Why Isn’t Tesla’s Autopilot Driving Well?

Tesla cars have taken the market by storm since they came out, right? Their car models have received major headlines, claiming to be driverless or at least with assisted driving capabilities. Tesla was once again in the headlines, when tech-enthusiast, entrepreneur and writer Vivek Wadhwa spoke about his experiences with Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk in a conversation reported by Tech Insider.

Vivek mentions the first conversation he had with Elon Musk before interviewing him on stage where he asked Elon “what the craziest thing he would do” - Elon replied it would be to retire on Mars. His fun side apart, Vivek attributes the seriousness of Elon’s demeanor as what inspired and convinced him to buy a Tesla.

Even at times when Elon was under scrutiny by news reporters, Vivek remembers defending him and calling himself a “Tesla fanboy.” Running in the same social circles, Elon even endorsed Vivek’s first book.

This led to Vivek’s first purchase of a Tesla. Recounting his experiences, he said the thought of letting the car drive itself was frightening. Since the highway he was driving on was mostly empty, he engaged the autopilot feature but didn’t let go of the wheel. Being curious, he let go of the steering wheel to find that the car was able to drive itself. At one point, the car made a sound and a message to keep hands on the steering wheel was displayed on the in-car screen.

Soon after, Vivek said he had one hand on the steering wheel while he used the other to check email and took control of the car when the roads were narrow or uneven. Eventually, he said, he got as comfortable with the Autopilot function as he was with cruise control features in other cars.


However, his experiences started taking a turn for the worse. The first accident he observed his car had was when he used the Summon mode and it crashed into his garage.

Recounting another instance, he talks about when he was being interviewed by “PBS News Hour” in his car which was being driven on Autopilot, where he had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. He describes it as potentially the first Autopilot crash that would’ve been filmed, an incident that he says shook him up.

He says the event resulted in his wife and children’s complete disapproval of the feature, even when they travel on open highway roads. Despite being comfortable with it at one point, he says he can’t trust it anymore. Even though he still uses it on highways, he doesn’t use it on windy or unknown roads as he remains cautious.

As far as the car and its features go, he believes the cameras provided aren’t enough and the decision to discontinue the use of radar in Tesla cars was a mistake, calling the car partially blind with insufficient data to see what’s going on.

He believes Elon is in denial about the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature as he keeps claiming it will happen soon. Vivek is skeptical though, thinking that the FSD feature will never be what Elon said it would.


Vivek believes that the initial people who signed on for FSD have been ignored and Tesla won’t upgrade cars such as Vivek’s. With diminishing confidence with each year passing, Vivek says he will never buy a Tesla again.

To Wrap It Up

At one time, Vivek believed Elon Musk was the greatest innovator of current times, however he's more critical of that now that he owns a Tesla. Essentially, Vivek says he feels duped, he just wants his money back and would also join a lawsuit if there were one.

Elon Musk did not respond for a comment before the original publishing.

What do you think of Tesla’s Autopilot feature and do you think Elon Musk will be able to deliver on his promise and when? Let us know in the comments below!