Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that the much-awaited V11 build of the Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta) Level 2 advanced driver-assistance software (ADAS) will gradually reach every eligible customer starting this weekend. Here’s what you will get and why the rollout is almost four months late.
In late 2022, Elon Musk said that all FSD Beta customers will get access to the software’s V11 build “before the end of the year and maybe November.” It was quite the event because the upgrade not only improved a lot of things about how eligible vehicles handled daily commuting scenarios, but also allowed the entire suite to be active on highways. Until V11, FSD Beta didn’t work on high-speed roads. Autopilot did all the work assisting the driver.
Sadly, it didn’t take long for the executive to admit that V11 was a tad bit more complicated to roll out. However, nobody can blame Tesla for trying to ship OTA software updates that are reliable. Back then, Musk said that it might “take a few weeks to expand the beta, then another few weeks to go wide release to U.S. and Canada.” After some hiccups down the road and an unexpected pause in development, it looks like it’s going to take Tesla 14 weeks to give its customers FSD Beta V11. Of course, that’s true only if the CEO is right this time and the updates will actually start being widely rolled out this weekend. Fingers crossed, maybe it will happen!
A little over two weeks ago, the automaker announced that it listened to the NHTSA’s worries and issued a recall for the FSD Beta suite while also revealing publicly for the first time that the software is just an SAE Level 2 ADAS. Briefly, this means that the driver is always responsible for what happens while the vehicle is in operation, no matter if FSD Beta is active. Even though getting access to Tesla’s ADAS is pretty pricy at $15,000 (or $99 per month for Enhanced Autopilot-equipped units or $199 for the company’s EVs that run basic Autopilot) it’s good to keep this mind the driver holds all the liability.
Photo: @Winnersechelon via Twitter
Moreover, you should ignore what influencers and hyped-up investors are doing on social media. Sleeping behind the wheel or taking your hands off of it is a no-no. For now, the driver is the one who must have all the skills necessary to operate an automobile equipped with various advanced driver-assistance system.
Now, if you’re among those waiting for FSD Beta V11, then you may be happy to know the software will work on highways. That's thanks to the single-stack philosophy that brings together a multi-camera approach by unifying the vision and planning stack. It's the next step forward! It also includes the following:
better transformer spatial resolution in severe weather conditions;
improved image featurizer capacity and side camera calibration;
better merging behavior thanks to the association with coarse map information and new selection algorithms;
road debris detection and avoidance on highways;
smoother lane changes that won’t keep you in the fast lane forever;
lower sensitivity for speed-based lane changes while in Chill mode;
allowing higher jerk maneuvers needed when you must move away from lane blockages;
less strictness about lane centering;
trajectory optimization can be 20% faster on average.
Despite all the upgrades, make sure to treat this build as a newer iteration of the unfinished software. Don't risk a problem just for the sake of looking momentarily cool!
Finally, while everyone might be getting access to FSD Beta V11 starting this weekend, Elon Musk also said that V11.3 is entering a limited beta stage of testing. He has also expressed confidence in the V11.3.2 which might be suited even for European customers. However, no official rollout timeline has been given and the executive is known to overpromise and underdeliver. Some patience is definetely needed.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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