Tesla announced that its customers will now be allowed to transfer FSD to another vehicle instead of being locked to the old model.
Will the financial report mention FSD authorization again? Is the "ChatGPT Moment" of autonomous driving coming?
During the financial conference call on Wednesday, Tesla stated:
Just like the North American Charging Standard (NACS), we are open to authorizing FSD (Full Self-Driving) hardware and software to other car companies, and we have had discussions with a large automaker regarding the use of Tesla's FSD.
In fact, authorizing FSD technology has always been part of Tesla's plan. Tesla has mentioned authorizing FSD to competitors, tweeting last month that they have been committed to helping other automakers and are willing to authorize Autopilot or FSD for use by other companies.
FSD is not perfect
Most automakers' driver assistance systems have limited applications on highways, while Tesla allows its customers to use FSD on local roads with traffic signals and intersections.
The system can control acceleration and deceleration, turning (including unprotected left turns, which are extremely difficult for autonomous driving systems), and recognize traffic signals and other road signs. The system also requires the driver to pay attention to the road and take control of the vehicle when prompted.
Tesla's driver assistance technology has surpassed the safety limits for consumer use on public roads and has attracted the attention of federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 16 accidents in which Tesla vehicles using Autopilot collided with stationary emergency vehicles, resulting in 15 injuries and 1 fatality.
The "ChatGPT Moment" of autonomous driving may be approaching
Nevertheless, Tesla's aggressive promotion of FSD has affected its competitors. Companies such as Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo are developing Level 3 advanced driver assistance systems that allow the vehicle to be controlled without a driver under specific conditions.
Tesla believes that once the scale and data accumulation of FSD surpass a certain threshold, it will experience explosive growth similar to ChatGPT. Almost instantly, 3 million, 5 million, or even 10 million vehicles will achieve full autonomous driving.
China International Capital Corporation (CICC) stated that the overall acceleration of China's electric vehicle intelligence process is expected with the introduction of FSD. If Tesla's "high-value hardware + high-margin FSD software" model can be scaled and implemented in China, it may be similar to the "ChatGPT Moment" of intelligent vehicles.
It is worth mentioning that Tesla's FSD is not the only technology affecting competitors' vehicles. Last year, the company open-sourced its charging system, known as the North American Charging Standard. Since then, many major automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Volvo, have stated that they will adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard.