Elon Musk says FSD Beta v11 will need one more round of refinement
DirtyTesla
Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has been a topic of great discussion and anticipation for many Tesla owners and enthusiasts. The latest release, FSD Beta 11.3.3, was sent out to almost 20% of testers but seemed to slow down on Sunday.
In response to a tweet, where the user announced they were getting V11.3.3, Elon Musk, tweeted: It’s close. One more round of refinement is needed. However, another wave of v11.3.3 went out after his tweet.
Musk's tweet would lead us to believe Tesla's engineers have identified some final improvements that need to be made before the FSD system is ready for wider release. However, the additional wave of installs after his tweet are curious.
The Release of FSD Beta v11
FSD Beta 11.3 was initially released to Tesla employees, which was then followed by Beta 11.3.1, which was distributed to the original 1k testers. Since then Tesla has rolled beta 11.3.2, but it was halted after reaching about 9% of testers due to identifying critical issues. The release of 11.3.3 addressed these issues and has expanded to almost 35% of testers as of this morning.
The update includes bug fixes and new driving visualizations, such as wider paths, blue chevrons, stop lines, and blue traffic lights. The update also introduces the "Voice Drive Notes" feature, allowing drivers to provide hands-free feedback on Autopilot disengagement.
The improvements to FSD Beta's features and performance include smoother lane changes in dense traffic scenarios, better handling during scenarios with high curvature or large trucks, improved driving behavior next to parked cars in narrow lanes, and new text blurbs on the user interface to communicate upcoming maneuvers. The updates signify Tesla's commitment to the development and improvement of its self-driving technology, inching closer to a future where autonomous vehicles are more commonplace on the roads.
Tesla's Continuous Push to Autonomy
Tesla has continuously refined its FSD technology through fleet learning, user feedback, and rigorous testing. The company strives to bring autonomous driving closer to reality, and Musk has emphasized the importance of driver vigilance even while using the FSD Beta. The system may not detect all objects and may not brake or slow down for crossing traffic or stationary objects, particularly when moving at high speeds.
The announcement of another round of refinement for the FSD Beta indicates that Tesla is committed to addressing the challenges faced in previous versions and improving the functionality and safety of its autonomous driving system. As the company continues to work on expanding its fleet of FSD Beta testers and gathers crucial data to make further enhancements, the future of autonomous driving becomes closer to becoming a reality for Tesla owners. The next release, version 11.3.4, will undoubtedly bring even more improvements and advancements to Tesla's FSD system.
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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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