Tesla is developing a natural-language voice command system for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, allowing users to describe precise drop-off locations using cues such as house colors, driveways, or nearby landmarks.
Smarter FSD Voice Commands
The company’s Vice President of AI software, Ashok Elluswamy, confirmed that Tesla is working on this feature after a user suggested that FSD would be more useful in neighborhoods if drivers could tell the car which driveway to use. The user proposed saying “It’s the white house on the left, just past that SUV” and having FSD remember the location for future trips. Elluswamy responded, “Working on it.”
Addressing the Last-Mile Problem
This feature targets a common problem for driver-assistance systems: map pins can be incorrect, while a person can understand context, such as a parked car or a storefront entrance. A working version of this feature would make Tesla’s system more conversational, especially during the final stretch of a trip.
Grok to Gain Real Driving Authority
The feature also aligns with a timeline floated by Elon Musk, who said that Grok-based FSD voice control would arrive in “about 3 months or so,” pointing to a possible September rollout. Sample commands could include “Turn right here,” “Drop us off right here,” “Drop at entrance first, then park far away,” and “Pull forward into the driveway.”
The key change would be the control authority, with Grok moving from a conversational assistant to a supervisor role that translates spoken intent into driving decisions.
Safety Scrutiny Still Shadows FSD Expansion
The effort comes as FSD faces safety scrutiny, with European regulators raising concerns about FSD’s behavior and branding, including speeding and icy-road use. Independent researchers have also criticized Tesla’s self-published FSD safety data as misleading.
However, Tesla argues that its supervised system improves safety, and Dutch officials have defended their approval of FSD, citing independent testing that showed Tesla’s system reduces collisions.
Stock Performance
According to recent rankings, Tesla stock offers satisfactory Momentum and Quality, with a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium, and Long term. The stock was down 0.98% to $398.95 in pre-market trading on Wednesday.