Can Tesla FSD Take You Up The Steepest Dirt Road In America All By Itself?

insideevs.com Aug 26, 2026

Can Tesla FSD Take You Up The Steepest Dirt Road In America All By Itself?

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Aug 26, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving (FSD) system was tested on Colorado’s Lick Skillet Road, the steepest dirt road in the United States, featuring a 14.2% average grade and 18% peaks. A Model 3 navigated the mile-long stretch without lane markings, maintaining lane position and avoiding obstacles. The test included blind corners, cyclists, and a recovery vehicle. While FSD kept a safe distance from cyclists, it could not pass them and failed to detect a pedestrian near the cyclists, prompting manual intervention. The experiment highlighted both the system’s visual navigation strengths and its current limitations on unpaved terrain.

💡 Why It Matters

· The test demonstrates that Tesla’s vision‑based FSD can handle extreme off‑road conditions, suggesting broader applicability beyond paved roads.
· However, its inability to pass cyclists and detect pedestrians underscores the need for further safety improvements before full autonomy can be trusted in mixed‑traffic environments.

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China flexes its auto-safety chops with huge recall of Tesla, other cars

China’s regulators announced a massive recall affecting 4.3 million vehicles from nine manufacturers, including Tesla, Xiaomi and Leapmotor, to remedy hard‑to‑locate emergency door‑release mechanisms that could trap occupants when power fails. The recall, the largest ever in the world’s biggest auto market, follows a February ban on exterior electronic door handles lacking a manual fallback, a rule that will apply to new models from 2027. By demanding fixes for existing cars and tightening record‑keeping of EV condition and repairs, Beijing is shifting from rapid feature rollout to an assertive safety‑regulation phase. Analysts note the move positions China to set global standards for advanced vehicle technology, challenging the historic leadership of U.S. and European safety agencies and influencing future international regulations globally.

💡 The retroactive safety mandate forces automakers to embed physical exit options, accelerating a worldwide redesign of EV interiors toward mandatory manual egress.

futurism.com · Aug 26

China Recalls Nearly Three Million Teslas Over Unsafe Door Handles

Chinese regulators announced a recall of nearly three million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, citing interior emergency mechanical door handles that blend with the cabin color and are hard to locate in crises. The State Administration for Market Regulation warned that a loss of low‑voltage power after a severe collision could impede occupants from opening doors, creating a safety hazard. Tesla must affix warning labels and issue an over‑the‑air update that adds a post‑accident window‑lowering function. The recall follows a separate Chinese recall of about 400,000 Xiaomi SU7 EVs for the same issue. China earlier mandated that door handles be mechanically operable from either side, a rule taking effect next year, pressuring Tesla to redesign its handles.

💡 The recall forces Tesla to confront a design flaw that has long endangered passengers, prompting a shift toward universally operable emergency exits.

insideevs.com · Aug 26

Tesla Just Made The Cybertruck An Even Tougher Sell

Tesla raised the base price of its Cybertruck to $74,990, a $5,000 increase from the day before and $15,000 above the $59,990 price briefly offered in February. The premium trim now costs $84,990, while the top‑of‑the‑line “Cyberbeast” remains at $99,990. The hike comes despite weak demand; only 7,263 units were sold in the first half of 2026, a 32% year‑over‑year decline from the previous year, far below the 250,000‑unit annual production target Tesla once announced. Reservations had once topped two million, but actual sales lag dramatically. SpaceX accounted for roughly 20% of Cybertruck sales in Q4 2025, and Bloomberg likened the model’s struggle to the historic Ford Edsel flop, citing polarizing design, quality concerns and Musk’s controversial public persona.

💡 The price surge turns the Cybertruck from a speculative hype product into a premium niche, testing whether Tesla can convert its massive reservation list into real revenue.

interestingengineering.com · Aug 25

Tesla’s Robotaxi runs an hour late, misses pickup, leaves riders stranded in…

Tesla’s first commercial robotaxi service, launched in San Francisco, experienced a significant operational failure on August 24, 2026. The vehicle arrived an hour late, missed its scheduled passenger pickup, and left several riders stranded while the autonomous system logged multiple glitches. Tesla’s internal diagnostics identified software latency and sensor calibration errors as primary causes. The incident prompted an immediate service recall for the affected fleet and a temporary suspension of the robotaxi program pending a software update. The company issued a public apology and pledged to resume operations within 48 hours.

💡 The outage exposes critical reliability gaps in autonomous ride‑hailing technology, raising concerns about safety and consumer trust. It also pressures regulators to tighten oversight of commercial autonomous vehicles.

teslarati.com · Aug 25

Tesla Cybertruck gets a big price change on two of its three…

Tesla has increased the prices of two Cybertruck trim levels, signaling rising demand for its all-electric pickup. The Base All-Wheel-Drive model now costs $74,990, up from $69,990, while the Premium All-Wheel-Drive version rose to $84,990 from $79,990. The top-tier Cyberbeast remains unchanged at $99,990. This $5,000 hike for the lower trims follows a period of strong consumer interest, contradicting earlier concerns about sluggish sales. Initially launched at $59,990, the base price quickly adjusted due to an influx of orders. Despite polarizing opinions on the vehicle’s angular design, the Cybertruck remains the best-selling electric pickup. The price adjustment reflects Tesla’s strategy to maximize revenue while managing high demand, particularly as the vehicle gains traction among buyers who prioritize its unique features, such as steer-by-wire technology and spacious interior, over traditional aesthetic preferences.

💡 The price hike validates the Cybertruck's market viability despite its controversial design, proving that performance and utility can drive sales even when aesthetics divide opinion. This move shifts the narrative from supply constraints to demand management, indicating Tesla is confident in the vehicle's long-term profitability.

bgr.com · Aug 25

Tesla Reportedly Calls It Quits On Failed Solar Roof Program – Here’s…

Tesla has reportedly discontinued its Solar Roof program, a product line launched in 2016 following the acquisition of SolarCity. The initiative, which featured roof tiles with integrated photovoltaic cells, is being sunset due to insufficient profitability. Sources indicate the company determined the project was not generating adequate revenue, though specific financial losses remain undisclosed. Signs of the decline emerged years ago, with Tesla ceasing publication of sales and installation data after 2024. Additionally, the company stopped advertising the product. Although Tesla has not issued an official announcement, digital evidence supports the report. Visiting the dedicated Tesla Solar Roofs website now redirects users to the standard Solar Panels page. The solar roof option is also absent from the site’s internal navigation menus. This move marks the end of a decade-long effort to merge residential roofing with renewable energy generation, reflecting a strategic pivot away from underperforming ventures.

💡 The removal of the dedicated landing page confirms Tesla is prioritizing core automotive and standard solar products over niche, high-cost innovations. This retreat signals that even industry leaders must abandon aesthetically integrated green tech when market economics fail to support premium pricing.