Tesla Updates Definition and Features of Full Self-Driving

Tesla has updated its description of FSD capability

Not a Tesla App

Tesla made a subtle yet possibly significant change to its website regarding its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. While small, it might show Tesla's confidence in its upcoming FSD updates.

The “Autosteer on city streets” feature has been marked as “coming soon” for the past four years. But now the coming soon label has been ripped off, and 'Autosteer on city streets' is now a part of the core features you get when buying Tesla's 'FSD Capability.'

In addition to this change, Tesla has also added the phrase: "Your car will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention and will continuously improve," which also seems to imply improved confidence in FSD's ability.

Musk Confirms Enhancement

Tesla's journey toward achieving an autonomous vehicle has been under meticulous scrutiny by the NHTSA, critics, and investors alike. The change was first spotted by a shrewd Tesla enthusiast, Sawyer Merritt. He rightly pointed out the significance of this change by stating, “This might seem like a small change, but it’s a big one. This indicates that Tesla is getting very confident in FSD’s capabilities.” Elon Musk responded with a simple "Yup."

However, Tesla’s overarching mission has always been anchored in safety. Even with these advancements, the company's website emphasizes the need for active driver supervision. They state, “The activation and use of these features depend on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience.” This warning is imperative, as pointed out in a recent crash when the driver was warned 150 times before running into an emergency vehicle.

FSD Gets More Affordable

Price plays a significant role in the adoption of new technology. Reflecting its growing confidence in its product and looking to make it more accessible, Tesla recently reduced the price of its FSD software. This may also be an effort to get more drivers using the technology that supplies Tesla with more data to train the system.

Musk's recent demonstration of theFSD Version 12 showcased Tesla's technological prowess. The test, which was broadcast live from Palo Alto, featured a Model S equipped with an alpha version of FSD, that was running completely on neural nets and cameras and reduced code.

While Tesla advances in North America, it's essential to note its position on a global scale. Different regions see variations in FSD features and pricing. For instance, in China, where Tesla faces stiff competition, the configurator lists different FSD functions, and Europe too has its set of available FSD features.

As technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, Tesla owners can expect their cars to be updated with over-the-air software updates. The cars just keep getting better!

Follow

Follow

Follow

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.

Follow

Follow

Follow

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.

Follow

Follow

Follow