Musk Reveals FSD Will Graduate Out of Beta in v12; Major Update Coming With v11.420

June 28, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla's FSD Beta will graduate out of Beta with v12

Not a Tesla App

Tesla's FSD Beta software has consistently been at the forefront of innovation. Now, the ground-breaking software is about to take a massive leap forward. CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted: Version 12 won't be beta. The much-anticipated v12 FSD could mark the transition of FSD Beta from a developmental stage to a full-blown release.

Rapid Evolution: The Chronological Journey of FSD Beta Iterations

Tesla's journey with FSD Beta began in the latter part of 2020 with the rollout of its first version. The software quickly escalated through iterations, reaching Version 8 by the start of 2021. It was during this period that Tesla revamped its approach to versioning FSD Beta updates. Whole numbers were reserved for significant jumps, while decimal points denoted smaller changes.

With this methodology in place, FSD Beta Version 9 was released in July 2021, followed swiftly by v10 in September of the same year. The timeline brings us to the present day with the latest release, FSD Beta Version 11, which landed in February 2023. The v11 iteration marked a notable milestone, bridging the gap between city driving and highway driving into a unified "Single Stack."

FSD Beta v11.420: A Teaser of What's Next

Musk has previously hinted at the significance of FSD Beta v11.420. His comments suggest this could be a significant release, housing exciting new features akin to those rolled out in FSD Beta v10.69. Could we see the introduction of anticipated advancements like Actual Smart Summon (ASS) or Park Seek? As we eagerly await the release of v11.420, speculation and anticipation continue to grow within the Tesla community.

Stepping Into the Future: FSD Beta v12

So, what can we expect with FSD Beta v12? If Musk's recent comments are anything to go by, the transition from beta to a stable version could signify a monumental step in the evolution of Tesla's autonomous driving technology. This isn't merely a matter of dropping the "Beta" tag; it symbolizes Tesla's confidence in the maturity and reliability of its Full Self-Driving system.

The journey to FSD v12 may still be underway, with a handful of v11 iterations likely to be released before we reach the ultimate version. These updates are integral in Tesla's mission to refine and perfect the FSD technology, ensuring every iteration is safer, smarter, and more efficient than the last.

Tesla Is Now Offering Cybertruck Test Drives [List of Locations]

July 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

@brandonhd

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.

Once FSD V12.5 comes to the Cybertruck, we’re sure they’ll be demoing its capabilities FSD capabilities as well.

Locations

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.

Manhasset, New York
West Covina, California
Los Angeles, California
Houston, Texas
Orlando, Florida
Westmont, Illinois
Tucson, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Delaware

Musk Confirms 'Actually Smart Summon' is Coming in a Revision of FSD V12.5

July 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

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.

Just recently, Tesla returned the Model X’s self-presenting doors, using Tesla Vision. Vision has seen some fantastic improvements, and many people are waiting for ASS to bring forth these improvements to Smart Summon.

Smart Summon Today

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 10^th 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.