Tesla to build its own maps for FSD navigation, ending reliance on outside maps
AI head Ashok Elluswamy said on the Q3 call Tesla "shouldn't be depending on external people's maps" — a v15-linked fix for speed-limit, parking and routing errors, and a shift from Musk's earlier stance that maps were a mistake.
Asked on the Q3 call by a retail investor why Tesla still relies on third-party maps when mapping "continues to be a problem," Tesla VP of AI Ashok Elluswamy said "we shouldn't be depending on external people's maps." Tesla will build its own to fix common FSD problems such as reading speed limits, parking and choosing routes.
The approach is a new AI-based mapping and navigation architecture fed by what the fleet collectively learns; it will also learn individual driver preferences and respond to voice commands. With FSD v15 it starts handling the beginning and end of trips, and over the following months takes over navigation, parking and destination handling.
Electrek notes Tesla said in 2015 it was building high-precision maps, while at 2019 Autonomy Day Musk called high-precision lane maps "a huge mistake." It also cites a Belgian road-safety group finding FSD sped in 55% of tested 30 km/h zones in Brussels (average 44 km/h), and unsupervised FSD slipping to Q2 2027.
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