Tesla FSD V12.5.6 Introduces Major Improvements: A Look at All the Changes [Photos]

WholeMarsBlog on X

Tesla has just released software update 2024.32.30 to its early access customers this morning, with quite a few changes. What’s most exciting is that there isn’t a “Coming Soon” section in there, as this update includes all of those features.

This may mean that FSD v12.5.6 may be the big update that concludes FSD V12, as FSD V13 is already on the Tesla FSD Roadmap for October. But before we look too far forward, let’s take a look at what the early access folks received this morning.

Of course, this build includes Vision-Based Attention Monitoring, including sunglasses support, and end-to-end highway monitoring. It also includes " earlier and more natural lane change decisions,” “Updated Driver Profiles,” and “Auto Set Speed has been updated to Max Speed.”

Earlier and More Natural Lane Change Decisions

Since its inception, Tesla’s FSD has struggled to make natural lane change decisions, especially in advance of a coming turn or exit. Tesla has been working on improving when and how it makes these decisions, and this update should be the big one.

Early access testers have already mentioned that FSD V12.5.6 appears to make decisions a lot sooner than before, which is definitely a good thing. Previously, FSD would make decisions to get from the right lane into the left turning lane in under a few hundred yards (or meters) from the actual place you’re turning. This update should make everything much, much smoother.

Updated Driver Profiles

Tesla has replaced the three older FSD Modes with updated Driver Profiles instead (not to be mixed up with a Driver Profile that saves user preferences). Chill makes a come back here, but Average has been replaced with Standard, and Assertive has been replaced with Hurry. Hurry mode was previously announced by Elon in a post on X, and it has finally shown up a few short months later.

Tesla is a lot more clear on what each of these modes means, and how it’ll change the way FSD drives.

Chill

Chill says that it will drive in slower lanes with minimal lane changes. This one is going to be especially important because it seems like the minimal lane changes button is gone too. So if you want minimal lane changes for your drive – you’ll be on the Chill profile.

We expect Chill to stick to the right lane whenever possible – as that’s the “slow” lane in North America – and that should carry over to both the highway, as well as multi-lane roadways.

Standard

Standard is the new Average – it offers to drive at normal speed, adjusting with traffic. We’re not sure exactly what that means just yet, especially since Autospeed is gone (more on that below!), but it will likely work within the Max Speed to dynamically adjust based on how fast traffic around you is traveling.

If anything, Standard will be slightly more assertive and faster than Chill, but likely won’t be looking to park itself in the right lane or left lane – rather picking the more neutral center lane, especially on the highway.

Hurry

Hurry is the new mode, replacing Assertive. Hurry says that it will drive faster, with more frequent lane changes. It seems the intention of the Hurry Profile will be to get you to your destination just that much quicker.

Hurry will be fairly aggressive with its lane changes and its ability to drive faster. This means it will likely be looking for and taking opportunities to get ahead or through the flow of traffic where available. On the highway, this profile will likely bring you to the left lane, where you’ll be keeping up or passing traffic.

The Hurry Profile, in particular, will also be displayed when it’s in use, right next to the green attention-monitoring dot. It seems Standard and Chill currently do not display up there.

The FSD Profile Selection Screen

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Auto Set Speed Has Been Replaced

On FSD V12.5.6, Autospeed is gone. It has been replaced with an updated version of its predecessor – Max Speed Offset. You can now set a Max Speed Offset for all FSD profiles, including negative offsets, to drive below the speed limit.

The maximum offset available right now is 40% - so if the limit is 50mph, your FSD speed limit will be 70mph. The minimum offset is also -40% - so at 50 mph, that’s 30mph.

This is definitely a new approach, as Tesla was previously working on letting its neural nets dynamically adjust the speed based on road and weather conditions, traffic around you, and road types (country vs low-density urban vs high-density urban).

We think Max Speed Offset will work very similar to Auto Set Speed, but with a clearer indication of the vehicle’s max speed. Previously on Auto, it wasn’t clear how fast the vehicle could go, just that the car was trying to determine the correct speed for the situation. Max Speed Offset is still expected to slow down for varying traffic and weather conditions.

Just like before, quick controls are available on the right scroll wheel.

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When’s It Coming?

Okay, the big question everyone is waiting for. It's just hit early access testers on Model Y and Model 3 vehicles—with HW4. Assuming the build tests well, the earliest it will see customers will be sometime next week, likely with HW4 3/Y and Cybertrucks first, then the S/X, and then Hardware 3 in the coming weeks. However, this is just a guess based on previous releases. We hope HW3 vehicles get included much sooner.

So, hang tight, keep an eye on our feeds, and we’ll let you know once the first wide customer builds of FSD V12.5.6 start rolling out.

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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.

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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.

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