Tesla FSD Beta FAQ

By Gabe Rodriguez Morrison
FSD Beta visualizations
FSD Beta visualizations
Not a Tesla App

This article seeks to answer the most frequently asked questions about Tesla's Full-Self Driving Beta Program. It will answer questions about how to get selected for the program, how to improve your safety score and when it will become available for wider release.

How does FSD work?

FSD is Tesla's proprietary self-driving software that is improved by collecting data from Tesla's network of over 100,000 beta testers.

What is FSD Beta?

FSD Beta allows Tesla vehicles to drive autonomously to a destination entered in the car's navigation system. Since this is the Beta program, drivers must remain vigilant and ready to take control at all times.

How many users are there in the FSD Beta Program?

As of July 2022, there are over 100,000 Tesla drivers enrolled in the FSD Beta program in the U.S. and Canada.

How many miles have been driven on FSD Beta?

As of July 2022, Tesla reported that its fleet of customers driving with the FSD Beta software has surpassed 35 million miles driven.

Which countries is FSD Beta available in?

Tesla currently allows FSD Beta for cars in the U.S. and Canada. Tesla plans to launch the program in Europe later this year.

How much does FSD Beta cost?

Tesla's FSD package has consistently increased in price over the years. Most recently in January 2022, Tesla increased the cost from a one-time payment of $10,000 to $12,000.

The software is also available as a monthly subscription for $99 if you have Advanced Autopilot or $199 if you have basic Autopilot.

The subscription price is only available if you have FSD hardware 3.0 or above.

Which models are available for FSD Beta?

If you have purchased FSD capability and have FSD hardware 2.0 or 2.5, you are eligible to receive a complimentary installation of Tesla's FSD computer (hardware 3.0).

A complimentary hardware upgrade to the FSD computer is not available for Full Self-Driving capability subscribers; however, you may be eligible to upgrade for $1,000.00 plus applicable tax, which includes installation.

How do you sign up for FSD Beta?

You must be a FSD user (paid in full or by subscription) and live in a supported region to request access to the Beta program.

You can request by tapping on Controls > Autopilot > “Request Full Self Driving Beta”, and accept the terms and conditions. You will need to meet Safety Score minimums over a certain period before Tesla gives you access to the beta.

You can view your Safety Score in the app and we have seen Tesla add beta testers with a score of 95 and above. However, Tesla does not add additional testers continuously, and it may take a week or months of having a score above 95 before you're given access to the beta.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will receive the FSD Beta even if you have a high Safety Score as Tesla only adds additional testers when needed.

How does Tesla select users for the FSD Beta Program?

Though requirements change over time and vary depending on region, the current requirements for the Beta test include getting a 95-100 Safety Score over a monitoring period of seven days.

How do I improve my Safety Score?

There are five safety categories that Tesla actively uses to measure the safety score of a driver. Your performance in each category is compared to the median of Tesla's fleet.

These are the five categories in order of weighted average score:

  • Forced Autopilot Disengagement
  • Hard Braking
  • Aggressive Turning
  • Unsafe Following
  • Forward Collision Warnings

You can also read more about how to improve your safety score.

When Will FSD be available to all Tesla owners?

According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, starting in 2022, Tesla FSD will be available to all Americans and Canadians, regardless of their Safety Score.

When Will FSD be available in Europe?

Elon said in early 2022 that Tesla is aiming to release FSD Beta in Europe by the end of the year.

What does a blue car mean in the visualizations?

You can read our article about all FSD visualizations and their meanings to get a better understanding of FSD Beta.

Tesla Is Now Offering Cybertruck Test Drives [List of Locations]

By Karan Singh
@brandonhd

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.

Once FSD V12.5 comes to the Cybertruck, we’re sure they’ll be demoing its capabilities FSD capabilities as well.

Locations

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.

  • Manhasset, New York

  • West Covina, California

  • Los Angeles, California

  • Houston, Texas

  • Orlando, Florida

  • Westmont, Illinois

  • Tucson, Arizona

  • Phoenix, Arizona

  • Delaware

Musk Confirms 'Actually Smart Summon' is Coming in a Revision of FSD V12.5

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

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.

Just recently, Tesla returned the Model X’s self-presenting doors, using Tesla Vision. Vision has seen some fantastic improvements, and many people are waiting for ASS to bring forth these improvements to Smart Summon.

Smart Summon Today

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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