Tesla's Autopilot Feature Expands to New Zealand, Navigating Speed Bumps and Construction Sites
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software has made significant strides in real-world driving capabilities, as demonstrated by recent supervised on-road testing in Auckland, New Zealand. Videos show the FSD system navigating complex inner-city streets, handling challenges such as narrow roads, speed humps (judder bars), parked cars on both sides, and construction sites, with driving behaviors similar to a human driver [1][2].
The company's Australia and New Zealand country director, Thom Drew, confirmed that Tesla is in the "final stages of validation" for local release of FSD supervised driving, with no regulatory barriers remaining in New Zealand [1]. The rollout will begin with vehicles equipped with hardware version 4 (HW4) and proceed in phases. Despite being "supervised" — requiring drivers to remain alert and ready to take over — the system allows hands-free operation in many typical urban driving scenarios, indicating it closely approaches practical use in real-world conditions [1][3].
This demonstration follows Tesla’s broader global testing and deployments of FSD, including fully autonomous vehicle delivery in Texas and a limited robotaxi ride-hailing service. However, it is important to note that the system does not yet constitute fully driverless operation and remains subject to validation and phased regulatory approval [1][3].
In a separate development, there have been reports of some confusion in the New Zealand market about what capabilities are included with FSD, as some Tesla owners have found the system does not perform as fully autonomous and had been misled about its extent. This underscores that while the technology is advancing rapidly, it still requires supervision and may not yet match all customer expectations of "self-driving" [4][5].
In July, Tesla released another video showing a supervised FSD journey around the streets of Sydney, highlighting landmarks like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house. In May, Tesla released a video showing a Tesla Model 3 driving on Australian roads in Melbourne without any driver input [6].
Thom Drew, the company's country director, clarified on LinkedIn that there are no regulatory blocks for the FSD software to be rolled out in right-hand-drive markets of Australia and New Zealand [7]. Tesla has previously tested its supervised full-self-driving (FSD) software in right-hand-drive markets, such as Australia and New Zealand, as evidenced by a video shared by Tesla's Australia and New Zealand X account, showing a Tesla Model 3 driving itself in Ponsonby, Auckland [8].
The Tesla Model 3 in the video was observed moving off to the side to let other cars pass in narrow roads, a behavior similar to a human driver's politeness game [8]. The car navigated a route that included passing a construction site with parked trucks and traffic cones [2]. Many excited Kiwis commented on the complexities of driving in Ponsonby, Auckland, stating that it's not an easy place to drive [9]. Tesla's FSD system was observed to duck behind parked cars and allow oncoming traffic to pass before proceeding [2].
Riz Akhtar, the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specializes in Australian EV data, insight reports, and trends. He is a mechanical engineer with a passion for cars, particularly EVs, and aims to help reduce transport emissions in Australia [10]. Currently, Mr. Akhtar drives a red Tesla Model 3 [11].
References:
[1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128953810/tesla-boss-says-self-driving-car-software-nearly-ready-for-new-zealand [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUz39jZf1w [3] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129070387/tesla-to-start-rolling-out-self-driving-car-software-in-new-zealand [4] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128953810/tesla-boss-says-self-driving-car-software-nearly-ready-for-new-zealand [5] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12312484 [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuVqX7nRjnQ [7] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6903148199889736704 [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUz39jZf1w [9] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12312484 [10] https://www.linkedin.com/in/riz-akhtar-45558b13/ [11] https://www.linkedin.com/in/riz-akhtar-45558b13/
- The Tesla Model 3 in a video showcased driving itself in Ponsonby, Auckland, demonstrated a behavior similar to a human driver byoving off to the side to let other cars pass in narrow roads.
- Riz Akhtar, the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, who drives a red Tesla Model 3, specializes in Australian EV data, insight reports, and trends.
- Thom Drew, the company's Australia and New Zealand country director, confirmed that Tesla is in the "final stages of validation" for local release of Full Self-Driving (FSD) supervised driving, with no regulatory barriers remaining in New Zealand.
- Despite Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system's advancements, it still requires supervision and may not yet match all customer expectations of "self-driving," as evidenced by some confusion in the New Zealand market about what capabilities are included with FSD.
