Tesla reluctantly gave Full Self-Driving Beta demo to DMV and critics
Tesla reluctantly gave a Full Self-Driving Beta demonstration to the California DMV and some FSD critics that the automaker didn’t want present.
Lately, Tesla has been under pressure from the California DMV over its Autopilot and self-driving claims, which the agency believes could be deceptive.
Earlier this summer, Tesla and the DMV went back and forth about the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta rollout and marketing around the Full Self-Driving Beta package. It came after the agency had been under some political pressure to force Tesla to report more data about its FSD program.
Over the years, Tesla has been criticized for how it advertises its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). One of the main concerns has been the actual names of the systems: Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability. Some people believe that the names suggest that the systems are autonomous, even though they are only driver-assist systems.
Tesla has also been using this description to avoid having to report data like disengagement like other self-driving programs in California under the DMV’s jurisdiction.
Now we learn that this back and forth between the California DMV and Tesla has led to the automaker giving the DMV a Full Self-Driving Beta demo last week. Bloomberg reports:
The demo of the system Tesla markets as Full Self-Driving was held last week at the Sacramento headquarters of the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to emails Bloomberg viewed via a public records request. Also at the Oct. 26 event were the head of the Highway Patrol, a deputy secretary with the state transportation agency and three outside advisers for the DMV.
Before the event, Tesla tried to have the DMV exclude some advisers from the agency who were scheduled to attend the demonstration.
Jennifer Cohen, Tesla’s head of policy and business development in California, wrote in an email to Miguel Acosta, the DMV’s head of autonomous vehicles:
I question whether it is appropriate to include your consultants that have made negative public statements about Tesla. We have yet to receive any assurance that their bias does not influence DMV’s treatment of Tesla.
Acosta responded:
We appreciate Tesla’s continued assistance in providing information regarding the latest releases and expansion of the Full Self-Driving Beta program and features. Our consultants assist us with our ongoing examination of the technology available on California public roads.
Tesla apparently had particular issues with Steven Shladover, a transportation research engineer at the University of California at Berkeley, who previously called Tesla’s use of the term self-driving “very damaging,” and with Bryant Walker Smith, an affiliate scholar at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, who has advocated, like many others, that the autonomous testing and reporting rules should apply to Tesla’s FSD Beta.
Electrek’s Take
I am glad to see Tesla engaging with regulators on FSD. We need that if the program is to move toward a true self-driving system like Tesla has been promising since 2016.
However, I find it disappointing that Tesla didn’t want a few critics to attend. That shows weakness and a lack of confidence, in my opinion.
Elon Musk keeps saying that “you just have to try FSD Beta for yourself” to see how good it is – even though many have been unimpressed by the performance when compared to Tesla’s promises. Why not have those critics try it?
I think it’s another example of Musk’s, and now Tesla’s, feedback loop being broken. The automaker is scared of some critics when the demonstration should stand for itself.
And let’s be honest: There’s room for critics when it comes to Tesla’s approach to self-driving. We should keep in mind that the main goal of most people involved is to keep the roads safe. When the goal is safety, there should be room for people to criticize to see if your approach is the right path.
Watch Tesla Model S Plaid electric hypercar go from 0 to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds
Fred Lambert | Jun 11 2021 – 1:47 am PT
With the kind of performance it’s achieving, it’s hard to argue that Tesla’s new Model S Plaid is not a hypercar.
Here you can watch a brand new Tesla Model S Plaid accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds at the delivery event.
While there are plenty of cool and never-seen-before features in the new Tesla Model S, the performance is what is catching the headlines.
0 to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds and a quarter-mile in 9.23 seconds are things that we have never seen in a production car before – nevertheless a 4-door sedan.
During a launch event at Tesla’s Fremont factory last night, CEO Elon Musk explained the reasoning behind making such an insane vehicle:
“What we really wanted to achieve here? Why did we make such a fast car? That’s craze and everything, but I think there is something important for the future of sustainable energy in showing that an electric car is the best car. Hands down.”
That’s what Tesla is trying to do with the new Model S Plaid, which on top of the design refresh and new features, also gets a new tri-motor powertrain with 1,020 hp of peak power.
We posted an article on all the new technology powering this incredible new machine that Tesla unveiled last night.
But after the presentation, attendees were able to test ride the Model S Plaid on Tesla’s test track and they have started to post some videos of the insanity that is the acceleration of this new electric car.
Here are a few examples that are starting to trickle in:
