Tesla hiring Australian drivers to ‘not’ drive its cars

The roll-out of Tesla’s flagship ‘Full Self-Driving’ semi-autonomous technology in Australia is a step closer, as the US electric-car specialist looks to hire drivers to help calibrate its driver-assistance systems.

The four testing roles – plus a further two positions supporting the operational side of the program – are advertised on Tesla’s Australian website, and are looking for staff in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Tesla says in the job listing that ‘Lead ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) Test Operators’ are expected to “continuously support the data collection effort to improve vehicle performance” along with recording, analysing and “proactively resolve any roadblocks to ensure smooth operations”.

Tesla’s so-called ‘Full Self-Driving’ (FSD) technology – the more advanced evolution of its much-publicised ‘Autopilot’ driver-assistance technology – is not available for Australian drivers to use, despite buyers being able to pay $10,100 to add the option to their cars, with the promise the technology will be added in a downloadable software update once it is available.

Tesla’s website says an ‘Autosteer’ feature planned to work on city streets as part of the FSD suite is “upcoming”.

The advertisement for testing staff presents a more formal path forward for the US-based electric vehicle company as it continues to expand in the Australian market.

Tesla is currently the eighth-most popular new-car brand on the Australian market, while the Model Y SUV holds the number-three spot behind the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in terms of overall vehicle sales by model so far in 2023.