- Car manufacturing expert Sandy Munro praised Tesla’s latest self-driving technology after a test.
- In an interview with Elon Musk, Munro said that the system should reach the market as soon as possible.
- Tesla launched a beta version of its “fully autonomous” mode, which still doesn’t make cars autonomous, last year.
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One of the country’s top automotive manufacturing experts has high hopes for Tesla’s “full self-driving” (FSD) mode.
During a February 2 individual interview with Elon Musk for his YouTube channel, Sandy Munro – an industry consultant who has strongly criticized Tesla’s build quality in the past – praised the FSD’s beta version. This happened after he had a chance to try it out during a tour together with one of the few Tesla owners who has access to the new software.
“[I’ve] I’ve never seen anything like what you have in the new self-targeting thing, “Munro told Tesla’s CEO.” This is absolutely brilliant. This should get to the market as soon as possible. “
Munro, who is known for his detailed car disassembly videos, especially Teslas, posted a video of the ride on Monday in which he praised the system for its precision and its “aggressive” way of driving.
“Immediately, I am very impressed. In fact, my greatest hope was less than what I just saw,” Munro said during the trip. “I’m an aggressive driver – it drives aggressively.”
In his conversation with Musk, Munro said he believed the FSD would constitute a major development in automotive safety when it hit the market, claiming that it “will save more lives than airbags, seat belts and anything else”, which Musk agreed with.
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But Tesla’s automatic steering software – at least in its early stages – doesn’t come without potential risks. Politicians and transportation experts have criticized Tesla’s autopilot feature – which can automatically brake, accelerate and drive, but does not make cars fully autonomous – as a misleading brand.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that no vehicle on the market can drive alone and has opened investigations into the role of autopilot in several accidents that have had inattentive drivers. Tesla, meanwhile, says on its website that both Autopilot and FSD currently require the driver’s full attention.
During Munro’s video, the FSD system encountered only small hiccups, like stopping for a stop sign in the middle of a block instead of at an intersection. However, since Tesla launched beta software last fall, several clips have surfaced online from owners having to intervene at the last minute to avoid collisions.
FSD is currently a $ 10,000 option, and Musk said in December that it will be available in early 2021 as a subscription.