Tesla wants everyone on its payroll to pitch in and help with a frantic end-of-quarter push. An internal email leaked to Electrek indicates that employees, even those not tasked with sales and delivery, to assist in getting as many vehicles out the door as possible. The email says there is “a very high volume of vehicles,” and management requests additional support.
This push should come as no surprise after a disappointing second quarter. The company delivered 18 percent fewer vehicles than in the previous reporting period. Tesla delivered 254,695 compared to 310,048 just three months prior. The decline broke a two-year streak in which the company continued to break its delivery record. The drop in numbers was not due to failures at Tesla, but due to COVID-related shutdowns at its Gigafactory in Shanghai, China.
Nevertheless, Tesla is adamant about righting the ship immediately. This quarter, like no other before, has seen significant competition enter the electric vehicle space and challenge the king of the sector. As a result, Tesla would like nothing more than to get back on track with another record-breaking delivery of its highly sought-after vehicles.
According to Electrek, the company-wide email stated: We will be delivering a very high volume of vehicles to eagerly waiting customers during the final days of Q3. To help ensure we can delight as many customers as possible, the delivery team is requesting additional support with key delivery-execution tasks.
For weeks Tesla’s careers page has listed dozens of Seasonal Advisor positions. The postings say these positions are “essential support at the end of the quarter, operating alongside our Sales and Delivery team to execute record-breaking delivery results.” The jobs were expected to last for two to three weeks.
Analysts predict that Tesla will get back on track and deliver more than 310,000 cars this quarter. In fact, one analyst has gone much further than that. Trip Chowdhry with Global Equities Research has publicly stated that he forecasts the carmaker will exceed 500,000 deliveries in the fourth quarter. In addition, he estimates that the time to produce a Tesla has decreased by 10 percent, and he notes other factors like the Semi coming online and increased capacity at factories worldwide.
Tesla is expected to report its quarterly earnings in mid-October.
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Elon Musk announced that Tesla will finally reintroduce Smart Summon and Autopark to its vehicles. According to the CEO, these features are scheduled for release in April. Tesla removed ultrasonic sensors (USS) from their vehicles in 2022, and with it removed several features, including Autopark, Smart Summon and Park Assist. However, since then, they’ve added High Fidelity Park Assist, a feature that recreates the surrounding environment in 3D. Although, it’s currently only available to vehicles without USS, that’s expected to change in the near future, and could also come bundled in with the new Autopark feature.
This update in April is not only expected bring these features back to vehicles without ultrasonic sensors, but Tesla is also expected to release drastically improved versions of these features, known as Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park.
Major improvements coming for Summon & Banish (Autopark) next month - Elon Musk
Improved Autopark
Greentheonly, who regularly decompiles Tesla firmware, has indicated that Tesla's latest software, version 2024.8, already contains the code necessary for these new features, but they need to be remotely activated by Tesla. Additionally, Green says the new Autopark system will offer users the choice between parallel and perpendicular parking options. The new Autopark is expected to let drivers visually select a parking spot, exit the vehicle, and let it park itself.
New ‘Tap to Park’ Feature
With the introduction of High Fidelity Park Assist, Tesla laid the groundwork for more sophisticated features like "Tap to Park."
Tap to Park builds on the original concept of Park Seek, a feature discussed by Tesla in October 2022 that aimed to automate the parking spot search process. While the initial vision for Park Seek suggested a vehicle could autonomously search for parking, "Tap to Park" simplifies this idea.
With the deployment of FSD Beta v12.3 going to more users this weekend, the company continues to leverage AI to reduce code in favor of neural networks trained with real-world driving data.
Just last week, Musk posted on X: "Really cool stuff coming both this month and next." Since that post, FSD beta version 12.3 has started going to more users, and now it seems two other long overdue and highly anticipated updates are coming with Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park. Still no word on auto wiper improvements.
Tesla's latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta v12 is reaching users after an extended rollout over the weekend. This update is not just another iteration; it represents a leap in self-driving technology, primarily due to its integration of end-to-end neural networks for vehicle control. So far, it seems to be living up to the hype.
A Neural Network Driven Approach
At the core of FSD v12 is a shift from traditional programming to neural network-based decision-making. This allows the vehicle to process raw camera footage and vehicle kinematics directly into driving actions, mimicking human cognitive processes more closely than ever before. Ashok Elluswamy, Director of Autopilot Software at Tesla, highlighted the monumental effort to surpass the capabilities of the previous v11, setting a new standard for FSD's future.
Ability to Reverse Is Coming
The release has garnered widespread acclaim, with tech leaders like Michael Dell praising its capabilities and likening the car to human-like driving proficiency. Many in the Tesla community have been posting their weekend drivers, including Chuck Cook, who was amazed during one point of his drive, referring to a move as “Robo-taxi navigation.” Cook believed he was in too tight of a spot to pull a U-turn, but his Tesla pulled it off. Elluswamy commented: “Reverse coming soon when the Actually Smart Summon and the FSD models merge together over the next few releases.”
This clip blew my mind, next level for FSDBeta v12.3 in finding its way out of a bad situation. Nice work @Tesla_AIpic.twitter.com/9cDccpr2uO
There were numerous examples of v12.3 navigating complex driving scenarios easily, showcasing significant improvements over earlier versions.
“Reverse coming soon when the Actually Smart Summon and the FSD models merge together over the next few releases.” - Ashok Elluswamy
Next-Level Capabilities on the Horizon
Elon Musk has teased that v12.4 will introduce even more advanced features, emphasizing the continuous improvement in training compute constraints. In fact, he was so thrilled with the next update that he said it could be called version 13. He posted that “V12.4 is another big jump in capabilities. Our constraint in training compute is much improved.”
Tesla’s FSD trajectory seems to be hitting a new level, as it appears to be headed toward approval of use on roadways in Europe. While it is taking longer than initially believed, the dream of autonomous driving seems to be getting closer to reality.
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