Tesla self-driving test driver: ‘you’re running on adrenaline the entire eight-hour shift’
A new report based on interviews with former test drivers who were part of Tesla’s internal self-driving team reveals the dangerous extremes Tesla is willing to go to test its autonomous driving technologies.
While you can make the argument that Tesla’s customers are self-driving test drivers as the automaker is deploying what it calls its “supervised self-driving” (FSD) system, the company also operates an internal fleet of testers.
We previously reported on Tesla hiring drivers all over the country to test its latest ‘FSD’ software updates.
Now, Business Insider is out with a new report after interviewing nine of those test drivers who are working on a specific project called ‘Rodeo’. They describe the project:
Test drivers said they sometimes navigated perilous scenarios, particularly those drivers on Project Rodeo’s “critical intervention” team, who say they’re trained to wait as long as possible before taking over the car’s controls. Tesla engineers say there’s a reason for this: The longer the car continues to drive itself, the more data they have to work with. Experts in self-driving tech and safety say this type of approach could speed up the software’s development but risks the safety of the test drivers and people on public roads.
One of those former test drivers described it as “a cowboy on a bull and you’re just trying to hang on as long as you can” – hence the program’s name.
Other than sometimes using a version of Tesla FSD that hasn’t been released to customers, the test drivers generally use FSD like most customers, with the main difference being that they are more frequently trying to push it to the limits.
Business Insider explains in more detail the “critical intervention team” with project Rodeo:
Critical-intervention test drivers, who are among Project Rodeo’s most experienced, let the software continue driving even after it makes a mistake. They’re trained to stage “interventions” — taking manual control of the car — only to prevent a crash, said the three critical-intervention drivers and five other drivers familiar with the team’s mission. Drivers on the team and internal documents say that cars rolled through red lights, swerved into other lanes, or failed to follow posted speed limits while FSD was engaged. The drivers said they allowed FSD to remain in control during these incidents because supervisors encouraged them to try to avoid taking over.
These are behaviors that FSD is known to do in customer vehicles, but drivers generally take over before it goes too far.
The goal of this team is to go too far.
One of the test drivers said:
“You’re pretty much running on adrenaline the entire eight-hour shift. There’s this feeling that you’re on the edge of something going seriously wrong.”
Another test driver described how Tesla FSD came within a couple of feet from hitting a cyclist:
“I vividly remember this guy jumping off his bike. He was terrified. The car lunged at him, and all I could do was stomp on the brakes.”
The team was reportedly pleased by the incident. “He told me, ‘That was perfect.’ That was exactly what they wanted me to do,” said the driver.
You can read the full Business Insider report for many more examples of the team doing very dangerous things around unsuspecting members of the public, including pedestrians and cyclists.
How does this compare to other companies developing self-driving technology?
Market leader Waymo reportedly does have a team doing similar work as Tesla’s Rodeo “critical intervention team”, but the difference is that they do the testing in closed environments with dummies.
Electrek’s Take
This appears to be a symptom of Tesla’s start-up approach of “move fast, break things”, but I don’t think it’s appropriate.
To be fair, none of the nine test drivers interviewed by BI said that they were in an accident, but they all described some very dangerous situations in which outsiders were dragged into the testing without their knowledge.
I think that’s a bad idea and ethically wrong. Elon Musk claims that Tesla is about “safety first”, but the examples in this report sound anything but safe.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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