Former U.S. Navy Commander Chuck Cook recently shared a humorous anecdote about the testing of Tesla Inc’s full self-driving software in his neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. The testing of Tesla’s FSD software left people in his neighborhood concerned about a potential cult due to the unusual behavior of the Tesla test drivers.
According to Cook, the FSD test drivers were seen moving so often on the roads that his neighborhood started to become concerned about the number of Teslas on the road which seemed to be going in circles. Residents began texting each other about the unusual activity and even considered calling the police to report the “suspicious” behavior. Before taking any action, one of the neighbors decided to strike up a conversation with a Tesla driver to inquire about the strange activity.
It turns out that the Tesla drivers were testing the company’s software aimed at achieving autonomous driving. “It must look pretty weird when a whole fleet of Teslas keep going through the same intersection over and over,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded with a laugh to the anecdote shared by Chuck Cook.
Tesla’s FSD software is currently in beta mode, meaning it is still being tested and requires active driver supervision. Elon Musk has hinted that the upcoming version 12 of the software would no longer be in beta and would achieve full autonomy, raising anticipation among Tesla enthusiasts.
Tesla initiated the rollout of version 12 to non-employee drivers in January, following its release to employees. The company is now seemingly trying to scale the software’s abilities to drive autonomously with the help of more on-road driving data.
The testing of Tesla’s FSD software in Chuck Cook’s neighborhood may have caused some confusion and concern initially, but it ultimately turned out to be a harmless and innovative experiment in autonomous driving technology. As Tesla continues to push the boundaries of self-driving technology, it will be interesting to see how the FSD software evolves and eventually reaches full autonomy.
