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Why Is Tesla Pushing Two Different Versions of FSD Beta at the Same Time?

Tesla rewrote the FSD Beta software with the release of the V11 version and has since pushed update after update at neck-breaking speed. This week ended with the EV maker releasing two different software versions simultaneously. Based on the taxonomy, both versions should only bring minor improvements and bug fixes.
Tesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same time 9 photos
Photo: Tesla | Edited
Tesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same timeTesla pushed two different versions of the FSD Beta at the same time
Tesla had to pause the FSD Beta development until it addressed the issues raised by the NHTSA in the famous "OTA recall." This has led to an excruciatingly long delay for the V11 release of the self-driving software. Switching the software to a unified stack and neural networks has also taken its toll, so the FSD Beta testers had to wait a long time to get the update (many of them are still waiting). But once the OTA recall was sorted out, Tesla was very aggressive with the updates, with several builds fired up in quick succession.

Being an almost complete rewrite of the driver assists software, many bugs still need to be ironed out. The most puzzling thing about the V11 software is that people reported vastly different experiences. Some said V11 was worse in every way than the V10, except on highways, where it's an order of magnitude better. These people experienced many more disengagements in places where the software was spot on in the past. In some instances, the cars on FSD Beta would run red lights, a dangerous behavior.

Others, on the other hand, praised the new versions as ready for commercial service. Not so fast, as Elon Musk admitted the software still needs "one more round of refinement" after releasing V11.3.3. Many understood this as the next update, as in V11.3.4, although we're sure Musk referred to the next major release, like the V12. And to prove us right, Tesla released this week FSD Beta V11.3.4 and V11.3.5 almost at the same time, which clearly doesn't sound like the software is finalized.

Good people at Not A Tesla App say this is mainly a bug-fix release over the V11.3.3. The previous version polished the driving experience with smoother lane changes in dense traffic scenarios, better handling in high-curvature scenarios or near large trucks, and improved behavior near parked cars in narrow lanes. The software also introduced more detailed information about upcoming maneuvers.

There's a new addition, though, as people who got the latest updates confirmed. The FSD Beta V11.3.5 software now integrates Tesla Vision Park Assist, similar to the non-FSD software version 2023.6.X. The updates are pushed to both cars with and without ultrasonic sensors, which might mean that Tesla prepares to deprecate USS even on vehicles that have them, as it did with the radar in 2021.

It's too early to know what the differences between V11.3.4 and V11.3.5 are. They were released roughly at the same time, reportedly to different groups of beta testers, indicating that Tesla is doing an A/B test to verify something. Hopefully, the best version will win, but one thing is becoming clearer as Tesla pushes more test versions to the fleet: self-driving is still not achievable in the short or medium term.

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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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