Stress Testing Tesla FSD V12 is Getting Difficult...

AI DRIVR
30 Apr 202427:34

TLDRThe video presents a stress test of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Version 12 on the challenging narrow streets of the Berkeley Hills. The host acknowledges the system's progress from being uncomfortable to use to now managing most of the drive with occasional odd behavior. Despite some disengagements and cautious moments, especially around pedestrians and unclear road signs, the FSD demonstrates undeniable progress. The host also discusses the media's portrayal of self-driving technology and recommends Ground News for unbiased coverage. The video concludes that while FSD is not perfect, it is improving, with smooth handling in tight areas and better anticipation of other vehicles' movements.

Takeaways

  • 🚗 The Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has improved significantly over the years, now comfortably managing most driving scenarios in challenging areas like the Berkeley Hills.
  • 📉 FSD has evolved from a system that was not reliable enough for use to one that can handle the majority of driving situations, despite occasional stressful behavior.
  • 🚦 FSD's autopilot visualizations have become more stable and accurate, especially with the introduction of the occupancy network visualizations.
  • 🛑 The system sometimes exhibits cautious behavior, such as slowing down for cars with brake lights on, which is indicative of good defensive driving.
  • 🚧 FSD struggles with certain scenarios like road closures and construction zones, which are areas that require further improvement.
  • 💡 The car's ability to recognize and respond to faded road markings and signs, like a 5 mph speed limit sign, is impressive but can also lead to driving issues if not correctly interpreted.
  • 🛑 FSD can be overly cautious, especially around pedestrians, which, while safe, can sometimes lead to unnecessary stops or slow progress.
  • 🚦 The system does not always use turn signals when it should, possibly due to being trained on human driving data, which may not always be consistent.
  • 🚧 FSD has difficulty with road closures and may need further updates to handle such situations effectively.
  • 📍 The system's navigation can sometimes lead to awkward parking spots, such as pulling into a red zone, which will need to be refined for future autonomous driving capabilities.
  • ⏱️ The drive was about an hour and 20 minutes long, with two interventions and two disengagements, highlighting areas where FSD can still improve.

Q & A

  • What was the main purpose of testing the Tesla FSD V12 in the Berkeley Hills?

    -The main purpose was to push the Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to its absolute limits in challenging narrow streets to evaluate its progress and current capabilities.

  • How has the Tesla FSD system evolved over the years according to the transcript?

    -The FSD system has evolved from a state where it was not comfortable to use in challenging areas like the Berkeley Hills, to managing the majority of the driving with occasional sketchy behavior, and now to a point where it is quite competent, despite not being perfect.

  • What does the speaker find dangerous about the news media's portrayal of full self-driving technology?

    -The speaker finds it dangerous that the news media often spreads misinformation and focuses on clicks rather than facts, which can lead to a skewed public perception of full self-driving technology.

  • How does Ground News help users navigate biased news coverage?

    -Ground News provides unbiased news coverage, presents diverse perspectives on global stories, and offers insights into the credibility of news sources based on ratings from independent news monitoring organizations.

  • What is the speaker's opinion on the autopilot visualizations in the latest Tesla FSD version?

    -The speaker notes a significant improvement in the autopilot visualizations, which now render cars more steadily compared to previous versions, although there is still some jumpiness observed.

  • How does the Tesla FSD V12 handle speed bumps and stop signs?

    -The FSD V12 does a good job of slowing down for speed bumps, even as low as 1 mph, and recognizes faded stop signs on the ground, although it sometimes stops too early or not quite in the right place.

  • What is the speaker's view on the future of autopilot visualizations?

    -The speaker speculates that the future of autopilot visualizations may be taken over by something similar to the High Fidelity park assist, which could render more accurate and detailed representations of the environment.

  • How does the FSD system behave around pedestrians and oncoming traffic?

    -The FSD system exhibits cautious behavior around pedestrians, yielding to them and anticipating their movements. It also handles oncoming traffic well, with examples of other drivers yielding to the FSD system.

  • What challenges did the FSD system face during the drive?

    -The FSD system faced challenges such as pulling away from the curb, navigating unprotected turns, dealing with road closures, and maintaining appropriate speed limits, especially in areas with unclear or missing signs.

  • How does the FSD system handle construction zones and road closures?

    -The FSD system struggles with construction zones and road closures, sometimes failing to recognize the closures or responding appropriately to construction workers' signals. The speaker hopes for improvements in future updates.

  • What was the overall experience of the drive with the Tesla FSD V12?

    -The overall experience was comfortable and less stressful compared to previous versions. The FSD V12 demonstrated competence in handling the challenging roads, with only a few interventions and disengagements required.

Outlines

00:00

🚗 Self-Driving Progress in Berkeley Hills

The video discusses the advancements in Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, particularly in challenging environments like the Berkeley Hills. The narrator shares their experience with the system's evolution from being unreliable to managing most driving situations, albeit with occasional odd behavior. The video also addresses misinformation spread by local news channels and promotes Ground News as a tool for unbiased news coverage. The drive starts at a supercharger near Berkeley, showcasing the car's ability to handle speed bumps, recognize stop signs, and yield to pedestrians and other vehicles.

05:01

📊 Visualization and Defensive Driving Behavior

This paragraph focuses on the improvements in autopilot visualizations, noting how they have become more stable and accurate in rendering nearby vehicles. The video highlights the car's cautious behavior around pedestrians and its ability to anticipate other vehicles' movements, which is likened to good defensive driving. The narrator also shares their prediction that future FSD visualizations might be replaced by more detailed models similar to those used in High Fidelity park assist. The video includes an instance where the narrator had to take manual control due to technical difficulties but emphasizes that the car's self-driving behavior has been generally smooth and reliable.

10:02

🛣️ Navigating Narrow Roads and Unprotected Turns

The video continues to document the car's performance as it navigates narrow roads and executes an unprotected left-hand turn. It emphasizes the car's smooth handling, its cautious approach around pedestrians, and its ability to maintain speed and avoid unnecessary stops. The car's occasional failure to use turn signals when it's the only vehicle on the road is noted as a peculiar behavior. The video also captures the car's decision-making process when encountering road signs and its adherence to speed limits, even when they are unexpectedly low.

15:03

🚧 Challenges with Road Closures and Construction Zones

This section of the video addresses the car's difficulties with road closures and construction zones. The car is shown to struggle with identifying road closures and adhering to the correct navigation path. The narrator manually intervenes in a few instances, such as when the car incorrectly identifies a 5 mph speed limit sign and fails to update its speed. The video also captures the car's interactions with other vehicles and pedestrians in challenging scenarios, highlighting the need for further improvements in handling construction zones.

20:03

🚦 Adapting to Road Conditions and Speed Limit Issues

The video describes the car's behavior when faced with missing road markings and the need to make decisions without clear guidance. It captures the car's ability to choose the correct path and avoid potential obstacles. The narrator notes the car's occasional failure to use turn signals in low-traffic situations and its slow acceleration from stops, which could be improved. The car's successful navigation through a roundabout and its cautious approach to oncoming traffic on narrow roads are also discussed. The video concludes with the car reaching its destination despite some awkward parking decisions.

25:04

📈 Summary of Full Self-Driving Performance

The final paragraph provides a summary of the full self-driving experience during the drive, which lasted an hour and 20 minutes. The narrator reports two interventions due to the car's adherence to a 5 mph speed limit and two disengagements, one due to a dead-end route and the other because of the car turning into a road closure. The video concludes on a positive note, stating that the drive was the most comfortable and least stressful one through the area, highlighting the significant progress made by FSD. The narrator expresses optimism for future improvements, particularly in handling road closures.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡FSD (Full Self-Driving)

Full Self-Driving (FSD) is an autonomous driving technology that aims to provide vehicles with the capability to navigate roads without human intervention. In the context of the video, FSD is tested in challenging urban environments like the narrow streets of the Berkeley Hills. The script discusses the progress of FSD from being uncomfortable to use to managing most driving situations, albeit with occasional odd behavior.

💡Disengagements

Disengagements refer to instances where the autonomous driving system is unable to handle a situation and requires human intervention to take control of the vehicle. The video script mentions that there are still some disengagements during the drive, indicating that while the FSD has improved, it is not yet perfect.

💡Autopilot Visualizations

Autopilot Visualizations are the graphical representations displayed within a vehicle's dashboard that show the car's perception of its surroundings, including other vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles. The script notes an improvement in these visualizations, with the system rendering a more accurate and steady depiction of nearby objects.

💡Occupancy Network Visualizations

Occupancy Network Visualizations are a type of graphical representation used by Tesla's FSD system to illustrate the space around the vehicle, including objects and free areas. The script suggests that these visualizations, which are more accurate than previous models, may replace traditional autopilot visualizations in the future.

💡Defensive Driving

Defensive driving is a style of driving where the driver anticipates potential hazards and takes actions to avoid them. The video script describes the FSD system as exhibiting defensive driving behaviors, such as slowing down for cars with brake lights on and being cautious around pedestrians, which contributes to a safer driving experience.

💡High Fidelity Park Assist

High Fidelity Park Assist is a feature that provides detailed visualizations to assist with parking maneuvers. The script suggests that this feature's visualizations may eventually become the standard for FSD, as they offer more detail and accuracy compared to current visualizations.

💡Speed Limit

Speed limits are the maximum legal speeds at which vehicles are allowed to travel on a particular section of road. The script discusses an issue where the FSD system adheres to a very low speed limit sign, causing the vehicle to travel at an uncomfortably slow pace on a regular road.

💡Road Closures

Road closures refer to sections of road that are temporarily or permanently blocked off due to construction, accidents, or other reasons. The video script highlights that the FSD system struggles with identifying and responding to road closures, leading to disengagements and the need for human intervention.

💡Unprotected Left Turn

An unprotected left turn is a maneuver where a driver must turn left across oncoming traffic without the aid of a traffic signal or stop sign. The script describes how the FSD system cautiously handles unprotected left turns, slowly inching out to check for oncoming traffic before proceeding.

💡Red Zone

A Red Zone is typically an area where parking or stopping is prohibited, often marked by red curbs or signs. The script mentions an instance where the FSD system pulls over into a Red Zone, indicating that the system still needs improvement in identifying and avoiding restricted parking areas.

💡Roundabout

A roundabout, also known as a traffic circle, is a type of circular intersection where traffic flows in one direction around a central island. The video script notes that the FSD system performs well in navigating roundabouts, maintaining speed and fitting in smoothly with other traffic.

Highlights

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has made significant progress, evolving from uncomfortable usage to managing most driving situations in challenging areas like the Berkeley Hills.

FSD now handles narrow streets and complex traffic scenarios with improved smoothness and fewer disengagements.

The system's visualization has greatly improved, rendering nearby cars with higher accuracy and less jitteriness.

FSD's defensive driving capabilities are highlighted, with the system showing caution around pedestrians and anticipating other vehicles' movements.

The removal of cone visualizations in version 12 has been compensated by more accurate occupancy network visualizations.

High Fidelity park assist visualizations are speculated to potentially replace autopilot visualizations in the future.

FSD demonstrates a good job at navigating through road closures and construction zones, although there is room for improvement in these areas.

The system shows a marked improvement in handling unprotected left turns and maintaining a safe distance from pedestrians.

FSD occasionally fails to use turn signals when it's the only vehicle on the road, which might be a side effect of training on human driving data.

The car's autopilot sometimes misinterprets faded or obscure speed limit signs, causing it to reduce speed significantly.

FSD's path planning and decision-making have improved, allowing it to navigate complex routes with minimal interventions.

The system's ability to yield and maintain appropriate speed in challenging driving situations, such as roundabouts and oncoming traffic, is commendable.

FSD's handling of narrow roads and its cautious behavior around obstacles, including birds and oncoming vehicles, is noteworthy.

The autopilot's difficulty in finding suitable parking spots and avoiding red zones is an area that requires further refinement.

Despite challenges in certain scenarios, FSD's overall performance in the Berkeley Hills demonstrates a significant leap towards reliable autonomous driving.

The drive concluded with a summary of improvements and areas for enhancement, emphasizing the system's progress and potential.