Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced a plan for expanding the access to Full Self Driving (FSD), Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Under the new plan, all Tesla cars in North America will get a one-month free trial of FSD once it becomes reliable and regulators give it approval. After North America, the Tesla will gradually roll it out to other countries as well as soon as it is approved and tested for local road conditions.
Despite its name, FSD does not provide for a full self-driving car. While it has the ability to automate some driving tasks in highways and city roads, the driver will still need to take over the vehicle at any time. The software works through deep neural networks and is still in its early beta version, so it needs plenty of data to train and improve better. It is this need of data which has compelled Tesla to offer a free month trial of FSD in North America.
In addition, a one-month free trial would also help increase awareness and appreciation of the technology and its capabilities. It is only once FSD is perfected that it can be made available to customers of other countries like Europe and Asia. There are already moves by the European Commission to speed up the ratification of ADAS regulations by 2024 while in China, Tesla has already started large-scale testing of FSD.
Tesla and its particular FSD capability has seen some legal trouble due to accidents and other incidents, with a criminal investigation from the US Department of Justice underway.
Tesla, founded by Elon Musk in 2003, provides electric cars, solar energy, and energy storage solutions for homes, businesses, and communities. It is known for its innovative products, sustainability practices, and consistent focus on customer experience. With headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Tesla has factories and offices in several locations around the world, with operations in the US, China, Germany, Spain and Japan. It has achieved tremendous success in pioneering the development of electric vehicles, and is now the leading supplier of electric cars in the world.
