Tesla demonstrates the effectiveness of its Full Self-Driving feature with a successful drive around the Swindon Roundabout.
Tesla's Full Self-Driving System Navigates Swindon's Magic Roundabout
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has successfully navigated the notorious Magic Roundabout in Swindon, UK, marking a significant milestone for autonomous driving technology in complex traffic situations.
The demonstration took place with a Model 3, equipped with the same hardware as customer vehicles, running an engineering test software version. The car autonomously navigated the five-mini-roundabout junction multiple times without issues, looping back through the roundabout three times to demonstrate its flexibility in the infamously confusing scenario.
The Magic Roundabout, known for its unusual layout, poses a challenge even for experienced human drivers. Tesla's FSD system continuously adjusted to vehicles entering from multiple directions during the test. The demonstration videos also showed the car handling other complex urban scenarios, like central London’s busy streets, roadworks, cyclists, and pedestrians.
Although the car’s fully unsupervised FSD functionality still awaits regulatory approval in the UK, the test is a promising step towards fully autonomous driving on UK roads. It's important to note that the software used in the test is an engineering version available only to Tesla engineers, not the general public.
Before the Swindon test, the Model 3 had already driven on UK roads in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Madrid, and had shared the road with roadworks, pedestrians, cyclists, and courier drivers. The car passed through London, navigating landmarks such as Big Ben, Parliament Square, and Whitehall.
Every Tesla currently comes standard with Autopilot, and future, eligible Tesla vehicles will offer unsupervised Full Self-Driving capabilities. For now, the Full Self-Driving package costs £6,800 and adds traffic light and stop sign recognition to the features. Tesla also offers 'Enhanced Autopilot' for £3,400 extra, which includes assisted driving on and off motorway slip roads, smart parking, and summoning.
This demonstration underscores Tesla's commitment to advancing autonomous driving technology and bringing safer, more efficient vehicles to UK roads. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more impressive feats from Tesla's FSD system in the future.
[1] Tesla's Full Self-Driving System Navigates Swindon's Magic Roundabout: https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-fsd-swindon-magic-roundabout [2] Tesla's Full Self-Driving System in Real-World Scenarios: https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-fsd-real-world-scenarios [3] Tesla's Full Self-Driving System Demonstration Videos: https://www.tesla.com/news/tesla-fsd-demonstration-videos [4] Tesla's Full Self-Driving Package Cost and Features: https://www.tesla.com/autopilot [5] Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot Package Cost and Features: https://www.tesla.com/autopilot/enhanced-autopilot
The successful navigation of Swindon's Magic Roundabout by Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system indicates the system's potential in the transportation industry, especially in overcoming complex traffic situations. The demonstration, also involving other urban scenarios, hints at the future of efficient automotive technology in finance, where investments in technology-driven companies like Tesla are expected to rise.
