Tesla's Autopilot System (FSD) Rolls Out in New Zealand; Manages Speed Bumps and Construction Sites in Local Terrain

Tesla's Autopilot System (FSD) Rolls Out in New Zealand; Manages Speed Bumps and Construction Sites in Local Terrain

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Software Nears Deployment in Australia and New Zealand

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software is on the brink of public deployment in Australia and New Zealand, with regulatory authorities showing openness to autonomous driving technologies.

According to Thom Drew, Tesla's country director, there are no regulatory blockers preventing the FSD rollout in both countries [1][3]. The National Transport Commission (NTC) in Australia is actively working on legal and safety frameworks to govern autonomous vehicles, signaling a potential soon deployment of autonomy [1].

Tesla has already demonstrated the FSD Supervised driving successfully in Australian cities like Melbourne and Sydney, as evidenced by videos recently released [2][3]. The initial rollout is planned for vehicles with the latest Hardware 4 (HW4) platform, with a phased broader release to follow [1][2][3].

Despite the name "Full Self-Driving," the system currently requires driver supervision, with drivers monitored by in-car cameras to maintain focus [2]. A formal launch date has not been announced, but the absence of regulatory hurdles and recent demonstrations strongly suggest a near-future public release in these right-hand-drive markets [2][4].

Similar FSD Supervised trials are underway or pending in other right-hand-drive countries like the UK, indicating Tesla’s strategy to globalize the system in these markets [3].

In a recent event, a Tesla Model 3 was observed navigating narrow inner-city streets with multiple speed humps, also known as judder bars, in Ponsonby, Auckland [5]. The car was able to drive through streets with cars parked on both sides, only allowing one car to pass at a time [6]. The FSD system demonstrated behavior similar to a human driver on inner-city roads, suggesting it is close to real-world driving capabilities [7].

However, one individual expressed concern that the Tesla Model 3 might not know how to navigate narrow roads in Ponsonby due to it being a politeness game [8]. The car navigated past a construction site with parked trucks and traffic cones, showing its adaptability [9]. A video of this event was shared by Tesla's Australia and New Zealand X account, with the caption "FSD Supervised testing in Auckland, New Zealand, Judder bars and all" [10].

Riz Akhtar, the founder of carloop in Melbourne, specializes in Australian EV data, insight reports, and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent 7 years building transport infrastructure before starting carloop [11].

References: [1] https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-full-self-driving-fsd-australia-new-zealand-regulatory-clearance-thom-drew/ [2] https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-full-self-driving-fsd-beta-australia-new-zealand-regulatory-clearance/ [3] https://www.tesmanian.com/tesla-news/tesla-full-self-driving-fsd-australia-new-zealand-regulatory-clearance/ [4] https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/tesla-says-it-has-no-regulatory-barriers-to-launching-full-self-driving-in-australia-and-new-zealand [5] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128885329/tesla-autonomous-car-spotted-in-ponsonby [6] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128885329/tesla-autonomous-car-spotted-in-ponsonby [7] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128885329/tesla-autonomous-car-spotted-in-ponsonby [8] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128885329/tesla-autonomous-car-spotted-in-ponsonby [9] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128885329/tesla-autonomous-car-spotted-in-ponsonby [10] https://twitter.com/TeslaANZX/status/1410782310976324610 [11] https://www.linkedin.com/in/rizakhtar/

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