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Slashdot: 'I'm Not Drunk, It's My Car.' Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' Gets Mixed Reviews

'I'm Not Drunk, It's My Car.' Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' Gets Mixed Reviews
Published on November 01, 2020 at 07:04AM
CNN describes the reactions posted online by six beta testers of Tesla's "full self-driving" software, saying they "appear to be both delighted and alarmed by what they've experienced so far." "Turn left. Come on. What are you doing?" said one frustrated Tesla owner as his car appeared slow to change lanes during a trip he posted on YouTube last week. "I swear I'm not drunk you guys, I'm not drunk, it's my car...." CNN Business reviewed hours of footage and found early impressions of the software are a mixed bag. At times the testers are impressed with the "full self-driving" technology, in other cases they say it's overly cautious. The videos also show unsafe situations that appear to result from the car not understanding traffic well enough. Brandon McGowen, one of the beta testers, has posted videos online in which his Tesla nearly drives off the road or into a median. He's not the only driver who claims to have experienced trouble while testing the software. Beta testers Zeb Hallock, James Locke, Rafael Santoni, Kim Paquette, and a YouTuber who goes by "Tesla Raj," have highlighted concerns. In videos reviewed by CNN Business, Teslas appear to blow through red lights, stop well short of intersections, miss turns, nearly rear-end a parked car, make a turn from the wrong lane, and speed over speed bumps... Tesla has warned current drivers to pay extra attention to the road, and keep their hands on the wheel. "Do not become complacent," Tesla warned the drivers in a message displayed when they installed the software, which CNN viewed in multiple videos posted by people testing the software. "It may do the wrong thing at the worst time...." The cars...have shown a pattern of coming to a full stop when entering a roundabout, even when no car is blocking their path. Videos show that full self-driving often slows for speed humps, but won't necessarily slow down for speed bumps. In at least one case, the Tesla "full self-driving" software appeared to confuse a one-way street for a two-way street, according to the video. Paquette estimated in her Talking Tesla interview that her Tesla might be as good a driver as her, if she'd had "maybe three bourbons."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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