Tesla Full Self Driving Issues

In this video I explain why FSD is a waste of money and Tesla's weather problems.

00:00 Intro
00:36 Rain Draining the battery but why?
01:00 Vampire identified
02:00 Full Self Driving Waste of Money explained
03:26 Tesla's other weather issue
06:13 My T-shirt explained
06:30 Public Plea



Recently I took another road trip in my Tesla Model 3. This was the first time I had been on a long road trip where I encountered a heavy rain. What amazed me was the battery drain I encountered. Ironically before I ran into the storm I took this photo because I was impressed at how fast I was driving and what little energy draw I was recognizing.

A short time later we encountered a rain storm that lasted a significant amount of time. I happened to still have the energy consumption screen displayed when I noticed a sudden spike in energy use. I wasn’t sure what was causing the surge so I first turned off the car heater and the consumption barely changed. I then turned off the windshield wipers and was shocked at the sudden dip in energy use. Of course I couldn’t test this theory very long due to the rain. Upon doing more research after the fact I found several theories that included the resistance the rain puts upon the vehicle as the rain falls as well as the rolling resistance the water leaves on the roadway that contributes to the battery drain. Regardless if it was the rain or the windshield wipers I was shocked at how inefficient my Tesla suddenly became. When comparing the watts per mile used prior to the rain (221) vs. (376) after the rain began I realized that I was losing at least a 100 miles of range. When taking a long road trip this can increase your travel time by 30%!

I have been saying since the first day I bought a Tesla that full self driving will never (in my lifetime) happen. This recent trip in the rain has convinced me even more that I am right. I was driving in the rain with the autopilot activated when all of the sudden the Tesla unexpectedly gave me a loud audible warning and message to take the wheel. It knocked me out of autopilot and I had to grab the wheel and step on the pedal so the car wouldn’t stop on the highway and we get hit from behind. Show photo. You can see in this photo the option for cruise control and autopilot isn’t an option for me at this point. Not only did it unexpectedly knock me out of autopilot several times I would get these messages while driving.
What engineering feet must Elon pull off in order to overcome the rain blocking the cameras? This is just one reason why FSD was and is a waste of money.

The other weather problem Tesla is facing is the cold and wintery conditions. As with the rain any snow or ice is going to make full self driving impossible. Ice continues to be an issue of Tesla Model 3 and S owners due to the door handles freezing shut and the windows not being able to operate properly. Since Tesla’s have frameless windows when the doors open and close the windows need to be able to lower slightly and roll up on closing. If there is too much ice on the doors the windows can’t do their function making it impossible to open and close the door. The solution is to preheat (drain) the battery for 10-20 minutes (depending on the temperature). If you are plugged in at home this isn’t an issue but if you are away from the charger it could potentially lengthen your road trip because having to take longer at the next supercharger.

It’s not just the ice you have to worry about when owning a Tesla but the temperature as well. Several studies have shown that when the temperature falls to 20 degrees or below the Tesla battery drain can be as high as 40%! https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cold-weather-saps-electric-car-batteries-2019-02-07

If your daily commute is less than hour and you charge from home this won’t be an issue but if you commute further or you are on a road trip this will add a tremendous amount of time to your road trip. In all fairness to Tesla though this will happen with any electric vehicle.

I know this video has a negative tone but even with all the issues with the weather I will still always own a Tesla or another comparable electric vehicle. You just have to be more patient and plan ahead. If you are someone on a time crunch or live in extreme weather environments then electric might not be fore you.