Investor Ross Gerber recently expressed his views on Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) system’s performance, highlighting the hardware issues when dealing with direct sunlight.
What Happened
Gerber shared his experience with Tesla’s FSD system, stating that it fails when driving into direct sunlight, a problem he believes is hardware-related. He compared this with the human approach to dealing with sunlight while driving, which involves using sunglasses, car visors, and hands to block the sun.
Gerber’s Experience
Gerber mentioned that he had some great Tesla FSD 14.2.2.4 rides around a busy West LA, even amidst an Iranian protest in Westwood. However, he pointed out that the system failed on his way home due to the sunlight issue. He noted that humans use three things to deal with sun that vision-only systems don’t have, and Tesla has to fix the hardware to adjust for these driving issues.
Comparison with Waymo
Gerber also brought up Waymo, Google’s self-driving technology project, stating that it doesn’t have issues with sunlight. He noted Waymo’s recent fundraising efforts, which are expected to raise $15 billion at a $100 billion valuation, mostly from Alphabet’s Google. Gerber praised Tesla’s FSD software, stating that it is working quite well otherwise, but the issues are hardware-related.
Why it Matters
Gerber’s observations raise questions about the effectiveness of Tesla’s FSD system in all driving conditions. While he praised the software’s overall performance, he stressed that the hardware needs to be fixed to adjust for issues with direct sunlight. These comments come at a time when the race for self-driving technology is heating up, with companies such as Tesla and Waymo at the forefront. Gerber’s remarks underscore the challenges that these companies face in perfecting their technology.
Key Points
- Tesla’s FSD system struggles with direct sunlight
- The issue is believed to be hardware-related
- Waymo, Google’s self-driving technology project, doesn’t have issues with sunlight
- Tesla’s FSD software is working well, but the hardware needs to be fixed
- The race for self-driving technology is heating up, with companies facing challenges in perfecting their technology