Tesla's FSD Beta Starts Being a Part of Regular Updates

June 27, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla made changes to the Autopilot menu in FSD Beta v11

Not a Tesla App

Tesla is now tucking FSD Beta into its regular software updates. Updates like 2023.12.11 and 2023.20.6, and several others, now carry FSD Beta 11.3.6. But it's not for everyone - like many other Tesla features; it depends on your location and the Tesla you drive.

So far, if you were an FSD Beta user, you often had to wait weeks or months for new non-FSD features. That's because Tesla usually launched FSD Beta updates separately from their main production releases. But now that FSD Beta is beginning to be bundled into regular updates, the wait for new features might be shorter.

FSD Beta is Now Just Another Feature

The same update behaves differently depending on where you are. We chatted with Tesla owners in the U.S. and other countries. A user in the U.S. who downloaded the 2023.12.11 update kept their access to FSD Beta. But a driver outside the U.S. who got the same update didn't get FSD Beta access. Tesla is now packing FSD Beta into some regular updates, and it may only be a matter of time before every update has FSD Beta baked right in. However, like most Tesla features, FSD Beta will be limited by region and hardware.

Update Version, FSD Version

Tesla now lists the FSD Beta version separately

TesLatino/Twitter

Versions numbers have often caused some confusion with Tesla using different version numbers for software, individual updates, FSD and navigation updates.

With these new updates, Tesla will now make it a little easier to understand which FSD Beta version you have by listing the FSD version separately from the update version.

Changes to the Autopilot Menu

With FSD Beta v11, Tesla made changes to the Autopilot menu, making it easier to choose the Autopilot capabilities you wanted to use. Interestingly, if a user without Beta access receives a build with FSD Beta, their Autopilot menu will remain the same as non-beta builds, instead of the newer version that offers a simplified choice where the user can select from TACC, Auto Steer or FSD Beta.

Bringing Everyone Up to Speed

One downside to the old system was that FSD Beta users were often a step behind when it came to new features. For example, while most Tesla users are now on updates 2023.12 or even 2023.20, FSD Beta users are still on 2023.7, which only has 2023.6 features. By incorporating FSD Beta into regular updates, Tesla might help more users stay up-to-date, and you'll no longer have to pick between testing FSD Beta or having the latest features.

By incorporating FSD Beta into regular updates, Tesla also makes it easier for new owners to receive FSD Beta builds. New subscribers often needed to wait weeks or even months after subscribing to FSD Beta in order to receive FSD BEta. This was caused by Tesla not allowing users to roll back software versions. If someone was already on 2023.12 and subscribed to FSD Beta, then they'd need to wait until FSD Beta was available on a 2023.12 branch before their vehicle was eligible for the update.

With FSD Beta becoming just another feature, FSD Beta may soon just be a flag that is enabled or disabled on an owner's vehicle instead of needing a separate update.

One thing to remember is that these updates don't have the latest FSD Beta. They include FSD Beta 11.3.6, not the freshest 11.4.4 version. But Tesla might have more surprises up its sleeve.

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

December 14, 2024

By Karan Singh

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.

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

December 13, 2024

By Karan Singh

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.