Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Program on Hold After Spike in Collision Accidents

Tesla FSD development halted
Causes of collision accidents
Increases in self-driving accidents

The development of the Tesla FSD beta program has been discontinued. FSD stands for Full Self-Driving Capability and is the highest level of self-driving function provided by Tesla. It supports not only automatic parking but also lane change, signal and stop sign recognition, and highway and city self-driving functions.

As it is still a beta version and not a complete version, we cannot be overconfident in its performance, but it is an improved version of the general self-driving function and is a popular specification among consumers. As of the first quarter of 2023, many drivers are using this specification, with the cumulative driving distance through FSD beta exceeding 130 million miles.

Price: $12,204
Promised to Release Official Version

The only option price is $12,204; a monthly subscription fee of $198 must be paid. In particular, Tesla included an end-to-end neural network when releasing beta version 12, in which the vehicle control system is processed by an artificial intelligence (AI) neural network rather than a driving command code.

In the past, Elon Musk announced that he would provide FSD 12 as an official version, so many Tesla users showed high expectations for its level. Tesla distributed the first batch of FSD V12 to employees in November last year and completed the second batch on December 28 last year. Then, early this year, version V12.1 began to be distributed for the first time to general users rather than employees.

Tesla is under full investigation
FSD development is also halted for the time being

Tesla has tried to accommodate a wide range of feedback by distributing it to general users and employees. Still, it is said that Tesla began a full-scale investigation into the FSD function after a driver who used it suffered a crash. The version distributed at the time of the accident was version 12.2.1, distributed to a test group that included Tesla employees and regular drivers.

This version was scheduled to be launched after two weeks of testing and updates, but the launch was delayed due to a crash. The vehicle in the accident was found to have crashed into a building structure and stopped working. It is known that part of the bumper was torn or damaged.

FSD-related accidents increase
There are also speculations about a fatal accident

Meanwhile, Tesla reportedly requested that the details of the accident not be made public. There has been recent speculation that the use of FSD caused the death of a Tesla employee, and the number of accidents related to FSD is steadily increasing. According to the claim of the person riding with the deceased Tesla employee, the FSD function was activated at the time of the accident, and the driver was driving unsteadily on a narrow and curved road.

Finally, the driver died from a fire after crashing into a tree and was later criticized when it was revealed that he had been driving under the influence. A recall order was issued for 2 million Tesla vehicles related to the Autopilot warning function in the US. As the number of people abusing the autopilot function increases, caution is required. A video testing the latest version of FSD revealed that even if the driver looks away just a little and lets go of the steering wheel, a warning sound is activated to warn the driver.