Tesla is slowly rolling out FSD Beta 10.4 to existing beta testers. Tesla hopes to expand the beta to users who have a Safety Score of 98 or higher in the coming days. Beta 10.4 builds upon FSD Beta 10.3 in several key areas.
Tesla now displays speed bumps
@HisandHersTesla/Twitter
The first is the crucial and common maneuver known as an unprotected left turn, where your car may have a green light, but needs to wait for oncoming traffic to pass before taking a left turn. Not only does a maneuver like this leave your car vulnerable, but it can also be complicated to complete.
With 10.4, Tesla improved high speed object detection and now allows for faster acceleration across certain roads. These improvements appear to be helping in making more reliable unprotected left turns.
In James Locke's video below, he shows off an impressive unprotected left turn in this newest beta. Not only does the car wait for oncoming traffic to clear, but the car starts slowly accelerating before the vehicle clears it's path, so that the car is up to speed by the time vehicle passes. It's much more natural and human-like behavior.
@elonmusk#FSDBeta 10.4 handling left turns much better. Both the approach to the turn and the turn itself. Can see how it starts turning to pass behind the oncoming car before it passes. Much more human like. pic.twitter.com/0LusOKEgxF
FSD Beta's visualizations are a big improvement over the visualizations in the public builds, partly due to object permanence.
The software is able to tell the difference between an object moving or disappearing versus it being hidden by another object.
If there was a person in front of your car, but then a vehicle slowly drove by, between your car and that person, we'd likely conclude that the person is still there, just hidden behind the car.
That's what Tesla is doing now, not only with visualizations, but what the car sees as its surroundings. Once the car sees an object, it records it's time and position in the world in a semi-permanent state. Even when the car can't see the object any longer, it still knows it's there.
Sure, this could lead to some errors, but it often does in humans as well. In the example above, where the person was obscured by the car, it's possible the person got into another car or left the scene without us seeing because the car was blocking our view.
In this update, we're seeing more complete visualizations thanks to Tesla drastically improving the detection of VRUs (vulnerable road users) such as pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles by using a next generation auto labeler.
Visualizations also received a small update. The car was already detecting and slowing down for speed bumps, but speed bumps are now shown in the visualizations as well.
Crosswalks also received a minor visualization update. They used to be depicted as two white parallel lines, but they now appear as a filled in dark area on the screen. They're a little more obvious and there are less jagged lines, but they also don't exactly look like crosswalks either. If Tesla added the thick stripes crosswalks usually have, that could prove useful.
FSD Beta now displays clearer crosswalks
There are other smaller improvements in this beta such as improved emergency vehicle detection, improved VRU relevance by using the vehicle's intended path and more.
Improved Warnings
Tesla has greatly improved driver monitoring by not relying solely on steering wheel tension and instead using the interior camera. Tesla apparently started included the interior camera in Model 3s apparently for a robotaxi future, but it appears to have paid off for FSD instead. Relying on steering wheel tension was unreliable and an annoyance for drivers.
With the cabin camera Tesla can closely monitor where the driver is looking and constantly checking whether they're paying attention. An inattentive driver will receive an instant warning to pay attention if they're looking down, staring at their phone or looking to the side if Autopilot is activated.
FSD Beta warning
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Early last month Tesla starting enforcing stricter rules when using FSD, where they will kick out beta testers if they're caught not paying attention several times.
In this beta, Tesla appears to have expanded these warnings to being on-screen as well, instead of relying on an email message. These warnings will be crucial to Tesla keeping the FSD Beta program and remaining accident free.
What's Not Included Yet
We know two big features are coming to FSD soon, but they're not yet included in this 10.4 update. The first is using a single stack for city and highway driving. Highway Autopilot is still completely separate and the same as the public build.
We're also anticipating the feature that will give the vehicle the ability to go into reverse. If the vehicle creeps forward for better visibility and decides it's unsafe to proceed, it'll back up to move out of the way of others.
Elon first anticipated this feature to come in FSD Beta 10.1, but we haven't seen it in FSD builds yet.
It's possible we may see both of these features added in the next major FSD release v11, which may come as the next FSD Beta. FSD Beta 10.4 also includes Sentry Mode Live Access for those with a Model 3, Model Y or the new Model S and X.
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Tesla recently introduced Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment options in the United States and Canada for items in the Tesla Shop, letting owners pay later for new vehicle accessories.
However, with Tesla app update 4.46, they’re expanding support to a much more critical area — Tesla Service. Qualifying owners in the U.S. and Canada will now be able to use Pay Later options for service performed by Tesla, which includes maintenance or repairs.
Services are provided by Affirm and Klarna, as per Mark Fonte, a Senior Software Engineer working on the Tesla app.
The new feature is seamlessly integrated into the existing service workflow within the Tesla app.
On the Service Estimate, before work on the vehicle begins, you will see a new message on the estimate screen: Pay over time - see if you qualify.
Tapping this link opens the payment calculator, which allows you to view potential payment structures and monthly costs. This provides a clear picture of what a payment plan would look like before you commit to servicing your vehicle.
Additionally, after service is complete and you are ready to pay, the final payment screen will present Affirm and Klarna (region-dependent) as selectable payment methods, alongside the usual options of Tesla Credit or your primary payment card.
Tapping Affirm or Klarna here will reopen the payment calculator, and a confirmation prompt will appear before selecting either BNPL option.
Service Now, Pay Later
Overall, the integration of BNPL providers for service is a thoughtful one for vehicle owners. The terms can vary widely, so it’s important to compare them to other payment options you may have access to. The additional financial flexibility, when faced with a large repair bill, allows more owners to get their vehicle professionally and properly serviced by Tesla.
For those getting larger work done, such as high-voltage battery pack replacements, this is an excellent option to spread payments over a longer period, helping reduce the burden of vehicle repair.
With the launch of Tesla’s Robotaxi Network, we didn't just get a peek into the future of transportation—we got a detailed look at the next version of FSD.
Videos from early access riders revealed some additional capabilities over current public FSD builds, showing off how it handles emergency vehicles and more.
Safety First for First Responders
One of the biggest changes in FSD’s capabilities is its improved handling of emergency vehicles. During a ride in Austin, Robotaxi is seen identifying an approaching ambulance using a combination of visual and audio data, activating its turn signal, and smoothly pulling over to the side of the road to let the ambulance by (video below).
This is a driving task that requires more than simple awareness of laws. It requires reasoning skills to determine where to move the vehicle to create a safe path, as well as the ability to quickly identify an ambulance or another emergency service vehicle with its sirens and lights activated. Understanding the context and executing a safe and predictable maneuver is crucial, as a wrong maneuver could actually make matters worse.
For FSD and Robotaxi to gain both public trust and regulatory approval, this skill is non-negotiable, and Tesla demonstrated its advancements right here. It’s not surprising Tesla added this ability before Robotaxis made it to public roads.
How does a fleet of Robotaxis keep its eyes clean without constant human intervention? Well, a clever new feature that Tesla has previously hinted at in their FSD release notes provides the answer. Robotaxi can now trigger a specific wiper and washer fluid sequence designed to clean the main front-facing cameras.
This might seem like a small detail, but it’s a brilliant solution to one of Tesla’s primary challenges - maintaining sensor clarity. While the vehicle could simply wipe the windshield multiple times, this is a clever solution to clean the most important area of the windshield as thoroughly as possible by focusing extra wiper fluid and wipes on that area.
Complex Maneuvers
Two areas where current builds of FSD V13.2.9 sometimes show hesitation are U-turns and navigating busy parking lots. The latest Robotaxi build appears to improve on both of these areas.
This first video shows a Robotaxi performing a flawless U-turn with no hesitation, and then smoothly switching lanes to take a turn.
Another video on X shows FSD’s updated confidence in navigating a complex parking lot for a precise drop-off. Today’s builds can sometimes struggle in parking lots, being slow and overly cautious when not needed, or too confident elsewhere. This appears to have been improved in these Robotaxi FSD builds with improved path planning and confidence.
Tesla Robotaxi service is just so smooth. Handles parking lots very well, noticeably better than the competitors pic.twitter.com/D5OxSrajCW
We’re also likely to see FSD begin to handle more complex destination options, including parking garages and driveways, which have been promised features for almost a year. The Robotaxi FSD build has also gained the ability to safely pull over on a road, similar to the ambulance example above, but it uses this capability to drop off and pick up passengers. This is a feature that was mentioned in FSD v13.2’s Upcoming Improvements section.
Better Nighttime Performance
Driving at night presents additional challenges, including headlight glare and reduced visibility. The latest version of FSD appears to handle it with almost the same grace as it does during the day. Remember that Tesla’s Robotaxis are available up until midnight. Early access riders mentioned that FSD is far smoother and is a step up from the behavior of current FSD builds.
Impressive nighttime performance from Tesla Robotaxi, dropping us off at In-N-Out as smoothly as it did during the day. pic.twitter.com/yQOhphtR0q
Now, what happens when a passenger feels unsafe or has a critical question? Tesla has placed two key buttons on the rear screen for just those purposes. Users are given control over the ability to Call Support, which almost instantly connects them with a real human agent at Tesla’s Robotaxi Operations Center via video call.
Here’s what happens when you hit the support button in Tesla’s Robotaxi’s.
While it isn’t a fundamental driving feature, it does mean that Tesla’s team can provide support to Robotaxi vehicles remotely, like issuing directive commands to have a vehicle proceed straight, rather than attempting to turn through a gated community.
The other option, Pull Over, allows a rider to immediately request the vehicle to safely pull over, which it will do when it can find a safe and open location. At this point, you can either continue your trip or get out of the Robotaxi.
Both options prompt you with an “Are You Sure?” button before letting you continue, which means you won’t have your Robotaxi ride come to an abrupt stop if you tap the ‘Pull Over’ button by accident.
What This Means for Tesla Owners
These features are likely to be included in future FSD builds. This is essentially the new benchmark by which to judge FSD, at least once it begins rolling out to customer vehicles.
Many of the core driving improvements, such as the more confident maneuvering and emergency vehicle response, will make their way to the wider fleet in upcoming FSD updates.
Remember - Robotaxi isn’t just a service, it is also a preview of Tesla’s driverless FSD builds.