Tesla’s full self-driving vehicle beta software has been leaked online.
The settings for the software that activates Tesla’s self-driving feature in certain models has been stolen. It was published on Twitter by a well-known hacker who goes by the online alias “Green.” The leak has caused a lot of angst at Tesla. The company charges as much as $10,000 extra for the software, keeping it disabled for owners that don’t pony up the cash. It can be downloaded and remotely activated to provide Tesla vehicles with autonomous driving functions. Despite the marketing name of “Full Self-Driving,” the feature is still in beta testing. An alert driver is required at all times.
The leak reveals dozens of settings and available adjustments for Tesla’s self-driving feature. It also gives a detailed vehicle view of the world while a Tesla is driving down the road.
Are We Close to Fully Autonomous Vehicles?
In a lengthy Twitter thread, Green shares the status of internal states within the self-driving car system, while taking readers on a tour of dozens of vehicle settings. There’s plenty information about the camera and ultrasonic radars. The Tweets also reveal sliders for GPS, speed thresholds, and other items that no one outside of Tesla should see or fiddle with. This includes options to ignore Yield signs or stop at green lights for extra safety. It’s safe to say you don’t want your Tesla doing either of those things.
The leaked settings also reveal some weird settings, including what’s known as a “California Stop.” Apparently that’s when a self-driving Tesla merely slow-rolls through a stop sign, instead of coming to a complete halt.
There is no indication from the leak on how far along Tesla is with their self-driving car beta testing. The company has been using select owners to help test the system. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that he expects the full self-driving system to be widely available to the public by the end of this year. He further predicted the technology would be capable of level 5 autonomous driving by the end of 2021. However, critics suggest there’s still a long way to go.
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