January is almost over, and we’re still waiting for Tesla to release the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software north of the border. Since we’re not able to test it on snowy Canadian roads, the next best thing is beta tester Chris (Dirty Tesla), who took his Model 3 out after a recent snowfall in Michigan.
The video starts off with Chris driving down a back-country road that is snow-packed and unplowed. If you’ve ever driven in similar conditions, you know the human tendency is to drive closer to the middle of the road. With no visible lane markings, the car attempts to hug the right side of the road, leading to numerous disengagements.
Chris does mention this is a habit from a recent release, even in non-snowy conditions.
Once on the main roads that have been plowed and treated, the car handles the conditions much better, but still not perfect. As we have seen in other FSD beta testing videos in the snow, the self-driving software still does not recognize snow on the ground and that it needs to adjust its driving behaviours, like applying the brakes earlier or accelerating at a slower pace.
Overall the FSD beta software performs better than Chris was expecting, but it is still clearly not ready to handle everyday Canadian winter driving.
Check out the full video, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
