Tesla is preparing to introduce next-level driver-assist technology to Australia, with the launch of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (FSD-S).
While the company has not confirmed an exact date, Australia and New Zealand are set to be among the first right-hand-drive markets to receive the system. AutoTalk expects an announcement to be made today on its arrival.
Media were invited to Brisbane earlier this month for a first-hand look. In a rare move, journalists were sent out alone for three hours in heavy city traffic and rain to test how the system performed on public roads. The event was kept secret until today, and reporters were not allowed to ask Tesla staff questions on record.
FSD-S expands Tesla’s existing Autopilot from motorway lane-keeping into more complex driving environments. Once a destination is set in the satnav and the on-screen activation button pressed, the car attempts to handle the full journey — steering, braking, lane changes, intersections, roundabouts and motorway merges.
The technology relies on eight exterior cameras connected to Tesla’s in-house Full Self-Driving computer. The system processes visual data at 36 frames per second to build a 3D model of the road environment and predict the safest path forward. Unlike many rivals, Tesla does not use lidar, radar or high-definition mapping, betting instead on vision-based artificial intelligence.
Driver monitoring is central to the system. An infrared camera watches head and eye movement. If the driver looks away for too long, alerts escalate; continued inattention disables the feature for the remainder of the trip.
Price and availability
FSD-S costs $10,100 if purchased outright. Tesla is considering a subscription model and a 30-day free trial for new deliveries, although these options are not yet confirmed.
The rollout will begin with the latest Model 3 and Model Y vehicles fitted with Hardware 4. Customers who have already purchased the Full Self-Driving package are expected to be first in line.
Legal setting
Tesla stresses that FSD-S is not autonomous driving. It is classified as a Level 2 driver-assist system, meaning the driver must remain in control and is legally responsible at all times. Tesla is relying on the basis that at this level of assistance a person is still “in control” of a vehicle, making supervised systems like FSD-S permissible. Fully driverless cars are not yet legal.
The bigger issue may be its name — regulators and industry groups could be watching closely, particularly over how a system marketed as “Full Self-Driving” is presented when it legally remains supervised driving.
On-road experience
Testing in Brisbane showed a system that was confident but cautious when necessary. It flowed with suburban traffic and handled roundabouts smoothly, though at busy intersections it sometimes waited longer than a human driver might before proceeding and got caught trying to get past a one-lane bridge.
On motorways, the car merged cleanly and maintained pace with other vehicles. In urban areas it recognised scooters, pedestrians and traffic wardens, though vague hand signals prompted one manual intervention. In a park, the system slowed appropriately for a bird on the road, and when passing a dealership the on-screen visualisation showed dozens of moving icons but the car itself held its course without distraction.
On winding roads the Tesla traced natural cornering lines. Throughout, the driver-facing camera was less intrusive than some rival systems, allowing natural head checks without frequent alerts.
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