With just the push of a button on the dashboard screen, any ownercan now have access to the automaker’s controversial . That is, of course, provided they to equip their car with the feature. Given how FSD has performed so far in the real world, we all better watch out.
announced the development in over the Thanksgiving holiday. Previously, FSD was only available to drivers who were deemed safe enough to responsibly use the software, as determined by a driver-monitoring system that scored your relative recklessness or cautiousness. Now, any Tesla owner, including customers who were previously deemed to use the system, will have full access, according to .
The controversial driver-assistance system has never really hit the targets Musk set for it. Remember, the tech would be able to safely operate a vehicle with no human behind the wheel. Can you guess what didn’t happen? Exactly that. The mixed messaging from Tesla has caused a number of legal and regulatory issues, as laid out by Bloomberg:
The US Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission have been Tesla’s self-driving claims, a person familiar with the matter said last month.
A customer in California is seeking status for his lawsuit filed in September claiming that Tesla has deceptively marketed its driver-assistance systems.
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles the company in August of misleading consumers about its FSD and Autopilot systems.
The system has been , including major safety hazards like turning the wrong way or driving into oncoming traffic.
Bloomberg reports that Musk has been taking advantage of the U.S.’s relatively hands-off approach to regulating self-driving tech. This approach hasn’t been as successful in Europe.
“In the US, things are legal by default,” Musk told fans at a recent event at Tesla’s Berlin plant, . “In Europe, they’re illegal by default. So we have to get approval beforehand, whereas in the U.S., you can kind of do it on your own cognizance, more or less.”
A spokesperson for the National Highway Transportation Safety Board told Bloomberg it’s pretty much the “Wild West’’ on American roads right now.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” the spokesperson said.