Late last night Tesla started rolling out update 2024.26.20 which contains the latest FSD v12.5.1.5. This release comes on the heels of version 12.5.1.4 which was in employee testing just the day before.
Hardware 3 Support
With this update, Tesla is once again supporting HW3 vehicles in the latest FSD release. HW3 vehicles haven’t been supported since FSD 12.4.x which was only rolled out to a small portion of the fleet before the update was pulled in favor of FSD 12.5.
FSD 12.5 Features
As soon as FSD 12.5 was released to HW4 late last month, it was praised for its extreme smoothness and human-like driving. Some of the features from FSD 12.4 will also be new for HW3 owners such as nag-free FSD, which eliminates the need to add torque to the steering wheel under certain conditions.
Differences from HW4
After we broke the news that FSD 12.5 was being tested on Tesla employee vehicles with HW3, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Autopilot lead, replied to our article going over some of the differences between HW3 and HW4 FSD. He mentioned that HW3 will run a smaller AI model compared to HW4, but he expects FSD performance to be similar due to other factors. HW4 also features much higher-resolution cameras, so it’ll be interesting to see if those are playing a role in the smoothness of FSD 12.5. Ashok also talked about what Tesla needs to do to have HW3 run the same FSD model in the future.
This appears to be a standard Tesla rollout so far. This update has already gone out to customers outside of the early-access group, but the rollout remains small as usual. If major issues aren’t found, we expect to see the update go to additional vehicles tonight or tomorrow. Since most HW3 owners are still on FSD 12.3.6 with update 2024.20.9, this will be a massive update for them, not only in terms of FSD capability and the nag-free feature but also in terms of vehicle features such as YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Parental Controls and much more that’s included as part of Tesla’s Summer Update. Keep an eye on our statistics pages to follow the rollout.
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.
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