After years of testing, Tesla is preparing to open the beta of its FSD, or autonomous driving, to all drivers who have paid for the option. This should be made available by the end of the year, according to Elon Musk. The billionaire took the opportunity to ensure that the technology is advanced to the point that it is almost no longer necessary to have to take the wheel.
In recent months, the number of Tesla FSD users has skyrocketed. From 100,000 this summer, it rose to 160,000 in September. A guarantee of popularity of course, but also a sign of the manufacturer’s will to extend its beta to more drivers. Will confirmed by Elon Musk himself, during an internal meeting this week. The billionaire has announced that everyone who subscribes to the program will have access to autonomous driving by the end of the year.
Elon Musk is visibly very enthusiastic about the project, also ensuring that it keep getting better. According to him, “you will almost never have to touch the controls of the vehicle” when autonomous driving is activated. The Tesla boss goes even further by stating that his teams will have collected enough data by next year to make the FSD safer than any manually driven vehicle.
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Elon Musk says self-driving is safer than a normal car
” We are almost there “, concluded Elon Musk, emphasizing once again that autonomous driving is, precisely, almost autonomous. Only here, it is, precisely, only “almost” autonomous. Indeed, it is important to note that, although the two technologies may appear similar, the FSD is in no way an automatic pilot that can be left running without supervision.
Autonomous driving certainly makes it possible to let go of the steering wheel for a certain period, but eUnder no circumstances should the driver withdraw his attention from the road. The FSD certainly works particularly well, but still does not replace the driver. Anyway, this announcement from Elon Musk comes some time after Tesla raised the price of the beta to $15,000.