Thoughts on Owning a Self-Driving Tesla

I recently purchased a Tesla after my trusty Subaru showed its age. My reasoning was simple: I could buy a car or a car with a driver, and the cost would be the same. Over 2,000 miles of driving, including a six-hour round trip to North Carolina, I found the Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability to be incredible. I rarely needed to supervise, as the FSD system handled the majority of the driving, leaving me free to listen to podcasts or engage in conversations.

The FSD system uses eight cameras to create a 3D, bird's eye view of the car and its surroundings, constantly identifying cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, and predicting their movements, much like an advanced language model predicting the next word in a sentence. This level of perception and decision-making is made possible by a neural network trained on data from billions of miles of Tesla fleet driving.

However, supervision is still necessary, primarily due to navigation issues, such as confusion between HOV and normal lanes on certain highways. The system occasionally stops for school buses and police officers, demonstrating its ability to make appropriate decisions in crucial situations. The integration of ChatGPT, now known as Grok, further enhances the driving experience.

By allowing users to interact with the system using natural language, Grok makes it easier to adjust settings, send emails, and even book appointments, all while driving. This seamless interaction is more pleasant than directly interacting with the car, and it also saves time and mental effort. The monthly cost for FSD is $99, and the premium connectivity required for Grok is an additional $10.

For me, the cost of FSD plus Grok is about the same as the money I save on gas, making the overall expense roughly equivalent to what I would have spent on maintaining my Subaru.