Over the weekend Tesla started pushing the Full Self-Driving Beta 10.11 update to employees, which includes several key improvements for the semi-autonomous driving system. This new version of the software could potentially roll out to drivers with safety scores of 95 and above if no substantial errors were to be found, Elon Musk suggested via Twitter.
Among the highlights of the new 10.11 release version are more accurate predictions of where vehicles are turning or merging and an improved right-of-way understanding if the map is inaccurate or the car cannot follow the navigation, as well as improved smoothness through turns.
Tesla’s approach to testing their autonomous driving system on real world streets using their own customers instead of trained drivers has drawn a lot of criticism over the last few months, but also a lot of praise from users who have been eager to test these features after purchasing a Full Self-Driving package at a high price.
Lowering the threshold for access to allow drivers with safety scores of 95 will undoubtedly result in a wider range of Tesla users joining the FSD Beta program, some of which have been complaining about the challenges arising from the use of the safety score system, particularly the real life impracticability of obtaining top score ratings.
In the beginning of their more public rollout phase Tesla offered the FSD Beta to drivers who had a score of 100, and over time it lowered this threshold to take in customers with scores as low as 97. According to a previous statement made by Elon Musk, Tesla will continue to decrease the score required to have access to the beta software over time.
This decision to widen the test pool for the FSD Beta seems also very timely given the recent removal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the requirement for manual controls in fully autonomous vehicles, in what seems to be a very exciting development in the landscape for the fully autonomous vehicles industry.
The agency has stated that "for vehicles designed to be solely operated by an automated driving system (ADS), manually operated driving controls are logically unnecessary," in response to a request from General Motors.
According to the latest data available, there are around 60,000 customers enrolled in the FSD Beta program in the US alone, while Canadian owners just started to receive access to the driver safety score about a week ago. Tesla is expected to begin the release to Canadian drivers with top scores soon.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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