Tesla lets US security watchdog test FSD

Tesla’s FSD Beta, which already allows selected cars in the US to independently drive a route, has been regularly the target of criticism. Only recently, when a test would show that it does not respond adequately to children on the road. However, the credibility of that test was immediately questioned, partly because the test was conducted by someone who is waging a true crusade against FSD. Earlier this month, the infamous Ralph Nader also expressed himself extremely critical of FSD. It may be a coincidence that it is happening now, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to be opening up FSD Beta to the American security agency NHTSA in response to the criticism.

Musk responds to a tweet which reads a request from the NHTSA from January this year. In it, the NHTSA asks Tesla to turn on FSD Beta in a Tesla that the NHTSA already owns. “Okay, we’ll turn it on,” the CEO responds. That will enable the NHTSA for the first time to investigate FSD itself. Whether and why Tesla has so far waited to comply with the request is unknown.

In any case, Tesla is already quite on the radar at the NHTSA, so the possible findings of the watchdog are interesting. Last year, the NHTSA ordered Tesla to make it impossible to play games on the central screen while driving. Earlier, the NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot, following accidents in which that system may have played a role. The NHTSA has since expanded the investigation several times and still has Autopilot under scrutiny. In June it came out that the agency sees reason for deeper investigation into the operation of Autopilot in the event of accidents.