Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, initially said that FSD Beta version 11.3.2 would be the one distributed to all subscribers. However, Musk now says that Tesla is ready to expand FSD Beta to more owners this coming weekend. Given that the weekend is only three days away, it sounds like Tesla is happy with FSD Beta 11.3.1 and that will be the version that expands to more owners. At 11 PM last night, Musk tweeted:
V11 starts going wide this weekend
FSD Beta v11.3 was sent to employees exclusively and v11.3.1 later went out to the original 1,000 beta testers. More than 350,000 owners with access to FSD Beta are ready for this milestone release.
What's in the New FSD
With the new upgrade, drivers will find it simpler to grasp what the car is doing, thanks to various new representations. For instance, the path the car travels is now shown by a considerably thicker line, showing the whole space the car is currently using and will occupy soon. Moreover, chevrons have been added to the Tesla's exterior to indicate when the vehicle is slowing down. A white or black line now shows in front of the Tesla to indicate to the supervising driver exactly where the vehicle will stop.
New FSD messages are also included in the update to inform the driver of their actions, such as halting at a red light or waiting for pedestrians. Also, a brand-new voice drive-notes feature enables drivers to leave audio feedback if they need to take over from FSD.
Along with these new features, FSD version 11.3.1 also includes several enhancements, including a new "Minimal Lane Changes" option that limits the number of lane changes the car makes, a new shortcut to the FSD profiles, and a redesigned Autopilot menu that eliminates older options and improves the clarity of the options for drivers. Release notes are available for FSD Beta 11.3.1 as well as an article describing all of the new features and visualizations.
Another Step Toward Autonomous Driving
The new FSD update is a huge step towards reaching autonomy, which Musk claims is the company's top priority. During a recent conference with Morgan Stanley, Musk reaffirmed his commitment to creating a car that can function almost totally in autonomous mode.
Musk also spoke on Tesla's goal to bring out a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and driverless vehicle in the near future. This vehicle, which Musk anticipates to be substantially cheaper than Tesla's current selection, will be produced at the company's new facility in Mexico, which was unveiled during Investor Day. With autonomy as the company's top priority, Musk sees the new car as a step in the right direction that will allow Tesla to support more drivers of sustainable powertrains.
Overall, the company's dedication to autonomy and its goal for a more sustainable, autonomous future is highlighted by the most recent FSD upgrade and Musk's remarks regarding the impending Tesla vehicle. Tesla is well-positioned to be a leader in developing autonomous vehicles as long as self-driving technology advances.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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