Tesla’s latest autonomous tech goes live without US regulatory approval

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced the electric-car giant’s next level of autonomous driving systems is now available in the US to any customer who wants it – amid numerous safety investigations and without approval from road safety regulators.

Last month, Musk claimed Tesla’s next-level autonomous driving system – marketed as Full Self-Driving – would be available to US customers before the end of the year, albeit without approval from US road safety regulators.

Tesla claims the system can accelerate, stop, steer and park the car without human intervention, although the driver is still required to be attentive and maintain control to respond to unforeseen scenarios or a failure of the technology.

While Tesla’s system was initially rolled out in September 2021 as a limited ‘beta’ service – allowing the company to gather real-time data from more than 160,000 users on public roads to help improve the technology – Musk declared on social media platform Twitter the system is now publicly available to all North American Tesla owners.

Since its launch in September 2021, the advanced driver assistance system has been available to select beta testers for $US15,000 ($AU23,900), while Tesla also allowed owners to pre-purchase the system, giving them access when it was finally made available.

The computer chips which allow Tesla’s cars to run the autonomous driving system – known as Hardware 3.0 – were launched in 2019, although all vehicles built prior to its implementation can be retrofitted with the up-to-date components.

Tesla's so-called Full Self-Driving tech does not comply with Australian road rules, although local Tesla customers can order the system for $10,100 which will unlock its capabilities when – or if – it is approved.

Musk has previously claimed Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system can operate without human intervention, however the technology has not been approved by US road safety regulators to be used without a human behind the wheel. 

The safety of Tesla’s autonomous driving systems was recently subject to a criminal probe in the US, following more than a dozen motor vehicle accidents.

The US Department of Justice launched the investigation as it believes drivers have placed an over-reliance on Tesla's driver assistance technology, due to the names of the systems exaggerating their true capabilities and ignoring their limitations.

Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems have also been put into the spotlight by the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA), the peak road safety authority in the US.

As reported in June, NHTSA data from July 2021 to June 2022 noted 392 crashes – involving 12 different car brands – which involved vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems. 

In that sample, Tesla vehicles accounted for 273 – or 70 per cent – of the incidents, which included cars equipped with its less-capable ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ systems.

Of the six fatalities where advanced driver assistance systems were considered a factor, Tesla cars accounted for 83 per cent of such crashes.

Tesla’s decision to make its next-level autonomous driving system more widely available has sparked adverse feedback from the company’s die-hard fans.

Political commentator Tim Pool replied to Musk’s Twitter post, claiming his ‘Full Self-Driving’-equipped Tesla car has slammed on its brakes unexpectedly while driving on the highway multiple times, increasing the risk of an accident.

“I love it but have a concern”, Mr Pool posted.

“The car slams the brakes on inappropriately. Twice a car was entering an on ramp and yielding, brakes slammed hard and could have caused an accident. A car was turning left the other day, stopped, and my car just slammed the brakes on the highway.”