Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta tester Chuck Cook has shared a new video showcasing the beta software attempting forward-facing unprotected left turns.
According to Cook, FSD beta 10.12.2 was able to successfully attempt forward-facing unprotected lefts across three lanes of traffic. The criticism he had was FSD beta would creep too close to oncoming lanes, to the point where Cook said it felt “uncomfortable” and potentially dangerous, especially if a car coming his way wasn’t paying attention. FSD beta isn’t leaving much room for error as the margin is quite close to cars heading Cook’s way. Kudos to Cook’s bravery in these tests.
Like Cook’s other unprotected left turn test videos, we see an overlay of the FSD beta visualization, plus a drone view from overhead, making for a very compelling video to see how FSD beta 10.12.2 reacts.
Overall, there is improvement in FSD beta over time as the system was able to make unprotected lefts forward-facing as expected, but some were too close for comfort and some did not accelerate fast enough to get out of the way of oncoming cars.
Check out FSD beta 10.12.2 with Cook’s regular test on unprotected left turns, below:
When it comes to the next FSD beta 10.13, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said major improvements are coming. “10.13 smooths out intersection control, especially long lefts, and starts to handle roads with no map data at all,” said Musk.
“Last point is a big deal. Within a few months, FSD should be able to drive to a GPS point with zero map data,” said Musk.
“Car will navigate to a pin location, even if in a complex surface parking lot or hotel entrance,” Musk later added. “When in covered or underground parking lots, car will have to navigate using only inertial measurement, wheel movement & vision, as GPS signal is no longer available.” Huge!
