Independent test confirms Tesla's FSD is way more limited than Musk would make you believe

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology has long been hyped as the next big thing in the automotive world. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk often touts the system's capabilities, independent testing and data have often painted a more sobering picture. Now, a new evaluation by AMCI Testing, an independent automotive testing firm, has further exposed the limitations of Tesla's FSD, raising significant questions about its readiness for widespread deployment.

AMCI's testing, conducted over 1,000 miles in a 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance equipped with Hardware 4 and running FSD versions 12.5.1 and 12.5.3, revealed a disconcerting reality: human intervention was required on average once every 13 miles. This translates to over 75 interventions during the testing period, far exceeding the expectations of even the most critical FSD observers.

The findings stand in stark contrast to crowdsourced data, which suggested a much higher average distance between disengagements. While AMCI acknowledges that Tesla's FSD system is impressive in its ability to mimic human-like driving behaviors, especially for a camera-based system, it also warns against the dangers of complacency.

Guy Mangiamele, Director of AMCI Testing, cautions that the system's initial "infallibility" can create a false sense of security, leading drivers to take their hands off the wheel or become distracted. This, he emphasizes, is incredibly dangerous, as even professional drivers operating with a testing mindset had to remain vigilant to catch split-second miscalculations by the FSD system.

Perhaps even more concerning is the unpredictable nature of FSD's failures. Mangiamele notes that the system can successfully navigate a particular scenario multiple times, only to inexplicably fail the next time around. Whether this is due to a lack of computing power, buffering issues, or shortcomings in the system's assessment of its surroundings remains unclear.

AMCI's testing also highlighted persistent failures stemming from basic programming inadequacies. For instance, the system often initiated lane changes towards a freeway exit mere tenths of a mile before the exit itself, hindering its overall functionality and raising doubts about the quality of its underlying programming.

As the automotive industry continues its march towards fully autonomous vehicles, Tesla's FSD remains a fascinating yet controversial example of the challenges and complexities involved in achieving this goal. With AMCI planning to release more videos and test future FSD updates, the ongoing scrutiny of this technology is likely to continue, keeping both Tesla and the broader automotive community on their toes.

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