Tesla confirms Australian testing of full self-driving technology

Successful testing of Tesla’s ‘full self-driving’ (FSD) semi-autonomous technology on Australian roads has been confirmed by the US electric vehicle giant.

Detailed in a two-minute video, shared to CEO Elon Musk’s X.com, a Tesla Model 3 can be seen navigating busy streets of Melbourne’s CBD, reacting to other road users (including a cyclist), traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, and even successfully executing one of the city’s infamous ‘hook turns’ – all without any input from its ‘driver’.

For now, Australian regulations do not allow the legal use of autonomous self-driving, although Tesla’s FSD may skirt the issue entirely due to being a ‘supervised’ system, meaning drivers must remain attentive and ready to intervene at any moment.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) deems there to be five ‘levels’ of driving automation, with zero being no automation and five being full automation (requiring no human intervention). Tesla’s FSD is classed as level 2, which is fully cleared for use in Australia, so it’s unlikely the brand would face any regulatory hurdles releasing the function locally.

In the US, Tesla’s self-driving technology has caused controversy, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration linking the software to hundreds of incidents, including 51 reported fatalities.