Tesla Upgrades Autowipers to v4, Musk Apologizes for Poor Performance

FSD Beta 11.4.2 introduces Autowipers v4

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For Tesla owners, the auto wiper system has been a contentious feature. Loved by some for its attempt at autonomous convenience yet criticized by others for its hit-or-miss performance, the system has often had trouble with extreme light conditions or misty weather. Now, Tesla has introduced v4 of their autowipers system that aims to correct past issues and enhance the user experience.

Deeper Insights into the New Auto Wiper v4 System

The updates come via the new Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta 11.4.2, as reported by Tesla hacker @GreenTheOnly. While release notes didn't indicate changes, Green pointed out significant differences under the hood. The most notable of these is the introduction of Autowiper v4 and the option to disable the much-anticipated "Deep Rain" neural net.

Elon Musk's "Deep Rain" Concept Shelved as Tesla Improves Rain Sensing

Elon Musk once promised a neural network (NN) solution for wiper sensitivity issues back in 2019, dubbing it "Deep Rain." However, Tesla is taking a different route by introducing the Autowiper v4 system. The new FSD Beta 11.4.2 release includes an internal option to disable the "Deep Rain" feature, indicating that Tesla is potentially walking back from the concept.

This surprises some, as the "Deep Rain" NN was a significant part of Musk's strategy to improve the Autowiper system. However, a disable option suggests that perhaps the feature did not pan out as well as intended.

Musk Apologizes for Auto Wiper Performance

Early this morning Musk apologized for Tesla's autowipers, saying that this one of the last neural nets Tesla is updating from a single camera, single frame NN to surround video. What this means is that Tesla is stitching together video from all of their cameras into a single 360-degree video, instead of looking at individual cameras. Tesla will then use the neural net to look at the clips of the surround video feed, instead of individual frames in the video.

Tesla Harnesses All 8 Cameras for Advanced Rain Detection

Although Musk's tweet says the Tesla is transitioning to surround video, Tesla was apparently already leveraging all eight onboard cameras to detect rain, according to @GreenTheOnly. This approach allows the vehicle to garner a complete understanding of the weather conditions, resulting in better responsiveness and accuracy in the autowiper system.

While the v4 update and the "Deep Rain" concept shelving are significant, GreenTheOnly also confirmed that these changes aren't specific to the new Hardware 4 (HW4) upgrade. This suggests that the improvements will be available to all Tesla vehicles equipped with the required cameras.

As Tesla continues to improve its Autowiper system, the hope is that these updates will lead to better performance and less driver frustration. While the shelving of the "Deep Rain" concept may be disappointing for some, the enhancements introduced in Autowiper v4 point to Tesla's commitment to continually refining its technologies for the benefit of Tesla drivers. Only time will tell if these updates deliver on their promise.

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Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

Not a Tesla App

For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.

Price Increase

The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.

The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series. 

The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.

Free Lifetime Supercharging

For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.

There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.

We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.

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Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.

Optimus is Blind

Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer. 

Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.

Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips. 

What’s Next?

Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.

Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.

There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.

We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.

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