17 godzin temu
Tesla has released footage showing its cars navigating UK public roads without human control, demonstrating fully self-driving capabilities in central London and Swindon. The electric vehicle manufacturer published two videos featuring a Model 3 car operating autonomously while the driver's hands remain off the steering wheel.
The three-minute London demonstration shows the vehicle successfully handling roadworks and passing iconic landmarks including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. A separate video captures the car tackling Swindon's notorious Magic Roundabout, one of Britain's most challenging road junctions.
Same hardware as customer cars
Tesla confirmed the Model 3 used in the demonstrations contains identical hardware to vehicles currently delivered to customers. However, the software enabling these autonomous capabilities remains available only to the company's engineers as Tesla awaits regulatory approval for unsupervised full self-driving in the UK.
Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, praised the technology's ability to handle British road complexities. "It is a mistake to think that driverless technology won't be able to cope with the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the UK's roads - hats off to anyone, or anything, that can successfully negotiate the Magic Roundabout," he said.
Regulatory challenges ahead
Gooding highlighted the significant regulatory hurdles facing autonomous vehicles, emphasising the need for comprehensive safety assurance. "The challenge for the regulatory authorities - and the nagging worry in the minds of potential passengers - is how to be sure that these vehicles can cope in every combination of circumstances they might encounter, including those where the human drivers around them might be less inclined to stick to the rules," he explained.
The regulatory framework must ensure self-driving vehicles can handle not just ideal conditions but every possible scenario they might face on British roads. "The regulatory test self-driving vehicles need to pass is not whether they can cope with our roads on a given day, it is whether they can cope every day in every combination of circumstances they might encounter," Gooding added.
Government consultation launched
On Monday, the Government launched a consultation examining the regulatory requirements for future self-driving taxis. This initiative represents a crucial step towards establishing the legal framework necessary for autonomous vehicle deployment across the UK's transport network.
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
