Following the successful launch and demonstration of Full Self Driving (Supervised) in Brisbane, the capability is now available as an upgrade on all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with HW4 software.
When engaged, under the active supervision of the driver, FSD (Supervised) attempts to “auto” drive to destinations by following curves in the road, stopping at and negotiating intersections, making left and right turns and navigating roundabouts.
It can also enter/exit highways. Like Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, FSD (Supervised) maintains speed and following distance from a vehicle ahead, slows down and stops at traffic lights and stop signs, and reacts to pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles.
For example, if you are driving on a residential street and another vehicle backs out of a driveway, it slows down or stops as appropriate. If traffic in front a vehicle is slowing, it shows blue arrows in the driving lane and slows down to maintain an appropriate distance.
When driving on the highway, FSD (Supervised) displays a message on the touchscreen to inform drivers when an action (such as a lane change) is being taken. Key to the setup is its connection to driver attentiveness.
The platform requires that the driver pay attention to the road, their surroundings, and other road users. The cabin camera monitors continued driver attentiveness and the system cannot be disabled. It even works if the driver is wearing sunglasses.
If the cabin camera does not have clear visibility of the driver’s hand and arm locations, the touchscreen periodically displays a message reminding the driver to apply slight force to the steering wheel.
If the driver repeatedly looks away from the road, such as to look at a handheld device, the touchscreen displays a warning. The warning is dismissed once the driver begins paying attention to the road again.
If the driver repeatedly ignores prompts to apply slight force to the steering wheel or to pay attention, a series of escalated warnings is displayed and, if those warnings are ignored, the system disables for the rest of the drive and displays an alert message.
If the driver does not resume manual steering, the vehicle sounds a continuous chime, turns on the warning flashers, and slows to a complete stop. Available from today (September 18), Tesla released FSD (Supervised) to customers this morning.
That meant those eligible vehicles who had pre-purchased the Full Self-Driving capability could have driven to work today with the capability activated. Vehicles can be upgraded via an over-the-air update with a Wi-Fi connection.
FSD (Supervised) is available as an optional package for every new Tesla vehicle purchased in Australia and New Zealand. The car maker is very clear that the new function does not make the vehicle autonomous, and that driver’s must pay attention.
A subscription option is also expected to launch soon (priced at $149 a month). You can find out more from your local Tesla dealership.
