It's safe to say that Tesla hasn't been having the best month. In September an MIT study raised concerns that Tesla drivers are too distracted when Autopilot is engaged. Tesla is also pushing the Biden administration to increase fuel economy penalties, so it won't be winning any popularity contests in the automotive industry anytime soon.
As an added bonus, Tesla released Self-Driving Beta 10.1 to a wider audience. The Feds aren't amped about this development, since Autopilot is still under investigation. Finally, Tesla is now suing individuals for defamation. The introduction of the Rivian R1T also had to sting a little.
All things considered, not a great month, and it seems like October isn't going to get any better.
We recently reported that beta testers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, asking them to share fewer videos of the self-driving tech and not to talk to the media. The NDA urges testers to remember that there are a lot of people who want Tesla to fail. "Don't let them mischaracterize your feedback and media posts," the NDA allegedly states. We did a full report on the NDA a few days ago.
The new update to Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature allows the car to change lanes, self-park, and recognize traffic lights and stop signs.
Unfortunately for Elon Musk, the beta testers are completely ignoring the NDA and posting videos anyway. In Tesla's defense, there are various videos showing the tech working beautifully, but a few still showcase massive flaws. In one video the car fails to notice an orange cone barricade, while another shows the system failing to recognize concrete pillars at night. In the video below, you can see the car fail to recognize a bus lane, drive into some bushes, drive in the wrong lane, do an unprotected right, fail a left turn, and nearly causing a collision.
Elon Musk doesn't seem too bothered about this recent development, however. At the recent Code Conference, he stated that he doesn't know why there's an NDA and that Tesla probably doesn't need it. "People don't seem to listen to me," Musk stated.
Whatever your opinion on the topic may be, it's evident that Self-Driving 10.1 still has a few kinks to iron out.