Tesla’s autonomous driving software falls under heavy scrutiny but a new video might have some think twice. In it, a tester uses both a Waymo fully self-driving car, and then a Tesla with Full Self-Driving technology to go from the same point A to the same point B. The results make Tesla’s tech look impressive.
The Twitter account Whole Mars Catalog covers a number of Tesla-related stories and it’s the one that initiated this test. As we’ve already mentioned, it’s a straightforward examination. How do Waymo and Tesla do at getting from the same starting point to the same finishing point in San Francisco, California?
It turns out that both did great and neither required human intervention at any point. That’s notable but a breakdown of components reveals more. The Waymo is geofenced into most of San Francisco which, as Elon Musk pointed out in reference to this test, might make it challenging to work out of the city.
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Furthermore, it’s worth noting that the Waymo is full of sensors that help it accomplish its Level 4 driving ability. Those sensors include radar, lidar, and more. The Tesla has none of that and literally drives through the automaker’s Level 2 “Vision” system regardless of location. It leverages data gathered by external cameras rather than ultrasonic sensors.
There’s still a lot of debate about what approach will win out but Elon Musk has clearly picked his horse. During a visit to Paris, he said that “The value of the company is primarily on the basis of autonomy… That’s really, I think, the main driver of our value,” reports Reuters.
Whether or not ultrasonic sensors end up back in Tesla vehicles again is still up for debate. Both approaches seem to have their benefits at this point but it’s amazing to see how far autonomous driving tech has come in such a short time.
While this kind of task is impressive it’s worth noting that it’s just one anecdotal example and far from definitive. Clearly, there’s lots of evidence to suggest that Full Self-Driving and Autopilot are far from perfect and need more polish. A balanced view is probably the most prudent for the foreseeable future.