Hmmm. Perhaps. But part of that anti-Tesla sentiment may be coming from Tesla owners who see some of the shine coming off the apple. Tired of Elon's BS. Tired of waiting years for FSD. Frustrated they let Tesla hold their $2k-$10k for years on a promise instead of investing it themselves. Tired of quality fails. As Tesla becomes more mainstream, the general populace won't be as tolerant as the early adopters. So we should probably expect a rise in the number of "I'm calling BS on this" posts, and deservedly so.
Back to the original question, is FSD worth it? Not in my opinion. But many others disagree - when I bought my Y, I was amazed at the number of people on the order tracker spreadsheet who had purchased FSD. But I couldn't reasonably justify it given the complexity of the challenge and the history of non-delivery. I suspect it will be ready when I buy my next electric vehicle in another 10 years.
Does removal of radar help or hurt the cause? Likely there's no one in this group of armchair engineers qualified to say, myself included (except maybe that aerospace guy!). But it is fun to speculate about! It would seem to make sense that more sensors = more info about your surroundings = better decision making, but perhaps the challenges around integrating all of that data are an issue.
MobileEye may suggest we drive with only our eyes, but that's a pretty "shortsighted" suggestion. The next time you're driving down the road, just stop to think about what your brain is doing. It's almost inconceivable. Analyzing multiple sensory inputs thousands of times a second, including 360 degrees of visual data (with the assistance of mirrors and head turning), endless audio cues (car horns, sirens, children laughing, tires on the road, wind gusts, etc), physical tactile sensations and more. All of which your brain incorporates into its analysis of the current situation, along with it's knowledge base of driving experience, other driver behaviors, local conditions, vehicle or terrain specific quirks, physics, math and flight characteristics of swallows both African and European. All while listening to the radio. It's astounding that your brain can perform in a microsecond what takes robotocists decades to imitate poorly.
Now that you've considered that, ask yourself this: how much money am I willing to lend Elon while he figures out how to replicate my brain, and how long with that take? And in that time, how much could I otherwise earn with that money? Is FSD worth it?
