Tesla's FSD Test: Version 12.3.6 Performance and Concerns

The test conducted on Tesla's FSD version 12.3.6 revealed inadequacy in achieving full autonomy, as proven by a near accident experienced.

### Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) Test and Critique
* 🚗  William Li, a Tesla FSD critic, conducted two tests in a Tesla-owned car in suburban New York City, using **version 12.3.6 of the software**.
* 🔍  These tests were done under **sunny, dry conditions**, with **Li's son present to help document the experience**.
* 📊  Li did not have access to the **latest version, 12.5**, during his tests, despite requesting it from Tesla.
* 🤝  Tesla responded to Li's research report with a brief acknowledgment, stating **it's okay to have a difference of opinion**.
* 🎥  Li did not capture video footage of the tests, but described a concerning incident where the FSD system **almost caused a rear-end collision**.
* 🔒  Li also highlighted a potentially dangerous feature where the FSD system allowed him to **look away from the road for an extended period (30 seconds)** while driving.
* 🛣️  The test's results led Li to question the readiness of Tesla's FSD for widespread consumer use, stating that version 12.3.6 is "**totally inadequate to solve autonomy**".
* 🚦  The specific incident involved the Tesla **accelerating as if the road was clear**, despite the car in front not completing a right turn, potentially leading to a **collision**.

When I said on social media you were coming on the program, many, many people pointed out that the version of FSD you were using was 12.3.6, not the latest 12.5, which rolled out starting Friday last week and in a limited release through the weekend. So let's start here. Give me the basics of the test you conducted, where you conducted it, whose Tesla you were using, and the parameters around it, please. Yeah, that's a very fair question. Thanks for having me. So both the test initially after the Q1 earnings report and the Q2 report were done under very similar conditions. Sunny, dry, easy to see, easy to operate. This was a Tesla-owned car. This was a I approach Tesla as if I were any other potential buyer. So I went to a Tesla showroom, signed up, and plugged in a relatively local address about seven miles away from the showroom someplace near where I live.

in suburban New York City.
And that was the setup, and it mostly worked well in both cases.
And William, just real quick, when did this test take place?
Sure. So the first one that I tried was right after Q1 when Musk first issued this sort of directive to investors or potential investors that they must see this in order to determine whether they should invest in the company.
So that was about a quarter ago, and the most recent one was done on Friday.
And I'd like to acknowledge that we did not have version 12 five.
I have asked the company for access to it, hasn't been made available to me yet. I think they will.
It just wasn't available when I went to the dealer or to the I should say, to the showroom, and I was using 12.3.6. That's correct.
William, did Tesla respond specifically to the research report that you posted?
I reached out to management in a

proactive effort to not hide from them,
because I think it's important when one is critical of technology or a solution,
or a financial aspect of a company that it not be confused with an attack or
especially something that's unfair. And there was a reply, and it wasn't
really substantial other than, you know, we understand your view and and it's
okay to have a difference of opinion. We were actually showing some style.
William, just really quick, we're showing some file footage of FSD, which
comes from Tesla. It's not the trip that you took.
And so I'm just stating that because you used a Tesla sort of showroom or
dealership vehicle, you don't actually have access to the footage from your
trip. D.
That's correct. I tried to take I actually had my son
with me taking some videos, but unfortunately, we didn't capture the
most interesting and most exciting parts of
the trip, which were when I avoided an

aircraft.
One of the things he tested was the ability to look away from the wheel.
Right. And so I have 12.5 on my own tester at
home, and I put on X, for example, my experiences with it.
But it doesn't require me to have my hands on the wheel.
It does require me to stay, focus the camera in the cabin, judges my ability
to be attentive. You test it by turning your head away
for 20 to 40 seconds. And my question around that is whether
nits has reached out to you, because that's one area that they've looked at.
Nature has not reached out to me. I was very surprised that the car
allowed me to be not just distracted. I mean, my head was completely turned
away. I was looking, you know, in the
backseat. And, you know, luckily I was able to do
this because I brought my son with me

and I said, hey, you know, tell me if
I'm if there's anything dangerous about to happen.
We were on a relatively underpopulated area and on the highway,
so it was fairly predictable. And I trusted him to give me enough
warning. The car allowed me to do this for
something on the order of 30, 30 seconds, which 60 miles an hour.
It's half a mile. I mean, you could do a lot of damage in
that space. That was sort of stunning when I got
back to the showroom. The
service associate told me, Oh, that's demo mode.
And that's to make the experience more useful and
perhaps easy for for an inexperienced user of this technology.
For me, it was a little frightening. Allowed me to distract William.
There are many on social media who are sort of bemoaning that you didn't use 12
.5.1. There are many that acknowledge 12.5
also has yielded some quite worrying

scenarios for those that have tested it.
I want to get to the big picture, which is that Musk said on both first quarter
and second quarter earnings call to judge whether Tesla can in the future
sell for autonomy. Go out and use FSD for yourself.
The conclusion that I read in your research now is you don't see the jump
right from a consumer that's using FSD, and there will be more iterations of it
in that car, to a world where Tesla operates a fleet
of robo-taxis itself. Do I have that right?
I think it's a very challenging thing to know with certainty.
Right? There are certainly
improvements from person to person as it stands in version 1236.
This is totally inadequate to solve autonomy if there is such a thing as
solving it. Well, autonomy is not there with 1236.
Do I anticipate it could be there with 12, five, one, or some later version?
I would say that's a maybe.

I think for me, the big question is the near accident that I experienced. What was the failure mode? I think that's the point. William, may I jump in here, please? Let let's go through the specifics of that. You were approaching intersection at speed. There was a vehicle in front of you making a right hand turn and you right in the know it didn't complete that turn. So just explain literally what happened and how you or your son reacted. Yeah. So it's slightly different from how you describe. It was in a very congested downtown street in a suburb. We were lined up, stopped at a light, light turned green. I think I was second in line. The car in front of me progressed, making a right turn, but it didn't quite complete it. So I was the second car in the line and as the car in front of me moved off to the right, the Tesla just it reacted as though it was all clear and just started

accelerating.
And so, the failure mode would have been, you
know, we would have hit the back right corner of the car in front of us.

Tesla Analyst Uses 'Full Self-Driving,' Nearly Crashes

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The test was conducted in sunny, dry conditions near suburban New York City, using a Tesla-owned car.

The first test was done after Q1 earnings report, following Musk's directive, while the most recent one was done on a Friday.

The researcher acknowledges not having access to version 12.

5 and anticipates the company's cooperation in the future.

Discussion on Tesla's FSD and Driver's Attention

A Tesla owner discusses his experience with Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, highlighting the car's ability to operate without the driver's hands on the wheel.

The owner expresses surprise at being able to fully turn away from the wheel for 20-40 seconds without the car demanding attention.

The owner also mentions that Tesla has not reached out to him regarding his experience with the FSD technology.

The Concerns Surrounding Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Technology

Tesla's FSD demo mode allowed a potentially dangerous distraction for 30 seconds, raising concerns about its safety.

Many people on social media are expressing worries and the company's CEO, Elon Musk, has made ambitious claims about the future of FSD, but the transition to a fleet of robo-taxis remains uncertain.

The current FSD version is seen as inadequate for achieving full autonomy, leaving the timeline for its development unclear.

A Near Accident at a Downtown Intersection

The near accident occurred in a congested downtown street when the car in front failed to complete a right turn, causing the Tesla to react unexpectedly.

The failure mode would have resulted in a collision with the back right corner of the leading car.

The incident highlights the potential risks of unexpected vehicle reactions in congested urban areas.