Tesla's Full Self-Driving hits Prague streets: Czechs among the first in Europe to legalise the system

As of this week, Czechia has become one of the few countries in Europe where Tesla's "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" system is officially permitted. All that's required is a car with up-to-date software and hardware, plus a subscription costing 2,400 crowns a month.

Before your first drive, you simply watch a short in-car tutorial video, and you're ready to go. Anyone who has already tried the previous, legally approved version of Autopilot will be pleasantly surprised: with the new software, the car handles far more smoothly and confidently.

What the system can do

The autopilot handles motorways, city streets, intersections, roundabouts and other tricky situations. It isn't fully autonomous driving, though — the driver must still watch the road and be ready to take over at any moment. That said, according to the manufacturer, the system promises up to seven times fewer chances of a serious crash.

The car keeps a close eye on the driver's behaviour and quickly notices if attention drifts, say, to a phone. Technically, this remains only level two autonomy out of five possible levels, meaning full responsibility still rests with the human behind the wheel. The dream of a car driving its owner home from the pub on its own remains a long way off.

The bigger question concerns the very nature of how the system works. Within just a few minutes of driving, the journalists testing the autopilot caught themselves trusting the car's smooth, confident driving perhaps more than they should have. After all, if the system makes no mistakes during a one-hour test drive, what guarantees it won't slip up six months down the line — and will the driver actually be ready to react in that split second?

Cameras and neural networks instead of lidar

From the driver's seat, everything is clearly laid out: the display shows graphics indicating exactly what the car sees and is reacting to. The vehicle follows traffic rules based on mapping data and sign recognition, while drivers can set a small margin above the speed limit. Touch the brake or grab the wheel, and the autopilot switches off instantly. It will also warn the driver and ask them to take over whenever it isn't confident about a situation or detects inattentiveness.

For its autonomous and semi-autonomous driving systems, Tesla relies on an architecture built entirely around cameras combined with neural networks and mapping data — no lidar or other sensors involved.

Trouble with road markings and signs

Summing up the test drive, the most pleasant surprise came from the toughest challenges, which the car handled brilliantly. It squeezes through narrow streets with ease and drives as smoothly as a professional. The system pays especially close attention to pedestrians, often spotting them before the human driver does. It interacts correctly with other vehicles too, signalling its intentions in advance, staying calm and never rushing. It also copes well with obstacles on the road, temporary signage at construction sites, emergency vehicles with sirens blaring, and tricky intersections or roundabouts.

Still, there were downsides, some of them caught on video. The car ignores potholes, which is particularly relevant after winter. It also struggles to recognise supplementary road signs and traffic-light arrows. At consecutive junctions, the system can occasionally get "confused," blocking a lane and drawing puzzled honks from other drivers — although humans make the same mistake, and the car's attempts to clear the way looked almost endearing. When turning off a one-way street, it also ought to hug the edge more closely.

Overall, the driving experience remains impressive, but it's worth remembering the risk of growing too comfortable with the technology. Sometimes it makes sense to take the wheel yourself — not because the system's logic demands it, but simply out of courtesy or to make your intentions clear to other road users. Will drivers themselves manage that discipline? Thanks to this newly legalised system, Czech roads could well become safer — but expect no shortage of confusing moments along the way.

Source: novinky.cz