Tesla FSD Beta 11.3.1: New Features and Visualizations

March 10, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla's latest FSD Beta adds new features and visualizations

DirtyTesla

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, tweeted that the latest Full Self-Driving Beta is “a major step change improvement. Still needs another point release of polish before rolling out wide.” That said, most of those who have taken v11.3.1 for a ride are impressed.

There are a number of options that have been added and removed with this beta, as well as new visualizations.

New Visualizations

Let’s start with the bright shiny objects - new visualizations. Anyone who has watched the ride-along on YouTube has noticed that FSD v11.3.1 looks different.

Wider Path

Firstly, the path the vehicle is taking is a much thicker line, representing the entire space the car currently occupies and will occupy in the immediate future.

Chevrons

Chevrons will also appear in the path to show the car slowing down. The opacity and speed at which the chevrons are moving change depending on how quickly the car is slowing.

Stopping Line

A white or black line will now appear in front of the Tesla to tell the supervising driver exactly where the car will stop. There’s no more guessing where the car will stop moving. This line appears as soon as the car realizes that it will have to stop, like when approaching an intersection.

Traffic Lights

The traffic lights will now sometimes appear in blue. The blue light indicates that the vehicle is obeying that traffic light. Let’s say you are turning left at an intersection with three traffic lights present; the light in front of the left lane will be blue, while the other two for traffic going straight will remain gray.

Many have observed more detailed images of the surroundings as well. This includes a rolling tire that appeared while Chuck Cook was out for a ride. As documented in the release notes, the system identifies objects differently and seemingly much more accurately.

FSD Messages

FSD Beta 11.3.1 will now display messages letting you know what the vehicle is doing

DirtyTesla

How many times have you enabled FSD, and you or your passengers asked, "what is it doing?" Well, now it tells you exactly what it is doing. For example, if it spots an intersection and a red light, it will say, "stopping for the red light." It will display various messages that make it clear what the vehicle is stopping or waiting for such as stop signs, crossing pedestrians, bicyclists and more. This addition gives us a better look into what the software is doing.

Voice Drive-Notes

This is a significant addition because the software now allows for instant driver feedback. If you must take control away from FSD, a prompt will ask you to explain what happened. You can leave an audio recording. For example, if the software says it is stopping for a red light, but you see the light is green, you can take over and tell Tesla what happened so their team can review it.

Glowing Speed Limit Sign

FSD Beta 11.3.1 will glow the speed limit sign when you exceed the detected speed limit by more than 50%

DirtyTesla

The speed limit sign appears in the same location, but now it will glow when the vehicle's speed exceeds the posted limit by more than 50%, for example, going 75 mph in a 50 mph zone.

Speed Limit Offset

Speaking of speed, the option to set your Autopilot speed to an absolute value over the speed limit has been removed. You used to be able to set Autopilot to travel 10 mph over the posted speed limit, which would apply in all cases. However, you'll now have to use the 'relative' option, which lets you choose a percentage value to travel above the limit. So choosing a 15% offset will let the vehicle travel at about 35 mph in a 30 zone, while in a 65 mph zone, the vehicle will travel up to 75 mph.

New 'Minimal Lane Changes' Option

There have been a lot of comments about a smoother drive experience with better, less robotic lane changes. However, if you'd like to reduce the number of lane changes the vehicle makes, there is a new option called 'Minimal Lane Changes.' This new option in the Autopilot menu reduces lane changes by having the vehicle only make a lane change when it's required to follow the route. It prevents the vehicle from making lane changes due to slow-moving traffic in its lane.

New Shortcut for Autopilot Options

FSD Beta 11.3.1 includes a shortcut to the FSD Profiles

DaveMac/Twitter

With this beta, Tesla also introduced a new shortcut for some Autopilot options. When tilting the right scroll wheel left/right in previous betas, the vehicle would adjust its follow distance from 2 to 7. This option has now been removed since FSD Beta now handles the follow distance automatically on the highway.

When tilting the scroll wheel, you'll now be presented with a new set of options. They'll allow you to adjust the vehicle's FSD Profile, between Chill, Average and Assertive. This isn't new to this beta, but the ability to quickly change the FSD Profile is. In addition to being able to switch the FSD Profile, you'll also have the option to quickly enable 'Minimal Lane Changes' with this shortcut. The option will only stay enabled for the current drive. The informational box in the vehicle explains how Minimal Lane Changes works:

"When enabled, Full Self-Driving (Beta) will limit changes only to follow the navigation route or when required for safety. This option gets reset when the car is parked at the end of a drive."

Removal of 'Navigate on Autopilot'

With the introduction of FSD Beta to highway driving, Tesla has now removed the 'Navigate on Autopilot' (NoA) feature. NoA was Tesla's term for the vehicle performing lane changes to follow your route. However, with the introduction of FSD Beta v11, this option became redundant and it has now been removed with this update.

Correction: Navigate on Autopilot is still available if you switch to 'Autosteer' on the Autopilot menu. The Navigate on Autopilot options disappear when you're using FSD Beta.

New Autopilot Menu

Tesla has reorganized the Autopilot menu

DirtyTesla

With this update, Tesla has redesigned the Autopilot menu to remove older options and make your options clearer. At the very top Tesla now gives owners three options for Autopilot features, they are, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC), Autosteer, or FSD Beta. Autosteer is essentially Basic Autopilot, which will keep the vehicle's speed, brake, keep a proper follow distance and steer within the vehicle's lane. FSD Beta is the option you'll want if you want the vehicle to make lane changes to follow your route. After that, you have more FSD options, such as FSD Profile, followed by 'Lane Change Notification,' which was previously a part of Navigate on Autopilot and Speed Offset. Tesla also cleaned up some other options, removing the toggles for 'Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control' and 'Full Self-Driving Visualization Preview'. Underneath the Autopilot preferences, you then have Summon and the other usual options.

View Cabin Camera

Plus, we previously reported this undocumented feature that appeared in the first update of 2023. Surprisingly, the preview cabin camera video is also available with this update. This function, found under service, allows owners to view their cabin camera inside the vehicle. That provides some peace of mind for users so they can have an idea of what the camera can and cannot see when activated. If you have any privacy concerns, check out our article on Tesla’s Privacy Policy.

Tesla's FSD Beta v11.3.1 is an impressive step forward, with new visualizations and features that enhance the driving experience. Tesla continues to push the boundaries of self-driving technology, and the positive feedback from early users is a testament to their progress. With the upcoming wide release of v11.3.2, we can only expect more exciting updates and improvements from Tesla. Stay tuned for more updates on the future of autonomous driving.

New Castings Spotted at Giga Texas Likely Intended for Tesla Cybercab

April 21, 2025

By Karan Singh

@JoeTegtmeyer

Tesla’s Giga Texas factory usually gives us the first site of Tesla’s upcoming products. We first saw the Cybertruck and Model Y castings here. With Giga Texas being one of Tesla’s largest factories, it’s logical that most products would originate here.

Tesla has also stated that it intends to manufacture the Cybercab, Semi, the next-generation vehicle, and Optimus at Giga Texas over the coming years. The affordable vehicle and Cybercab were originally intended to be manufactured at Giga Mexico, but the plans for that facility were waylaid by changes in economic policy.

Robotaxi Castings

These new castings were spotted by Joe Tegtmeyer, who regularly does drone flights of Giga Texas. Joe pointed out that these castings don’t look like the usual Model Y or Cybertruck castings usually seen outside Giga Texas.

With an eagle eye, @minusYCore on X also spotted some interesting text on the frames holding the castings up. In particular, the castings say “RTTX050” and “W68-RSF AS-CAST”. These could be interpreted as ‘Robotaxi Texas’ and ‘Rear SubFrame.’ The as-cast portion indicates that these particular castings haven’t been trimmed yet, according to the X user.

The castings laid out.

@JoeTegtmeyer

The size and shape of these castings—combined with rumors that Tesla’s more affordable vehicle has been delayed—suggest they are intended for the Cybercab.

These castings are much flatter and appear to be a different size than the castings found elsewhere throughout Giga Texas, indicating that they are intended for a different product entirely.

It’s possible that these are the first castings used by Tesla to test their unboxed assembly process, which the Cybercab is expected to rely on. If you take a closer look at the video below, you’ll note that these new castings look very similar to the ones in the unboxed assembly video.

Interestingly, Tesla did say that they don’t intend to have the Cybercab available for customers before late 2026 or early 2027, but we’ll likely hear updated timelines as Tesla’s Q1 2025 Earnings Call tomorrow.

A more vertical look at the castings.

@JoeTegtmeyer

New Giga Presses

To top it all off, new parts for a Giga Press - the machine Tesla uses to make these castings - were also sighted in Texas. These machines are few and far between, and each one is highly specialized for the particular vehicle it produces. Seeing new parts coming in usually indicates that a new assembly line is under construction, or that changes are being made to an existing line to either expand it or update it.

There’s a lot happening and we will hopefully know more tomorrow evening.

New Giga Press parts

@JoeTegtmeyer

PepsiCo Building Additional Tesla Semi Chargers

April 21, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s first large-scale partner for the Tesla Semi - PepsiCo - is building out another Semi Megacharger site per a recent filing found by MarcoRP. Building out these Semi charging sites is expensive due to their much higher power output when compared to Superchargers.

Name Change

Interestingly enough, Tesla appears to have shifted its terminology recently, now often referring to the Semi’s high-power charging solution as Tesla Semi Chargers instead of the previously common "Megachargers." Regardless of the name, these chargers are crucial for the Semi. They’re designed to deliver 1.2 megawatts of charging power capable of adding hundreds of miles of range in roughly 30 minutes.

Frito-Lay Site

The new site detailed in the recent filing will be located at a Frito-Lay production plant on Hageman Road in Bakersfield, California. Permits were filed just a couple of days ago for the installation of eight Tesla Semi Charger stalls along with their associated electrical equipment.

This facility adds to PepsiCo's existing network of chargers, supporting the Tesla Semis operating out of their Sacramento facility, and highlights Bakersfield as the next expansion of the Semi’s operational area. Notably, this new Frito-Lay charging site is strategically located just five miles (approx. 8 km) away from a massive future public charging complex Tesla is planning on Kelton Way.

Kelton Way Charging Complex

Tesla’s planned charging complex in Bakersfield, which is just down the road, will feature 72 Supercharger stalls, as well as 18 Semi charger stalls. According to pre-permits filed last month, this site will be fairly large and accessible to both the public and Tesla’s partners.

A rendering of the Kelton Way site - with the Semi Chargers on the outside, and the Covered Supercharger site in the center.

@MarcoRPi1 on X

Tesla plans to develop a vacant plot right off the interstate into a large charging hub, which is now the second major public Semi Charger site we’ve heard about. For now, these sites will remain rare, but we expect that Tesla and its partners will be happy to expand them out further as required.

Carson Semi Charger Site

These Bakersfield developments – both the private Frito-Lay site and the large public Kelton Way hub will help lay out the necssary infrastructure for the Tesla Semi, much like the early days of Tesla’s Superchargers. Since Semi cannot be charged at a Supercharger site (the MCS plug is notably different than NACS), these sites are a must-have.

Tesla's first publicly accessible Semi Charger site planned near the Port of Long Beach in Carson, California, was one of the first signs of these types of Semi Charger facilities being established - and like Kelton Way, it also includes amenities for truck drivers. Tesla is also considering what long, medium, and short-haul truckers need for their stays at these sites.

As Tesla works to ramp up production of the Semi itself, the parallel expansion of dedicated, high-power charging infrastructure by both Tesla and its key partners are essential to making electric heavy-duty trucking a reality.