- [Narrator] This month, Tesla plans to release

a major upgrade to its driver assistance software FSD-beta.

That upgrade is expected to extend public access

to a feature intended to help vehicles navigate cities.

Despite its name, FSD or full self-driving,

still doesn't make cars fully autonomous

and Tesla instructs drivers

to remain alert with their hands on the wheel.

- Tesla began selling a driver assistance package

that it calls full self-driving capability

about five years ago.

And so this feature that's expected to help

drivers navigate in cities is part of that package.

- [Narrator] This expands upon Tesla's existing

FSD system of driver assistance tools

that were designed mainly for highways.

- Tesla has taken an unusual approach

to rolling out access to this upgrade.

A small group of users has been testing

this city-driving feature for quite a while

and using it on public roads,

often recording videos of those experiences

and posting them.

- Ooh, okay, wow.

That was awesome.

- [Rebecca] That has helped to drum up a lot of interest

and also invited scrutiny as well.

- [Narrator] Tesla owners can buy full self-driving

for $10,000 or use it through a subscription

of up to $199 a month.

But the wider public hasn't been granted access

to the city-driving tool yet.

Tesla has been preparing to release

its city-driving tool beyond that small group of people

who have been testing the software.

Drivers have now been able to request the feature,

but CEO, Elon Musk, said they would only be granted access

after having their driving habits evaluated.

- Tesla has said it's taking into consideration

a variety of factors, including things like hard breaking

or aggressive turning.

And it's using those inputs to come up

with a safety score that will be used

to prioritize who gets access.

Tesla plans to release this upgrade

to drivers progressively around a thousand a day

based on their safety score,

but it remains unclear what happens

if you get caught in this space

where Tesla doesn't think you're driving is good enough.

- [Reporter] The Tesla crushed

after slamming into an overturned semi.

- A Bay Area Tesla driver was playing video games

at the time of a deadly crash.

- [Narrator] Tesla's latest upgrade

comes in the wake of a series of crashes

that have heightened scrutiny

of the company's driver assistance software.

- The new chair of the National Transportation Safety Board

has been critical of Tesla's driver assistance systems,

and really, specifically the language

that the company uses to describe its tools,

but the agency doesn't have regulatory authority.

This really is a space

that is not tightly regulated in the US

and so automakers have a wide degree of latitude.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] Tesla's driver assistance software

comes in two bundles.

Autopilot comes as a standard system

on new vehicles and primarily assist highway driving.

The second package is what Tesla calls

its full self-driving capability,

which is essentially an upgrade that adds more features,

but it's only available to customers who buy the package.

- Tesla drivers have identified

a variety of tricks to make

autopilot believe they are focused on the road

even if they are literally asleep at the wheel.

- [Narrator] For years, Tesla's faced criticism

from some lawmakers about its driver assistance software.

- You can take a water bottle,

take an orange and put it right into the steering wheel.

And then that tricks the system

to believing that your hands are on the wheel.

- [Narrator] Last month, the NTSB launched

an investigation into a fatal crash

involving a Tesla vehicle in Florida.

And in August, the National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration said

it was investigating Tesla's autopilot system.

- But it's likely going to take quite a while

for that investigation to play out.

We're just in the early stages.

- [Narrator] In recent months,

even Musk has expressed mixed views

about the full self-driving system.

- [Elon] We need to make full self-driving work

in order for it to be a compelling value proposition.

Otherwise, people are kind of betting on the future.

I mean, right now, it doesn't make sense

for somebody to do FSD subscription.

I think it's debatable.

- [Narrator] Tesla did not respond

to a request for comment.

(soft music)