Tesla has long bragged about its self-driving features. They said it was a top reason to buy their electric cars. But the company has struggled to deliver on those big promises. Recently, a simple road test aimed to check these claims. The goal was to cross the entire United States using only the autonomous mode. Sadly, the trip ended badly with an accident. It happened after less than 100 kilometers.
The Dream of a Coast-to-Coast Drive
Back in 2016, Elon Musk made a bold statement. He claimed a Tesla would drive itself across the USA. This trip would go from Los Angeles to New York. He said it would happen before the end of 2017. The plan was to stream or record the whole journey. No person would need to touch the controls.
Fast forward almost nine years. That promised journey never officially took place. So, two online content creators decided to try it themselves. They set out to do what Musk had not. They picked a Tesla Model Y. It ran on the FSD 13.9 software version. Their route stretched from San Diego, California, to Jacksonville, Florida.
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These influencers were trying to recreate Musk’s vision. They thought it would be a straightforward trip. But they quickly learned how shaky the self-driving system still is. They barely covered any ground. Then, a crash happened. This was not something anyone would expect from a Tesla in autonomous mode.
A Short Trip Ends in a Crash
The outcome was a complete mess. They completed only a tiny fraction of their planned journey. The video they shared shows the vehicle hitting road trash. It looked like the car could have easily dodged it.
The person driving had their hands off the steering wheel. The passenger spotted the obstacle in time. But they didn’t react either. Perhaps they hoped the Tesla would simply drive around it. The accident broke the car’s stabilizer bar. It also damaged the suspension. Several system warnings flashed on the screen. In total, they traveled just over 96 kilometers. That was before this road object stopped them cold.
Even with this big failure, many still feel hopeful. They believe Tesla is getting closer to achieving its self-driving goal. At least this is true for the USA. Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin proves this belief, some say.