Tesla Shifts the Goalposts For 'Full Self-Driving' Technology (arstechnica.com)

AmiMoJo writes: Tesla has been selling "full self-driving" capability since 2016, promising that "you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere," and that "once it picks you up, you will be able to sleep, read or do anything else en route [sic] to your destination." Last week Tesla shifted the goalposts, redefining "full self-driving" as a number of Level 2 driver assistance features that were already available, and a few new tricks to be delivered later. All will require a qualified driver behind the wheel, paying attention at all times and ready to take over if the car can't handle the situation. Worse, owners who bought the previous full self-driving feature paid $8,000 for it. Tesla is now offering owners who bought their cars prior to the change the same package for $5,000. Owners who paid the $3,000 higher price are unsure if the previously promised technology has been abandoned and Level 2 is now the most they can expect.

Comments

So...

[stealth_finger]

So full self driving doesn't fully drive itself? Gotchya.

Hey, we did that at our university courses

[Opportunist]

First we wrote the software, then we wrote the specs. It was way easier to meet the target that way.

Tesla-starter

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Musk has been very successful in getting Tesla treated like Kickstarter - people paying money, $8,000 for this software, thousands to reserve a car, for things that did not exist at the time. Usually using similar motivations as kickstarter - preordering because they like the company and want it to exist even more than because they want the product. Man, I wish I had that salesmanship.

Re:Shit happens, things change.

[Anonymous Coward]

So it's harder than Tesla expected. Big whoop.

Now go ahead and reimburse your loyal customers for the functionality you cannot deliver and I see no issue.

Don't do that, however, and I feel Tesla is just a bunch of lying scumbags...

Truth be told, they are scumbags just by having the nerve to sell a product they didn't have in working condition even on their labs.

Re:Shit happens, things change.

[Viol8]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Tesla engineers were tearing their hair out at the idiotic claims made by Musk and his BS ... sorry - marketing dept. Unfortunately Musk doesn't understand the difference between optimistic projections and downright lies. Mind you, he's not alone in the Billionaire Bullshitter club, Richard Branson and his going nowhere for a decade space venture runs a close 2nd.

Re:Who wants to ride self-driving cars?

[Anonymous Coward]

I know as a techie that humans tend to be really bad at statistics and often over estimate the abilities of technology and underestimate the abilities of humans. Techies are especially bad about this.

You seem to forget that self driving cars "freak up" about once every 600 miles right now, humans "freak up" about once every 150,000. And that human number includes all the very worst drivers driving in all the very worst conditions. That self driving car number is them operating only in the best conditions. Fact is, the average human driver will only be in a handful of accidents in their life time and will never be in a severe injury or fatal accident.

Humans tend to be very bad about understanding rare occurrences in large populations. Yes, somebody dies in a car wreck every day. The chances of you dying in a car wreck ever are very small.

Re:Who wants to ride self-driving cars?

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

I know that people "freak up" way more often.

[Citation needed]

People are pretty damned good at complex tasks like driving, and it will be quite a while before a machine can even do what an average driver behind the wheel does routinely while holding onto their smartphone for dear life.

Re:Shit happens, things change.

[AmiMoJo]

I suspect that the re-branding of "Full Self Driving" is an attempt to stave off the lawsuits by claiming that they delivered on it, but people aren't going to ignore that it isn't what they were sold.

Since the first sales started in 2016 people are now reaching the end of their leases without receiving it, so there is time pressure too.

Re:Musk vs Critics. Mistake he makes.

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

OK fine, you can have the market for people who want to drive in Mojave desert and BLM maintained roads.

We can even mandate all Teslas should carry a warning sticker, "this car is not suitable for Mojave desert driving and BLM maintained roads". The market of people who would knowingly buy a car that can not survive deserts and back roads is big enough for Tesla to survive and thrive.