Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta lets owners choose from three driving profiles that determine how the car will react to certain situations on the road, reports The Verge. Each mode, namely Chill, Average and Assertive, differs in positivity (and potentially safety).
The feature was included in the October 2021 10.3 update, which was pulled two days after it started rolling out due to issues with turning left at traffic lights. Tesla released version 10.3.1 a day later, which still included the FSD profile, as indicated by the release notes posted on the Not a Tesla App.
According to the instructions, the FSD profile is described as a way to control behaviors such as rolling stops, speed-based lane changes, following distances, and driving at yellow lights, etc.
A separate image posted on Twitter gave a more detailed look at what this actually means. In the description under the Assertive option, Tesla states that the vehicle will have a smaller following distance and make more frequent gear changes. The vehicle will also not exit the passing lane and may perform a rolling stop, although it’s not entirely clear if that means the car won’t come to a complete stop before a stop sign.
The YouTube video shows all three modes in action, and at the end shows how Tesla describes each FSD mode. In ‘Chill’ mode, the vehicle will have a larger following distance and change lanes with less speed. And the Average mode means the car will have a moderate following distance and possibly a rolling stop. That said, it’s hard to tell the difference between these modes from this video alone, as it doesn’t test the vehicle’s behavior in heavy traffic or bad weather conditions.
It’s hard to say to what extent these FSD modes have changed the way the vehicle drives, and whether they’ve pushed the limits of what’s safe, especially when driving in rain or snow. If the descriptions of these profiles are accurate, it means that Teslas in “Assertive” mode are likely to follow the car more closely, roll to park, and switch lanes more frequently.
It’s worth noting that Tesla’s FSD feature doesn’t make the car fully autonomous — a “full-featured” version would ideally allow users to drive to and from get off work without intervention.
Tesla’s controversial FSD beta, which rolled out to more users last September, is based on a “safety score” system that prioritizes drivers with safer driving habits, and the National Transportation Safety Board warns. In November, what appeared to be the first-ever crash involving Tesla’s FSD mode severely damaged a Tesla.
