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Tesla's Public Rollout of Full Self-Driving Beta Has San Francisco Officials Worried

We guess you could say Elon Musk did his job properly because it's hard to imagine there is anyone at this point who doesn't know about Tesla's Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) Advanced Driver's Assistance System (ADAS).
Tesla Model 3 on FSD 20 photos
Photo: HyperChange / YouTube screenshot
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The controversy around Tesla's hardware and software bundle that is supposedly going to drive the car by itself one day (or even today, if we're to believe Musk's claims) is probably at its highest now, and that's mostly down to the recent V10 release. The hype around it dialed up the already high expectations (particularly from Tesla fans and previous FSD users) all the way to eleven, so when the update did eventually hit the streets, it had a long way to fall if reality failed to live up to what was promised.

And it did. The clips showed very little improvement or, in some cases, even what could only be described as regress. Then the whole shenanigans of Tesla asking testers not to post footage that wasn't flattering toward the FSD came out, and they made things even worse than they already were in the public's perception.

However, Tesla's plan for a wider release of the contentious software seems to be going ahead, and some San Francisco officials are not exactly thrilled about it. Euronews quotes Tilly Chang, the Executive Director of The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), who is not only questioning Tesla's name choice for its ADAS but is also expressing concerns about a wider spread use of the feature.

We are concerned about the safety record of this service and the name of the service as it could be confusing for consumers and hope DMV, FTC, and NHTSA continue to monitor and analyze this issue to protect consumers and the traveling public,” she said. She also reiterated the need for drivers to remain alert at all times while the FSD is active and never fully rely on the vehicle's systems.

This position comes days after the head of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, classified the FSD Beta as "misleading and irresponsible", essentially echoing the concerns also expressed by SFCTA's Tilly Chang.

Tesla, on the other hand, plans to go ahead with the release. However, all those who want access to this feature will first have to push a button on the vehicle's display. Depending on their score based on their driving behavior during the previous seven days, as determined by a "Tesla insurance calculator", they will either get the green light or be asked to revise their driving habits and try again in a few days.

We'll get to see how the whole situation pans out in just a few days (wide FSD Beta release is planned for the start of October), but it's obvious that more and more government officials are taking notice of what's going on. Could this mean that autonomous driving regulations might get a lot clearer soon? One can only hope so.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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