Tesla has started the public release of FSD Beta 11.4.7.2
Not a Tesla App
Tesla's latest FSD Beta, v11.4.7.2, has just passed the employee testing phase and is now going out to its first batch of public testers.
Tesla first released beta 11.4.7.1 as update 2023.27.5 internally to its employees. Unfortunately, that update was never released to the public, as Tesla presumably found issues that needed to be addressed before a public release.
Just five days later, Tesla made update 2023.27.6 available to its employees, which initially carried the same FSD Beta version, but is now known as FSD Beta 11.4.7.2. After internal testing for a little over a day, this update is now going out to the public. The first wave usually consists of the "OG," or the original 1,000 public testers, which appears to be what we're seeing in this update.
Whether we'll see additional waves of this release later today or over the next few days will depend on whether Tesla discovers any major issues that need to be fixed before a wider release.
The FSD specific release notes in this version remain the same as v11.4.7, although the big news in this update are the non-FSD features. This update brings users on update 2023.7.30 up to date with many of the latest Tesla features that have been found in update 2023.12, 2023.20 and 2023.26.
Tesla updates have become more confusing lately with the merger of FSD Beta into all updates. The latest Tesla updates, such as version 2023.32, include the newest Tesla features, but they include a slightly older, more stable version of FSD Beta, which is currently beta 11.4.4. Owners who have been testing FSD Beta for a while now, are usually on an older update, such as update 2023.7.30. These versions contain a newer version of FSD Beta, such as beta 11.4.7, but unfortunately, a lot of the newest, non-FSD features are missing.
Tesla develops FSD Beta separately from other features, and for now, it appears that Tesla prefers to keep most owners on a more stable version, while a smaller user base can help test the latest additions to FSD Beta. It's possible we'll see this trend continue as it helps Tesla mitigate risk.
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 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.
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.