Tesla has finally released Full Self-Driving for the Cybertruck to Tesla employees and Early Access Testers with update 2024.32.20. This update was sent to employees earlier today and has just gone out to early access testers. We received confirmation from an employee that the vehicle indeed has FSD enabled for the first time.
Tesla's Cybertruck has been without any ADAS software since its launch, and owners have been putting the distance on them anyway, driving manually. The only option currently available is TACC—or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control. TACC on the Cybertruck Foundation Series does come with traffic controls enabled, so it will slow and stop for stop signs, red lights, and pedestrian crossings.
Cybertruck FSD
With no FSD or Autosteer, many owners have been disappointed that one of the main things they paid for in the Foundation Series package has been unavailable to date. Tesla announced in their FSD roadmap that the Cybertruck would receive FSD in September 2024. The Cybertruck did receive Autopark and Park Assist recently, but there was no indication that it would receive FSD until just now.
With this employee, we’ve confirmed that their vehicle is on update 2024.32.20 and that their release notes are watermarked as Tesla continues to crack down on leaks.
Tesla doesn’t allow employee vehicles to have 3rd-party connections, but with the update going out to early access testers, we now have access to the release notes for the update. This update also includes support for sunglasses with attention monitoring, which was introduced in FSD 12.5.4, and the brand-new end-to-end for highway driving that’s new in this update.
When Will It Arrive?
We expect FSD for Cybertruck to hit other customers soon now that it's on the wider set of early-access vehicles. However, Tesla did add this to the release notes, which may point to a longer wait:
“Note: This is an early access build. You and anyone you authorize must use additional caution and remain attentive. It does not make your vehicle autonomous. Do not become complacent.”
We hope it won’t take more than a week or two for it to reach other Foundation-Series Cybertruck owners. Cybertruck’s software update cadence has been faster than Tesla’s usual pipeline, so hopefully, the wait won’t be long.
Since this build is now based on update 2024.32, we expect the next FSD update for all vehicles to also be on update 2024.32 and introduce the 2024.32 Tesla features to everyone on the FSD track.
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.