Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The original criticism was grounded in a real fact: when Futurism published its headline on August 28, 2024, human employees were still driving Tesla vehicles through The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop. But the headline is too broad if read as proof that Tesla FSD cannot drive through any tunnel. Later tunnel tests show that the system can complete some controlled runs; they do not establish reliable, generalized, unsupervised autonomy.
What the 2024 headline got right
The headline referred to The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, an underground passenger shuttle system using modified Tesla vehicles. The relevant system was a short, restricted-access network of single-lane tunnels connecting areas of the convention center.
As Futurism reported on August 28, 2024, the Loop’s vehicles still used human drivers. Local officials were discussing the possible introduction of a driver-assistance system—not announcing an immediately driverless shuttle service.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThat created an awkward contrast with Tesla’s long-running messaging about Full Self-Driving and the company’s broader promises surrounding autonomous vehicles and robotaxis. A purpose-built tunnel can appear like an unusually simple environment for automated driving: one lane, no weather, no pedestrians crossing the road and few conventional intersections. If Tesla’s technology was supposed to be approaching general autonomy, why was a human still needed there?
#1 Best Overall
- Made of zinc alloy with ABS plastic parts
- 5.9 inch x 2.2 inch x 1.8 inch(size)
- The two sides of doors could be opened,front and back covercould be opened too
- You can pull back the car,then it can move forwards with Lights and Sound
- Very suitable as children 4 years and up toys for birthday,Christmas gift, new year. Also it can be a gift for your boyfriend
That was a fair question in 2024. It was not, however, a controlled demonstration that Tesla FSD fails in every tunnel.
Why a single-lane tunnel is not simply an easy road
A tunnel removes some driving variables, but it also makes failures more difficult to manage. In an ordinary multi-lane road, a vehicle can sometimes pull onto a shoulder, change lanes or drive around an obstruction. In a narrow, single-lane tunnel, a stalled car or unexpected object may block the only available path.
The vehicle therefore has to do more than remain between two walls. It must detect and respond safely to events such as:
- a stopped or disabled vehicle;
- debris, maintenance equipment or a worker in the lane;
- an emergency vehicle or wrong-way traffic;
- loss of communications or vehicle power;
- poor lighting, glare and reflections from tunnel walls;
- an unexpected stop in a location where following vehicles cannot pass; and
- an incident requiring passengers and vehicles to be evacuated or recovered.
Artificial lighting and semi-reflective walls can also produce visual conditions unlike those on ordinary roads. A 2025 report on Vegas Loop testing discussed those camera-related challenges, but that should be treated as reported context rather than a Tesla-confirmed root-cause analysis. Drive Tesla Canada’s account described testing with a safety operator still present.
The central engineering issue is not just whether a car can follow the tunnel’s path. It is whether the complete system can detect abnormal situations, select a safe fallback, communicate with operators, protect passengers and recover when the vehicle cannot continue.
FSD Supervised is not driverless operation
Tesla’s own current terminology matters. The company calls its consumer product Full Self-Driving (Supervised). Tesla says the system can perform tasks such as navigation, lane changes and turns on many roads, but it also explicitly says that the feature does not make the vehicle autonomous.
Rank #2
- Made of zinc alloy with ABS plastic parts
- 5.9 inch x 2.2 inch x 1.8 inch(size)
- The two sides of doors could be opened,front and back covercould be opened too
- You can pull back the car,then it can move forwards with Lights and Sound
- Very suitable as children 4 years and up toys for birthday,Christmas gift, new year. Also it can be a gift for your boyfriend
According to Tesla’s FSD documentation, the driver must remain attentive and ready to take over. Availability and behavior vary by vehicle configuration, hardware, software version, model, trim, model year and region. Activation may also depend on regulatory approval.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual warns that intervention may be required on narrow roads, in construction zones and at complex intersections. It also tells the driver to determine when it is safe to proceed and be prepared to take immediate action.
That produces an important terminology distinction:
| Term | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Driver assistance | The system helps with driving, but a human remains responsible and must be able to intervene. |
| FSD Supervised | Tesla’s name for its consumer assistance product; continuous driver attention is still required. |
| Driverless operation | The vehicle performs the driving task within a defined operating domain without an actively supervising driver. |
| Autonomous shuttle service | A complete passenger operation, including dispatch, traffic management, emergency response, recovery and regulatory authorization. |
Seeing “FSD engaged” in a video does not by itself prove that the vehicle was operating without supervision.
The Vegas Loop is a transport system, not just a road
Even if a Tesla can keep itself centered in a tunnel, a driverless Loop would require much more than automated steering and braking. It would need procedures for dispatching vehicles, separating traffic, handling station queues, responding to a blocked tunnel and recovering a disabled car.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Passenger transport also raises questions that do not arise during a short demonstration. Who contacts emergency responders? How does the system detect that a passenger needs help? What happens when a vehicle stops between stations? Can another vehicle safely approach? Can passengers exit, and how are they guided to safety?
Rank #3
- Made of zinc alloy with ABS plastic parts
- 5.9 inch x 2.2 inch x 1.8 inch(size)
- The two sides of doors could be opened,front and back covercould be opened too
- You can pull back the car,then it can move forwards with Lights and Sound
- Very suitable as children 4 years and up toys for birthday,Christmas gift, new year. Also it can be a gift for your boyfriend
Clark County material concerning the single-lane tunnel system references continuously manned reporting and control functions. That is a reminder that tunnel safety includes communications, monitoring and incident management as well as vehicle control. The county document does not prove that a particular Tesla could not drive the route; it shows why removing the driver is an operational and safety question, not merely a lane-following feature switch.
What changed after the original article?
Later reporting showed that Tesla FSD was tested in the Las Vegas Loop. The strongest available 2025 report described a safety operator behind the wheel. That is meaningful evidence of testing and possible progress, but it is not evidence of a fully driverless public transportation service.
The distinction is especially important because a controlled route can be easier to automate than general public roads while still requiring dedicated maps, geofencing, speed limits, vehicle spacing, tunnel controls or remote support. Success in that environment could represent a specialized operating domain rather than a solution to general-purpose autonomous driving.
What the 2026 tunnel reports do—and do not—prove
A 2026 report from Tesla Oracle described FSD version 14.3 navigating a narrow tunnel with oncoming traffic. If accurately represented, that is an example of a successful test drive under particular conditions.
It does not establish:
- that the run was repeatable;
- that no intervention or correction was required;
- that the vehicle operated without a safety driver;
- that the tunnel was a normal public environment;
- that the result applies to the Vegas Loop or other tunnels;
- that the vehicle, hardware and software are representative of all Tesla owners; or
- that the system is authorized for commercial passenger service.
A separate Basenor report claimed that an unsupervised Tesla robotaxi traveled through a Boring Company tunnel in Austin. Because that account is secondary and provides limited technical detail, it should remain an attributed claim rather than settled evidence. The vehicle model, software build, operating domain, intervention status, safety case and regulatory status are not sufficiently documented to support a sweeping conclusion.
Evidence should be graded in stages:
- One successful run: demonstrates that a vehicle completed one trip.
- Repeated runs: provide stronger evidence of consistency.
- Measured safety performance: shows how often the system fails or requires intervention.
- Defined operating domain: identifies the routes, conditions and infrastructure on which it is intended to work.
- Unsupervised operation: demonstrates that no human is actively monitoring and ready to take over.
- Authorization and deployment: shows that the system is approved and operating as a passenger service.
Most tunnel videos establish only the first item, sometimes with partial information about the second.
Rank #4
![Matchbox Tesla Model Y, 70 Years 89/100 [White]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51XQmx0TiDL._SL160_.jpg)
- Toy Vehicle Form: Car
- Theme: Car
The fair conclusion about Tesla and the tunnel
The original 2024 criticism was aimed at a genuine gap between Tesla’s autonomy rhetoric and the documented operation of its affiliated tunnel project. At that time, human drivers were still in the Loop, and the public discussion involved driver assistance rather than an announced driverless service.
But the claim should not now be repeated as “Tesla FSD has never driven through a tunnel” or “FSD cannot drive through a single-lane tunnel.” Later reports describe tunnel testing, including a Vegas Loop test with a safety operator and separate 2026 demonstrations of varying evidentiary strength.
The more defensible criticism is narrower and more significant: publicly documented tunnel demonstrations have not, on their own, established reliable, generalized, unsupervised autonomy or a certified driverless passenger service. A car completing a carefully controlled route is not the same achievement as a transportation system that can safely handle blockages, emergencies, passengers, recovery and long-term operation without a human driver.
How to evaluate the next tunnel-driving claim
When Tesla or The Boring Company publishes another video or announcement, ask:
- Was a human operator present?
- Was the route geofenced, specially mapped or closed to other traffic?
- Which vehicle, hardware generation and software version were used?
- Were there stopped vehicles, debris, workers, emergency scenarios or communications failures?
- How many runs were completed, and what was the intervention rate?
- Was the service carrying passengers under normal operating conditions?
- Who was responsible for remote monitoring and vehicle recovery?
- Was the operation legally authorized without a driver?
Until those questions have clear answers, “it drove through a tunnel” should be understood as a demonstration—not proof that Tesla has solved autonomous transportation.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
