Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta saved me once and tried to kill me twice
I have been driving with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta for about two years now, and during that time, it saved me once and tried to kill me twice.
How should I feel about that?
The Promise
In 2016, I enthusiastically listened to Elon Musk announcing that from now on, every new Tesla vehicle will be equipped with all the hardware necessary to become self-driving through future software updates.
I had an older Model S at the time and couldn’t afford a new one, but I loved the idea that you can buy a car and in the future, it could become self-driving.
In 2018, I bought a Model 3 with the promise that it would become self-driving. I purchased the Full Self-Driving Capability package for $5,000 CAD (now $16,000 CAD).
Shortly after Musk announced that all new Tesla had all the necessary hardware to become self-driving with its onboard computer, cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors, he did signal that there might be a need for a computer upgrade.
That’s OK. In 2019, Tesla sent a mobile technician to my home who quickly changed my HW2 computer for the new HW3/self-driving computer.
Starting in 2019 forward, Musk basically said that Tesla would deliver its self-driving capability by the end of every year, but we are now in 2024, and it hasn’t.
The Delivery
I have been enjoying Autopilot features in my Model 3 for years. It removes some of the mundane tasks of driving on the highway and allows you to focus on keeping your eyes on the road and being ready to take control at all times.
However, it is not a self-driving taxi like I was promised.
Instead, Tesla delivered Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta. The feature enables the vehicle to control itself through intersections, city streets, and highways. The vehicle virtually drives itself. However, Tesla doesn’t take responsibility for it. The driver is always responsible and has to be ready to take control at all times.
In itself, the system is impressive, but it is not the robotaxi Tesla promised. It is able to render its environment to an impressive level of accuracy, and it can navigate difficult intersections, but it also often fails in dangerous ways.
I received FSD Beta in early 2022. Shortly after, I tried it in the Blue Ridge mountains, and I had a terrible experience.
As I was going through a sharp right turn, FSD Beta decided to stop turning halfway through the turn and brought the steering wheel back straight. If I didn’t instantly grabbed the wheel and applied the brakes, I would have driven us right off the cliff side (around 12:30 in this video):
It was a very scary situation. Fortunately, I was hyper-vigilant because it was one of the first times I used it. I could see if someone becomes complaisant with the system that it could be super dangerous as I only had a fraction of a second to react.
It wasn’t the only time FSD Beta almost killed me.
Last year, I was testing a more recent FSD Beta update (v11.4.7), which merged Autopilot (highway driving) with Tesla’s FSD Beta.
I was driving on the highway on FSD Beta with the speed set at 118 km/h (73 mph) on the 20 direction Montreal, and the system automatically moved to the left lane to pass a car.
As I was passing the car, I felt FSD Beta veering aggressively to the left toward the median strip.
I was able to steer back toward the road, which disengaged FSD Beta. It was super scary as I almost lost control when correcting FSD Beta and again, I was passing a vehicle. I could have crashed into it if I overcorrected.
A few moments later, I gave FSD Beta another shot thinking that I might have an idea of what went wrong, and I was actually able to repeat the problem.
As I moved to the left lane again, I was way more alert, and when FSD Beta again veered to the left toward the median strip, this time I saw one of those sections for U-turns for emergency vehicles:
FSD Beta tried to enter it at full speed. I again was able to correct it in time and sent Tesla a bug report, though it cut me off before I could explain what happened. It should be clear if they can pull the video.
This is a very dangerous behavior as there would have been no room for me to slow down if I had entered the median at highway speed, or I could have crashed into another vehicle if I had overcorrected to the right. I also only had a fraction of a second to react.
That was actually a dangerous behavior – trying to take exits and medians when it shouldn’t – that used to be in Autopilot early on, but it was new to FSD Beta for me.
Now, on another occasion, FSD Beta actually saved me. I was in traffic in the middle lane on the highway, and I got distracted by what appeared to be a near-crash on my right and a car blasting its horn. As this happened, a car coming from the right lane cut me off as I was turning my head back, and I believe FSD Beta reacted to the car cutting me off before I could because I was looking to the right.
Tesla FSD Beta is now on its 12th version and the automaker is yet to offer a clear path toward taking responsibility for the system and delivering on its promise of self-driving.
Electrek’s Take
Now, you could argue that this is a net positive. I was able to correct FSD Beta the two times it almost killed me, and if it hadn’t reacted in the traffic on the last example, I most likely would have had a crash.
I would agree with that. My general take is that it is safer to drive with FSD Beta than without as long as you are paying as much or more attention as you would if you were driving without.
I think the main problem comes with people being overconfident with the system. Of course, you open yourself to that when you decide to call it “Full Self-Driving”. I know that Tesla tells people to keep paying attention at all times, and that’s good, but it might not be enough amid all the promotion around the capability.
You have the company’s CEO continuously talking about the next FSD Beta update being “mind-blowing,” and he is sharing videos of “no intervention drives” from his fans. For example, Musk often shares videos from Omar Qazi, who goes by Wholeblogmars on X. He shares the videos as examples of the incredible performance of the FSD Beta system, but they are not really representative of the average experience.
First off, they are virtually all in California, and Tesla admits that the system works better in California, where most of the training happened.
Also, Qazi has evidently been using a third-party product to avoid standard alerts to put his hands on the steering wheel, which makes his videos unrepresentative of how people use the system or should use it.
These things can contribute to people becoming overconfident in FSD Beta. You don’t have to spend much time on social media to find people abusing Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD Beta.
Tesla should spend more time denouncing those things and making it clear that the feature they call Full Self-Driving is not representative of its name for now. But that’s hard to do because every time Tesla does that, it highlights its own failure to deliver on its promise.
For years, Musk has claimed that Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD beta is safer than driving normally, but he hasn’t supported with believable data.
Tesla used to release its Autopilot Safety report, but the data was extremely limited in proving Musk’s point, and the automaker abruptly stopped producing these reports and releasing data over a year ago.
I think Tesla, and especially Musk, should be much more conservative with their approach until they can actually support their claims with clear data.
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Environment
Trump tariff threats are pushing Canada’s largest oil producer to break its dependence on the U.S.
The Suncor Energy Refinery is seen during extreme cold weather in Edmonton, AB, Canada, on Feb. 3, 2025.
Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty Images
HOUSTON — The deeply integrated North American oil and gas market stands at crossroads, with Canada’s largest oil producer warning that it will diversify its exports away from the United States if President Donald Trump‘s tariff threats do not end.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Wednesday presented two possible futures for the continent. In one, Canada and the U.S. reach an agreement to create “Fortress North America,” with new pipeline capacity built to support 2 million barrels per day in additional exports to the U.S. market, Smith said at the CERAWeek energy conference.
This will support Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda, Smith said, allowing the U.S. to increase its exports to the global market by backfilling those barrels with imported oil from a neighbor and close ally. It will maintain low consumer prices in the U.S., she said, which is also part of the agenda Trump campaigned on.
Alberta wants to supply the U.S. with the energy it needs to win the race against China to achieve dominance in artificial intelligence, Smith said. “I don’t think any of us want to see a communist, totalitarian regime become a world, global leader in AI,” the premier said.
In the other future, Trump continues to wage his trade war against Canada and Alberta starts looking for oil and gas customers beyond the U.S., Smith said.
Canada is the fourth largest oil producer in the world and Alberta is the country’s biggest producer. Some 97% of the country’s 4 million bpd of oil exports went to the U.S. in 2023 with several European nations and Hong Kong taking the remainder, according to Canada’s energy regulator. Alberta supplied 87% of the oil exported from Canada to the U.S. in 2023.
“There are at least six or seven projects that are emerging in Canada in the event we’re not able to come to a partnership agreement with the U.S.,” Smith said.
The uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff threats has already forced Alberta to start “looking at more opportunities to get more barrels off our borders besides the United States,” provincial energy minister Brian Jean said Tuesday.
Alberta is in active discussions with South Korea, Japan and European nations about shipping oil exports to those countries, the energy minister said. “The truth is we’re looking in every direction right now except the United States in relation to our priorities,” Jean said.
Canada looks to Europe, Asia
Trump’s tariffs have roiled financial markets and caused confusion among investors over the past week. The president on Wednesday imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada. He has paused until April 2 penalties on Canadian oil and gas as well as duties on other goods that are compliant with the trade agreement that governs North America.
The Trump administration has not provided clarity on how much of Canada’s energy exports to the U.S. conform to the trade agreement. Oil and gas that is not compliant would face a 10% tariff. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright declined to provide details when asked Monday by CNBC.
Smith said Wednesday that Canadian oil producers are busy filling out paperwork to ensure that their exports to the U.S. are compliant.
“There was a bit of a paperwork issue that our companies had,” Smith said. “There was no reason to register, and so now there is. I would imagine that they’ve all called their lawyers and they’re in compliance. I wouldn’t expect very much of our oil and gas is tariffed at all.”
But it is unclear whether Trump will proceed with tariffs when his pause expires on April 2. Wright said Monday a deal with Canada that avoids tariffs on oil, gas and other energy is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say.”
“We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal,” Wright said in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
It will take time for Alberta to pivot to markets beyond the U.S. if the tariffs do go into effect. Nearly all the pipelines in Canada run south to the U.S. Canada only has one pipeline stretching from Alberta to the country’s West Coast in British Columbia, providing access to Asian markets. There are no pipelines that run from Alberta to the country’s East Coast.
Smith said Canada is looking at three different pipeline proposals to its West Coast, at least one pipeline into the Northwest Territories, one into Manitoba, one to the Hudson Bay, and one into Eastern Canada.
“Those are conversations we were not having three months ago,” Jean said of the pipelines. But it took 12 years for Canada to expand its Trans Mountain Pipeline that connects to the country’s West Coast.
Alberta is not interested in taking a page from Ontario’s playbook, Jean said Tuesday. Premier Doug Ford imposed a 25% surcharge on electricity exported to the U.S. in response to Trump’s tariffs. He later suspended the penalty after the U.S. agreed to resume talks.
“We don’t believe that that this is the right way to do it,” Jean said of Alberta’s position. “We want to deescalate the situation.”
Canada has presented the U.S. with several options, the Alberta energy minister said. Jean declined to provide specifics, but he said the Trump administration needs a strong strategic petroleum reserve to achieve its goal of energy dominance.
“It also means that they have to be able to continue to get a good steady supply of product from Canada,” he said.
If the tariffs go do into effect, they will hurt both Canadians and Americans, particularly people who cannot afford a price increase, he said. The price hike will be split “fairly evenly” between U.S. customers and producers in Canada, he said.
“It’s going to be felt by all parties and frankly there’s many people right now […] that can’t afford it,” he said. “We need to think about those people because they’re the less fortunate that truly have no other choice but to buy fuel.”
Jean took a swipe at Trump’s repeated calls for Canada to become the 51st state.
“As long as we’re in charge, we don’t mind,” Jean said. “But the truth is the Republicans would never be elected again.”
Toyota’s first electric SUV is getting a major overhaul. The new bZ4X now has a bigger battery for more range, faster charging, dedicated EV features, a stylish facelift, and much more. Here’s our first look at the new Toyota bZ4X.
Toyota unveils new bZ4X with significant improvements
The bZ4X launched in 2022 as Toyota’s first fully electric SUV. Although it was expected to rival the Tesla Model Y and other top-selling electric SUVs, the bZ4X failed to live up to the task.
“I think it’s fair to say that we experienced a few bumps in the road during the launch,” Toyota’s chief branding officer, Simon Humphries, said during the company’s premiere event in Brussels this week.
Toyota listened to feedback from drivers, retailers, and journalists who experienced the bZ4X and delivered with the upgraded model.
The new electric SUV has more driving range, up to twice as fast charging, and double the towing capacity. But, that’s not all. The bZ4X has been updated inside and out. The interior is completely redesigned with a new 14″ infotainment and instrument display panel.
Toyota finally added a battery pre-conditioning feature as standard. For the first time, Toyota said the bZ4X can now fast charge in around 30 minutes in cold weather. Maximum DC charging power is still 150 kW.
A new route planning function that automatically selects the best charging station is also included. Toyota said the feature is available through an OTA update for current bZ4X drivers.
The new bZ4X has two battery options, 57.7kWh and 73.1 kWh. The smaller battery will be available exclusively in FWD while the larger battery has FWD and AWD configurations.
With up to 338 hp (252 kW), the upgraded AWD model is one of the most powerful Toyota vehicles in Europe. Its towing capacity has doubled to 1,500 kg.
Combined with an upgraded eAxle, the new long-range bZ4X has a WLTP driving range of up to 573 km (356 miles). That’s a significant improvement from the outgoing model’s range of up to 516 km (320 miles).
Although US specs have yet to be revealed, the 2025 bZ4X is rated with up to 252 miles on the EPA rating scale. When it arrives in the US, you can expect to see upwards of around 270 to 280 miles.
Toyota will launch the updated bZ4X in Europe later this year, one of three new EVs arriving by the end of 2025. The smaller Toyota C-HR+ and Urban Cruiser electric SUVs will join the updated model in Toyota’s growing European EV lineup.
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A man set fire to three Tesla chargers at a charging station in a South Carolina parking lot, but karma got him back quickly as he also set his clothes on fire.
Tesla has been under attack recently due to its CEO, Elon Musk, enraging a large part of the popular through his involvement with the Trump administration and his behavior on social media.
Those attacks are, for the most part, legal protests at Tesla stores and calls to boycott the brand, but we have also seen some illegal actions, like vandalizing cars, stores, and charging stations, from some more extremist individuals and groups.
In a new example, North Charleston Police is looking for a suspect who burned 3 Tesla Superchargers last Friday.
They are looking for “a White man in a grey jacket/hoodie with a black face mask”. The suspect spray painted “F*** Trump, long live Ukraine” next to the charging station.
He reportedly used homemade Molotov cocktails out of beer bottles to burn the chargers.
The police report mentions that a witness saw that the suspect set himself on fire during the arson:
“Witnesses advised that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices.”
The firefighters quickly responded and extinguished the fire, but the three Supercharger stalls affected had to shut down.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is leading the investigation.
We previously reported on other cases of vandalism against Tesla properties, in which federal law enforcement also got involved.
Yesterday, President Trump said that he wants to label Tesla vandals as “domestic terrorists.”
Electrek’s Take
As we have often mentioned in the last few weeks, we sympathize with the people peacefully protesting and boycotting Tesla, but we condemn any violence, including vandalism.
The protests and boycotts are much more efficient in affecting Tesla than setting yourself on fire to shut down a few charging stalls for a few days at worst.
Everyone getting involved in this is actually eroding the credibility of the “Tesla Takedown” movement.
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