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Tesla is about to peel the curtains back on its most significant announcement for right-hand drive markets in years. We’re sworn to secrecy on exactly what this announcement is until this Friday, the 29th of August at 12:01 am, but we have shared a teaser video of this ground-breaking technology below.
Once the embargo breaks, you can read about and watch a full video of the technology on the website and our YouTube channel with details about exactly what this technology is.
What Could This Secret Tesla Technology Be?
Early candidates include the Cybertruck, which country manager Thom Drew, Tesla’s Country Director (Motors) for Australia & New Zealand, has previously expressed his desire for, “I personally would love to see a true competitor to the Ranger and the HiLux,” said Drew in an interview with Drive. “Cybertruck to one side – being the top end – I’d really love to see that. I have absolutely no insight as to if that’s coming, but as an Australian segment, that’s pretty key for us.”
Besides the Cybertruck, other possible candidates for this secret Tesla technology include ‘Full Self-Driving Supervised’, which the brand has been testing in Sydney, Melbourne, and other right-hand drive markets outside Australia for months.
Posted to LinkedIn, Thom Drew says, “Nothing like seeing FSD-S navigate the streets of your hometown!”
“We have been working with local authorities across AU & NZ, and there are no regulatory blockers for release. We are running through the final stages of validation prior to public release. Looking to start with HW4 on certain vehicles and then release in phases from there.”
If Tesla were to roll out ‘Full Self-Driving Supervised,’ it would have to be an SAE J3016 “Level 2” system to comply with local rules. By comparison, SAE “Level 3” systems—where the human in “the driver’s seat” is not considered to be driving the car—are not legal. The SAE Level 2 system states that a human in the driver’s seat is driving, “even if your feet are off the pedals and you are not steering.” It says, “You must constantly supervise these support features; you must steer, brake or accelerate as needed to maintain safety.”
Now, we await the embargo for further information relating to this technology (Friday, 29th August 12:01 am AEST).
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