Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in 2025: When the Machine Hates You

As you might have noticed, I attended CES 2025 in Las Vegas, which lasted during the entire first working week of the year. What you didn’t know, though, is that I drove there. Even more, I passed by Death Valley on the way there and back. Yes, that “Deeeaath Valley!” as some of you might have called it because the name scares you.

I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, so that’s over 1300 miles (2100 km) round trip. As shared in the related box below, it wasn’t my first rodeo (a.k.a. long road trip) on my Tesla Model Y, but it was the first time I went solo. It turned out to be both exhilarating and sobering, especially during an almost 200-mile desert stretch without cell signals or charging stations.

As you read this, I’m already home safe and very much alive. The trip was successful in all categories, although the driving part wasn’t smooth sailing, thanks to the latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and all of its shenanigans. This story is mainly about that rough patch. In fact, I needed a week to recover from the experience.

Having a slow weekend? This can be a fun read.

Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in 2025: When the machine hates you

It wasn’t the first time I drove to Las Vegas. In 2000, the city was my destination during the summer break in my first car, a stick-shift Toyota Tercel 1991 Coup that had no AC.

Ten years later, I took a friend there at their request, so this is my third road trip to the Sin City.

Driving from the Bay Area to Las Vegas can get boring. Most of the time, you head eastbound on Interstate 5, which is straight and often smelly, thanks to the cattle farms along the way.

This time around, I planned to take a big detour: I’ll go through Death Valley and camp at the Furnace Creek campground in both directions, there and back. The truth is that Death Valley was one of the incentives that motivated me to attend CES this year.

Unlike what the name might suggest, Death Valley is a wonderful and lively national park—you must be there to appreciate its stunning, out-of-this-world beauty. The park is also huge, about 150 miles in length and 85 miles wide, and it would take weeks for anyone to explore all of its major attractions.

The park is a bit out of the main freeways. It’s between California and Vegas, surrounded by mountains with up to 5000-foot peaks. For this reason, while it’s my favorite place to go camping, I have been there only three times. This fourth time is my first with an EV, so the park’s 200-mile drive-though without a fast charging station can be an issue.

My goal is to get to the campsite with around 50% battery. I’d use about 10 to 15% of the battery for the car’s Camp Mode overnight in case it gets cold and still has enough juice to make it to the next Supercharger on the Nevada side at Pahrump, which is 60 miles away, before heading to Vegas.

Getting to the campground with half a full charge is a tall order, considering the last Supercharger is in Inyokern. From there, there are over 130 miles of up-and-down road to the campground.

On the way back, I planned to take the same route the other way around. The trip worked out as planned for the most part. But like all things, it’s the details that matter.

The first Autopilot strikeouts on the Self Full-Self Driving (Supervised)

On Sunday, January 5th morning, I left home at 5 am with 96 percent on the battery. It was one of the few times I charged the car above 80 percent. As usual, I used the car’s Autopilot and got to the first charging stop uneventfully.

At the time, the sun was rising from the east at an angle that made it hard to view the road ahead. So, as the car is being charged, I decided to subscribe to the Full Self-Driving (Supervised), thinking it’d help me relax a bit. It doesn’t hurt to have a helping hand for the long trip ahead, and it’s also good to put FSD to a real test.

The upgrade process took a few minutes, and after the car restarted its onboard computer, FSD was ready. I had tried FSD multiple times before over the years, but this was the first I decided to pay for it.

When the battery reached 80 percent, we left the area, with the car taking over completely. It merged into the freeway, gained speed, passed a few trucks, and then moved to the right lane like a good driver. Now and then, it asked me to put some pressure on the steering wheel to show that I was present, just like in Autopilot.

After about 30 minutes into the drive, things started to get a bit strange. There were more frequent warnings on the screen asking me to pay attention. I noted that if I looked at the screen for more than a few seconds, it started the warning again. The issue was that I only looked at the screen to understand the warnings. It was kind of confusing.

By the fifth time that happened, I decided to pull out my phone (from the holder mounted on the screen’s top-left corner) and take the pictures you see above. That’s when the car’s FSD (Supervised) disengaged and showed a warning that auto steering was no longer available for the rest of the drive. And just like that, I got the very first Autopilot strikeout.

I took over the control, continued to a turnout area, and pulled over, feeling a bit puzzled. The screen showed a message saying that if I had four more strikeouts, Autosteer (effectively Autopilot) and FSD (Supervised) would stop working altogether. And I had just decided to pay over $100 (tax included) for the latter’s one-month privilege! “What the hell!” I mumbled, feeling a bit stupid!

I thought maybe I was moving around in the seat a bit too often to keep my face away from the morning sun. Additionally, I often studied the screen to see what was going on each time the car beeped or flashed a warning. All that might have caused the system to think I wasn’t paying attention to the road (I was!), and my using the phone to take the photos was considered the final offense. Fair enough, I guess.

Having made that logical analysis, I decided to cover the cabin camera, located right above the rearview mirror, which the car’s computer system uses to monitor the driver’s behavior, with a piece of gum in the hope that I’ll be left alone. (This camera is not available in all Teslas with FSD computers.)

Well, I was wrong. Within a few minutes of resuming the trip, the screen showed a message that the “Cabin camera is blocked or blinded,” and the FSD disengaged. It didn’t punish me, though. The point is that FSD wouldn’t work without the camera watching over the driver. OK, fine!

So, I removed the piece of gum and turned FSD back on. This time around, to test, I was determined to put on my best driving behaviors. I sat almost still with my hands on the steering wheel, looking dead straight ahead, squinting to endure the sun.

Each time I heard the beepings—the usual sound that tells me to do something to show my presence—or sensed something flashing on the screen out of the corner of my eye, I automatically put pressure on the steering wheels—the only tangible response I could do—without looking at the screen to show that I was paying attention to the road ahead.

Alas! After a short while, FSD disengaged again, and I was given the second strikeout. So, it looks like I was punished for not paying attention to the screen! The issue was that other than putting some pressure on the steering wheels, it wasn’t clear what else I could have done to prove to the machine that I was paying attention.

By now, I was really annoyed. Since the upgrade, I couldn’t even listen to my favorite podcast in peace amidst all the peepings. I didn’t pay $100 so that I could be judged, and I’ve had enough of having my driving supervised when going with my wife and my kids.

A big of a brag: I have always been a careful driver. For almost twenty years, I had had zero incidents, not even a parking ticket. I drive my Model Y mainly in the “Chill” (reduced performance) mode, and so far on the trip, I have stayed at around the speed limit.

I decided to drive on my own to the next charging stop.

The Full Self-Driving (Supervised) of 2025 saga didn’t end there, and we’ll return to it. But first, let’s get back to the goal of arriving at the campground with a half-full battery. That brings us to my third and last charging stop before the park.

A happy camper

As mentioned, the Inyokern Supercharger is 130 miles (212 km) from the campground. This stretch is not a typical freeway but a constant climb to up to 5000-foot peaks before going downhill into the Valley.

To ensure survivability, I charged the car to 95 percent again and used the time to prepare for my overnight stay at the camp.

The Model Y’s trunk, with the backseats folded down, makes an excellent bed. All you need is a mattress. For the trip, I bought this Dikasun Air Mattress made specifically for the Model Y. It comes with an electric pump, and with it, I had my bed ready in less than 10 minutes.

After getting some snacks at the nearby store, I continued with the last drive, which was long but pleasant. It was long, mostly because I drove at around the speed limit (55 miles per hour) in an effort to conserve the battery.

I was doing so well with time and energy that halfway there, I decided to take a detour and go on multiple short hikes for sightseeing. The road was mostly empty and straight, so there was no point in using FSD. I used Autopilot occasionally, but I drove the car most of the time. That’s better when you want to stop and go.

After climbing the mountains, I reached Furnace Creek at 4 p.m. with 48 percent of the battery left, slightly less than I’d like.

However, a ranger at the Visitor Center informed me that there were free Destination Chargers at the Oasis Death Valley compound nearby.

When I got there, I found 8 NACS level 2 chargers, two of which were used. I plugged my car in before settling down at a cafe nearby to get food and do some work using the free Wi-Fi—there’s basically no cell signal in Death Valley.

A couple of hours later, I returned to the car and found it with an 80 percent charge, which was more than enough for what I needed.

I drove to the campground and quickly converted the car into a sleeper. It was not the first time I went camping with the Model Y, but it was the first without a tent, and that was fun and much faster to get settled down. However, I did miss the usual BBQ with the family.

The Dikasun mattress fit the trunk perfectly, and with the front seat moved halfway up, there was enough room for me—a 6-footer—to lay down comfortably.

In fact, there’s easily enough room for another person. The headroom was a bit tight, though, especially with the thickness of the mattress. I could sit up at the highest point without my head touching the car’s ceiling, but it was a bit tricky to change into comfortable clothes without kicking the liftgate’s glass roof.

Nighttime at Death Valley is generally incredible. This time around, despite the bright moon, I could see more stars than I ever saw elsewhere. At the campground, everyone turned off their lights, sound makers, and engines starting around 9 p.m. After that, other than the sound of the desert, it was simply quiet. It was so quiet that I decided to turn off the Camp Mode, which produces quite a bit of artificial noise.

The outside temperature was at around 35°F (< 2°C), but inside the car, it was warm enough, and the thin blanket I bought along was enough to keep me comfortable.

It was lovely falling asleep looking at the stars through the tinted glass.

Full Self-Driving (Supervised) strikes again

I woke up on Monday morning with a 78 percent battery, more than enough to go straight to Vegas without a charging stop. I also had plenty of time since I couldn’t check into the hotel until 3 p.m., and the first CES event didn’t start until 6 p.m., anyway.

So, when the car’s navigation suggested taking a longer but faster route to Las Vegas via the I-95 freeway, I chose that without hesitation.

The drive started without a hitch. At one point, I decided to turn on FSD again just so that I could, well, relax on the straight Nevada State Route 373 that seemed to go on forever.

Things were fine until this road intersected with I-95. As the car slowed significantly to a complete stop before this sharp right turn, it displayed multiple consecutive warnings. Then, FSD disengaged, and the system gave me the third strikeout. All the while, I was paying full attention.

Completely shocked, I pulled over, restarted the computer manually, and then elected to use Autopilot for the rest of the drive.

I arrived in Vegas with about 20 percent of the battery remaining and decided to try Full Self-Driving (Supervised) one more time to see how it handled Las Vegas’ busy freeway system. It was terrible! It missed multiple exits—it kept using the wrong lanes—and drove me around in a loop. After a while, I took over to go to a Supercharger.

After charging the battery to 80 percent, I parked it at the The Venetian parking lot and decided to unsubscribe from Full Self-Driving (Supervised). I wasn’t mad, but I thought the feature was just too dangerous because it required too much of my attention.

I received an email from Tesla stating that the subscription had been canceled and that my card would not be charged. That was fair enough, I guess. I then picked up my CES badge and continued with the show.

The following day, when I came back to the car, like a mean joke, a message waiting on the screen asked me to tap on it to enable a trial of Full Self-Driving (Supervised). I didn’t tap, yet the feature came back, this time for free. But I’d pick Autopilot to use anyway.

And full Self-Driving (Supervised) strikes again

Needless to say, I didn’t use FSD the entire time I was in Las Vegas. When I needed to drive, it was always short distances between hotels within the Las Vegas strip, where FSD wouldn’t help. After a couple of days, I kind of forgot about the feature.

After the show, I drove back to the campground as planned, using Autopilot now and then, with one charging stop at the Supercharger in Pahrump. I arrived at the cam with over 60 percent battery remaining.

After another wonderful night among nature, the next morning, I charged the car to 80 percent at the Destination Charger while having breakfast and doing some work.

After that, I took another long drive back to Inyokern Supercharger, making multiple stops along the way. This time, I had no issues and had over 20 percent of the battery remaining.

Did I say, “I had no issues”? I lied.

As I was going downhill from the peak on the way out of Death Valley, I turned on Autopilot by habit. At this time, it was Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that was engaged. I had no idea why it was the default and not Autopilot at the time.

Since the car must be put in park to switch between the two, I’d use it anyway. What a mistake! A couple of miles down the road, as the car slowed down significantly before this sharp left turn from Highway 190 onto Paramint Valley Road, the repeated warning happened again, and right then, I had the fourth strikeout.

By now, it seemed that Full Self-Driving (Supervised) had issues with upcoming sharp turns while going at highway speeds. Still, one more strikeout and my Autopilot would stop working (forever?).

I pulled over and got out of the car to take a walk. Then I turned off Full Self-Driving (Supervised), set the Autopilot Activation to Double Pull, and drove the rest of the trip home on my own or using standard cruise control.

After that, I had an uneventful drive home while enjoying my podcast. By the time I got home, I had forgotten about the whole Full Self-Driving (Supervised) craziness.

Just last night, I checked on the car’s screen and noted that the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) trial was no longer there, and all four Autopilot strikeouts had been removed. Finally, I’m fully recovered.

The takeaway

I had an excellent solo road trip to start the new year, and the Model Y makes a terrific camper.

However, as you might have guessed, I had a horrible experience with Full Self-Driving (Supervised). Over the years, the feature has slowly changed from driving the car for you to monitoring your driving behaviors. And it has done a terrible job at both.

In fact, currently, it’s idiotic. Here’s why:

1. The system uses the middle screen to tell the driver to pay attention to the road. Looking at the screen, by nature and according to the system, takes the driver’s attention away from the road. However, without looking at the screen, the driver wouldn’t know what the system wants them to do.
2. There’s no straightforward way for the driver to tell the system that they comply with the warning—the pressure on the steering wheel doesn’t always work, and looking straight ahead means they will miss the message on the screen.
3. There’s no set of agreements between the system and the driver as to what constitutes “paying attention to the road.” Just because the driver sits funny, fidget, or has their head tilting in specific ways doesn’t mean they don’t pay attention. (Back to my Toyota Tercel in 2000, I was able to eat while driving without ever being distracted from the road.) The system seems to be more interested in making the driver show that they pay attention than having them actually pay attention. The enforcement of that, by itself, is a huge and dangerous distraction.

So, again, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a joke. Among other things, the “(Supervised)” notion does not mean that you need to be the supervisor, but instead, you’re supervised. Would you pay for that? I wouldn’t.