Tesla is developing its own mapping system in-house in an effort to resolve long-running navigation problems and give owners greater control over how their cars are routed, according to remarks made on the company's Q3 2026 earnings call.

The topic arose when a participant asked about navigation shortcomings in Full Self-Driving (FSD), singling out speed limit recognition, parking and routing. According to the source, such problems tend to reappear from one software version to the next and have proved difficult for Tesla's AI team to settle for good.

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla's Head of AI, agreed with the premise of the question. "You're totally right that we shouldn't be depending on external people's maps," he said. He added that Tesla is building its own maps, though not in the same way as OneMoreMap. Instead, he described "an entirely new architecture with essentially AI-based mapping and navigation."

Elluswamy outlined several features of the planned system. It will be integrated with voice, allowing drivers to speak to it and request different routes. It will learn each driver's personal preferences as well as those of the wider fleet. "The collective intelligence of all the cars is going to flow into making the maps and navigation super cool," he said.

On timing, Elluswamy said the mapping should be available to customers by the time the v15 release begins deploying. "And over the next several months," he said, "it's just going to take over all of the navigation functions, parking, destination handling." He also suggested the system would come to know a driver extremely well for the purposes of driving, and "then handle it fully."

Navigation is arguably the most prominent complaint about FSD. Although it has improved, it remains imperfect, and the software frequently sends drivers along routes they would not have chosen. Tesla sought to address this with a routing feature included in its Summer 2026 Update.

Tesla currently depends on Google for its map data. Teslarati noted that it seems counterintuitive for the company to rely on a third party for something so central to the driving experience, and said the planned improvements would be welcome given how long routing and navigation have frustrated many owners.

The quotes in this report were originally carried by Motley Fool.