Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has begun testing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system in its Las Vegas tunnels. These tunnels connect the city’s Convention Center to several nearby hotels. According to reports, testing has been ongoing for a few months using Tesla vehicles that still have safety drivers behind the wheel.
Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, stated that any widespread use of the self-driving technology is still a long way off. The Tesla tunnel system itself has been operational for approximately four years. While there are plans to expand the network across Las Vegas, it currently only serves a limited area underneath and around the Convention Center.
Despite Tesla’s recent launch of small-scale robotaxi services in other cities and Musk’s positive statements about the technology, safety drivers in the Las Vegas tunnels still need to periodically intervene and take control of the vehicles. In theory, the simple tunnel design should provide an easier environment for Tesla’s autonomy software to master. The greatest challenges are expected to be navigating passenger pick-ups and drop-offs at the various underground stations.
Hill noted that the system has faced specific challenges in the tunnel environment. The colorful lighting and the semi-smooth rock walls have created situations that the driver assistance software finds difficult to navigate, requiring the cars to adapt to these unique conditions.