Investor Ross Gerber recently expressed his views on Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) system’s performance, highlighting the hardware issues when dealing with direct sunlight.
• Tesla shares are under pressure.
What Happened: Gerber, in a series of posts on X on Monday, shared his experience with Tesla Inc.(NASDAQ:TSLA)’s FSD system.
According to him, the system fails when driving into direct sunlight, a problem he believes is hardware-related. He compared this with the human approach to dealing with sunlight while driving, which involves using sunglasses, car visors and hands to block the sun.
Gerber also mentioned his successful rides around a busy West LA using Tesla’s FSD 14.2.2.4, even amidst an Iranian protest in Westwood. However, he pointed out that the system failed on his way home due to the sunlight issue.
Gerber also brought up Waymo, Google’s self-driving technology project, stating that it doesn’t have issues with sunlight. He noted Waymo’s recent fundraising efforts, which are expected to raise $15 billion at a $100 billion valuation, mostly from Alphabet’s Google.
Why It Matters: Gerber’s observations raise questions about the effectiveness of Tesla’s FSD system in all driving conditions. While he praised the software’s overall performance, he stressed that the hardware needs to be fixed to adjust for issues with direct sunlight.
These comments come at a time when the race for self-driving technology is heating up, with companies such as Tesla and Waymo at the forefront. Gerber’s remarks underscore the challenges that these companies face in perfecting their technology.