Tesla has released FSD Beta for hardware 4.0 vehicles
Not a Tesla App
We all know about Tesla's CEO and his less-than-accurate time prediction. Say it with me - two weeks. But in a surprising turn of events, Tesla has started rolling out its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta for new vehicles equipped with Hardware 4 (HW4), including the Model S, Model X, and Model Y from Fremont and Texas. This development seems to contradict Elon Musk's recent statement, but some think there may have been a misunderstanding. Late last night Tesla started rolling out update 2023.26.11 to vehicles with HW4. The update includes FSD Beta 11.4.4 and HW4 owners have now confirmed that the update enables FSD Beta in their vehicles.
Six Months to Two Days
Two days before FSD appeared on HW4-equipped vehicles, Musk stated that the HW4 software would lag HW3 by "at least another six months," emphasizing that the company would focus on perfecting FSD on HW3 and providing it internationally. However, Tesla investor and enthusiast Sawyer Merritt offered an explanation of the change of timing, believing Musk meant that HW4 might not perform as well as HW3 initially, not that it wouldn't be available at all.
This rollout relieves Tesla owners who recently purchased or are awaiting delivery of new vehicles with HW4. After the recent comments that HW4 would lag behind on FSD, X.com and several other social media sites were filled with angry FSD subscribers and confused owners of new Teslas with FSD. While performance differences may still exist between the FSD Beta on HW4 and HW3, this rollout is undoubtedly welcome news for Tesla owners in North America. All that angst over the weekend quickly turned to countless people jumping in their Teslas and going for a ride Monday night to post their experience with FSD and HW4 joyfully.
Miscommunication or Heard Loud and Clear?
So, was it a miscommunication or did Tesla feel some heat from disappointed Tesla new and future buyers? Tesla always puts up strong numbers for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. A Spring report indicated that approximately 67% of Tesla owners return to purchase another vehicle from the brand, surpassing the industry's average luxury brand loyalty rate of 46%. Tesla's ability to maintain high brand loyalty amidst changing conditions underscores its brand's and its vehicles' strength and appeal. This “episode” may also show how many people buy Teslas for the FSD experience.
While there may be questions regarding the performance of FSD Beta on HW4 compared to HW3, this development is a pleasant surprise. As Tesla continues to refine and improve its self-driving technology, it will be interesting to see how the performance of HW4 vehicles evolves over time and compares to that of HW3-equipped vehicles.
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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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