The First Responder Blindspot

Youtube is atwitter with videos and commentaries from Teslafans expounding on the merits of Tesla’s “full self-driving” tech.? The social media posts have been propelled by the introduction of Tesla’s “hardware 4” architecture which breaks with “hardware 3” in a number of ways including storage, processing, sensor configuration, and power consumption.

As always with Tesla, the “promise” of HW4 is the actual realization of full self-driving.? Dream on.

It's worth noting here that there isn’t a single auto maker elsewhere in the world that attracts the level of processor-level scrutiny of Tesla.? This obsession with Tesla’s hardware and software decision-making, camera positioning, vehicle construction, and software updates is unmatched by any other car maker.? That says a lot in an industry over-populated with gearheads.

There is precious little interest in how Volkswagen, Toyota, or General Motors are architecting or assembling their cars.? The Tesla obsessives put the Central Intelligence Agency to shame in their efforts to surveil Tesla’s various gigafactories and track vehicle deliveries around the world – i.e. particular models have different configurations depending on where they are made.

The real focal point, though, is Tesla’s quixotic pursuit of that “full self-driving.”? The Tesla touts logically link Tesla’s progress toward full self-driving with the company’s stock price, which introduces yet another level of unhealthy mania.

These technology analysts cum financial analysts breathlessly echo Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s claims that his HW4-equipped vehicles are “thinking.”? In multiple video interviews a voice – that sounds like Musk – describes how Tesla’s neural network technology (“nothing but nets”) is not responding to hard coded guidance – either from a map or software - regarding traffic lights, stop signs, or roundabouts but is rather apprehending these contextual cues from previously scanned data.

This is an important distinction Musk is making from a legal, plausible deniability standpoint.? Just as Tesla is quick to blame Tesla owners for misusing or abusing its Autopilot software, often resulting in injuries or fatalities, here Musk is disavowing an understanding of how his own black box functions.? That being said, I’m not sure that “shit happens” is a legal defense.

In essence, Musk portrays his neural net technology as some kind of magic potion for achieving full self-driving.? Musk notes how “smooth” FSD operates, presumably replicating a human-like driving experience.

Suddenly, though, Musk notes in one video that there are reasons the latest beta of FSD has not been deployed (and why HW4 customers will have to wait).? “There’s a reason we haven’t released this to the public,” he says.? “There’s times when it goes wrong.”

Imagine Penn & Teller doing one of their amazing magic tricks on stage at the Rio in Las Vegas or even live in a televised event and saying: “This is our greatest trick, but please note, sometimes it doesn’t work and somebody might be killed or hurt.”? Wait, what?

Watching these Musk videos one might be forgiven for forgetting the dozens of parked emergency vehicles – police cars and firetrucks – that Teslas running Autopilot (not to be confused with FSD) have collided with.? It’s a phenomenon so bizarre that even Tesla has been forced to inconclusively investigate – along with Federal regulators.

This is to say nothing of the phantom stops on the highway – also unexplained.? So, Musk and Tesla are trapped in a purgatory of near-full-self-driving seemingly intended to drive Musk and his investors mad.

It is simultaneously making first responders and regulators angry, not mad.? Musk gets his data from his customer/guinea pigs, the Teslafans get their video clips and off-the-cuff Elon interviews, and the masquerade continues.

Of course the non-arrival of the Cybertruck equipped with HW4 is a double reminder that Musk is no man of his word.? The serial liar has failed to deliver on multiple promises while taking advantage of regulatory loopholes and leniency.

It does seem, though, that we ought to be able to draw a line at crashing into emergency vehicles.? In fact, difficult interactions with first responders is rapidly becoming a hallmark of the new mobility economy.

There is only one explanation.? While Uber and Tesla and their ilk can lobby and buy the support of politicians and compromise the integrity of regulators, they have yet to find a way to manipulate the first responder community.? Talk about a blindspot!

Waymo and Cruise vehicles in San Francisco can’t seem to pull over in a predictable manner to make way for emergency responders.? And a Cruise vehicle was actually hit by a responding firetruck last week.

Tesla, Cruise, and Waymo make boastful claims for the safe operation of their vehicles.? All three organizations, not coincidentally, claim to operate their vehicles in a manner that is safer than human operation.? What kind of gaslighting is this?? How stupid do these folks think we are?

Tesla, Cruise, and Waymo are all demonstrably unsafe.? But let’s concede the point.? Let’s allow them this safety claim so that we can at least focus on one fixable aspect of their operation.

Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla must establish formal engagement with the first responder community in the interest of enhancing or rather establishing the safe operation of their vehicles.? This engagement has two objectives: to embed in their operational algorithms the recognition of two key rules of the road:

1. The need to pull over in the presence of a responding emergency vehicle, and
2. The need to move over to make room for parked emergency vehicles.

The responsibility lies with Waymo, Cruise, and Tesla to adopt the hardware and/or software necessary to achieve these objectives. They all claim superior perception capabilities. It's time to prove it.

Until the likes of Waymo, Cruise, Tesla and all the rest can find a way to resolve their dangerous and destructive interactions with the first responder community, they ought to have their rights to access public highways revoked.? Clearly a message needs to be sent – and it’s never too late.