prove safer than traditional human-driven vehicles at preventing accidents. Today, Tesla faces uncertainty due to governmental probes and declining consumer support. Its FSD remains a work in progress, with significant hurdles to overcome.
Reference- Economic Times, Inside EVs, The Washington Post, The Verge, Carscoops