Autonomous driving features on Tesla Inc TSLA vehicles may be good for the future of robotaxis, but might not be practical to pass driver’s tests as a Canadian teenager recently found out.
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What Happened: The Model Y has been the bestselling electric vehicle in the world for multiple years and having advanced driving features may be one of the many reasons why.
It turns out that advanced driving features can cause a person to fail the road test as part of driver’s training.
A Tesla owner in Ontario, Canada, let his daughter borrow his Model Y for her G driver’s license test, as reported by CBC.
The Model Y has the option to use regenerative braking, an ability to stop without the driver using the brake pedal.
“Essentially, you can come to a full stop without even touching the brake pedal,” Tesla owner Eric Simard said.
Simard told CBC News that his daughter didn’t know how to turn off regenerative braking and failed her test after not being allowed to call him for help.
The testing instructor from Drive Test Ontario marked the test as the Model Y vehicle being “out of order.”
“I find it pretty frustrating because even though it’s regenerative braking and you’re not using the brake pedal, you’re clearly the one that is in full control of making the vehicle come to a stop or to slow down.”
According to Simard, his daughter showed intent to slow down as the regenerative braking only works when drivers let up on the accelerator.
Simard’s daughter was also marked down on her test for another Model Y feature: the vehicle “chimes” when traffic lights turn from red to green.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Julia Caslin told CBC News that the graduated licensing system requires drivers to demonstrate “full control, regardless of the vehicle’s features.”
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Why It’s Important: According to CBC, the Drive Test Ontario website does not mention regenerative braking, but mentions other vehicle features.
The website says people taking road tests must still turn their heads, check mirrors and look around while backing up, even if their vehicles have rear camera screens as many newer vehicle models do.
As vehicles add more advanced features, it’s likely more important than ever to know what is and isn’t allowed as part of driver’s training tests.
A similar incident happened to New Jersey high school junior Lochlan Keefer earlier this year. Keefer flunked his test due to trying to use a Model Y.
The examiner said features like regenerative braking and driver-assistance systems could give the junior an unfair edge.
Keefer’s father said his son was not using driver assistance features like parking assist, which he does not subscribe to.
The father said his son offered to disable the regenerative braking multiple times, but was told it was not necessary. The failed test may have proven otherwise.
Keefer later took his road test at a different location and passed without disabling the regenerative braking.
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Photo: Courtesy Tesla Inc.
