Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) AI software chief Ashok Elluswamy praised Full Self-Driving (Supervised) V14 on Sunday after a highway video showed a Tesla slowing from 82 mph to a complete stop as smoke and crashed vehicles appeared ahead.
FSD V14 Appears to React Before Driver Recognizes Danger
"You can have James Bond as your personal driver," Elluswamy wrote on X while sharing the clip. Tesla also reposted the footage, calling the maneuver "like having a fighter pilot behind the wheel." The Aug. 1 recording includes multiple camera angles and a data overlay showing the vehicle begin a controlled deceleration before reaching the obstruction.
The vehicle’s owner said FSD reacted before they had fully recognized the danger, highlighting the proactive decision-making Tesla has emphasized with V14. Earlier this month, startup investor Paul Graham compared his wife’s first FSD experience to a “religious revelation.”
Tesla says FSD V14 can navigate, change lanes, avoid vehicles and objects, and make turns under active driver supervision. Its current V14 trial requires software version 14.2 or later. Tesla explicitly warns that FSD "does not make your vehicle autonomous" and tells drivers to remain attentive and ready to intervene.
Tesla Bets Heavily On Growing FSD Adoption
The software is becoming increasingly important to Tesla’s growth strategy. Tesla reported 1.48 million active FSD subscriptions in the second quarter, up 56% year over year and from 1.28 million in Q1. Subscriptions hit a record as Tesla expanded its robotaxi business. Tesla also said V14 improvements target "proactive and reactive responsiveness" in situations including merges, pedestrian interactions and vehicle cut-ins.
Elluswamy has also pointed to broader international expansion after European regulatory approvals, saying standards used there could open FSD to "a lot more countries."
Regulatory Scrutiny Continues As FSD Advances
Still, regulators continue scrutinizing the technology. In March, the NHTSA escalated its investigation into FSD to an engineering analysis covering about 3.2 million Teslas over concerns FSD may fail to detect degraded visibility, including glare, dust or airborne obstructions.
The agency reported nine incidents potentially tied to the issue in March, including one fatal crash and two injury crashes.
Tesla’s instructions remain clear that FSD is supervised driver assistance and not autonomous driving. The 82-mph clip showcases V14’s collision-avoidance behavior, but the driver remains responsible for supervising the system.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that TSLA stock maintains a weak price trend in the short, medium, and long term, with a moderate growth and quality score.
Price Action: TSLA stock was up 0.37% to $343.52 during pre-market trading on Monday.
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