Tesla is demonstrating the fully autonomous driving capabilities of its cars during tests on public roads in the UK.
The electric car maker has released two videos showing the Model 3 driving around central London and the Magic Roundabout in Swindon without the driver holding the steering wheel.
The three-minute clip, filmed in London, shows the car negotiating roadworks and passing landmarks including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.
Tesla said the Model 3 used in the videos has the same hardware as the cars delivered to customers today, but the software is currently only available to its engineers.
The company is awaiting regulatory approval to operate its unsupervised full autonomous driving capabilities in the UK.
Steve Gooding, director of the motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: “It is a mistake to think that driverless technology cannot cope with the complexities and peculiarities of UK roads. Hats off to anyone who can successfully negotiate the Magic Roundabout.”
“The challenge for regulators – and a persistent concern for potential commuters – is how to ensure that these vehicles can cope with any combination of circumstances they may encounter, including those where the drivers around them may be less likely to adhere to the rules.
“The regulatory test that self-driving cars must pass is not whether they can handle our roads on a given day, but whether they can handle them every day, under every combination of circumstances they might encounter.”
On Monday, the government launched a consultation on what rules driverless taxis will have to comply with in the future.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
