FSD

Tesla has started to push a new Full Self-Driving Beta v12 software update. It’s still not going wide, there’s no new release note, but CEO Elon Musk says it’s a “big release”. When talking about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving program, it’s hard not to talk about delays. Tesla fans would argue that the company is trying to solve a major problem in self-driving and we should cut it some slack when it comes. The counter argument is that Tesla started selling Full Self-Driving since 2016 and by doing it, it…

XPeng Motors announced a massive milestone for its XPeng navigation guided pilot (XNGP) ADAS feature that enables self-driving in several scenarios. XNGP is now available unlimitedly on all roads, everywhere in China. That’s only part of it; XPeng also shared plans to expand the self-driving tech to other markets. XPeng Motors ($XPEV) currently operates as one of China’s big hitters in EVs. Part of the company’s appeal is its innovation and advanced technology, including out-of-the-box ideas like genuine…

Elon Musk is taking issue with a report from the Washington Post published Tuesday detailing what the newspaper described as potentially the first death from Tesla’s Full-Self-Driving feature in 2022. Musk claims the autonomous driving feature was never even downloaded, though the billionaire CEO didn’t provide evidence to back up his claim.Did Elon Musk Regret Buying Twitter? | Walter Isaacson Interview“He was not on FSD. The software had unfortunately never been downloaded. I say ‘unfortunately’, because the accident…

The Dawn Project, a group that runs ads making false claims about Tesla’s full self-driving system, has received a letter from the NTSB demanding that it cease using its logo in advertising, which Dawn Project did in contravention of US federal law in its Super Bowl ad aired this weekend. The Dawn Project is run by Dan O’Dowd, CEO of a software company which sells automotive driving software services, putting it in competition with Tesla. The Dawn Project itself is founded and funded by O’Dowd via…

Tesla is bringing back the capacity to transfer your Full Self-Driving package and/or free Supercharging on a new vehicle despite Elon Musk saying it would be a one-time deal in the past. For years, Tesla owners who bought the up-to-$15,000 Full Self-Driving Capability package were asking for the capacity to transfer it when trading-in their vehicles for a new one. The logic was sound: Tesla never delivered the self-driving capacity as promised. It only makes sense to allow owners to transfer…

Xpeng, Tesla’s challenger from China, has its eye on the international market and plans to use its smart driving software as a selling point. The Guangzhou-based electric vehicle upstart said at an event this week that it will start developing its highway-specific Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) for global users in 2024, while the international version of its next-generation, all-purpose XNGP feature will commence development in 2025. “We look forward to enabling overseas users to access Xpeng’s…

One difference between the robotaxi rollouts in the two countries has to do with regulation. Chinese regulators are known for their hands-on approach and the tendency to rein in new technologies early. Robotaxis have been no exception. In December 2023, China’s first regulation on commercial operation of autonomous vehicles went into effect. It sets some ground rules for different kinds of vehicles: roboshuttles or robotrucks still need to have in-car safety operators, while robotaxis can use remote operators. The ratio…

Bryant Walker Smith, an associate professor of law at the University of South Carolina, echoes this concern. “These companies are competing with an Uber driver who, in any estimate, makes less than minimum wage, has a midpriced car, and probably maintains it themselves,” he says.  By way of contrast, robotaxis are expensive vehicles packed full of cameras, sensors, and advanced software systems, and they require constant monitoring and help from humans. It’s almost impossible for them to compete with ride-sharing…

Tesla has finally started releasing its FSD Beta v12 update to customers, which is sort of its last hope to deliver on its self-driving promises. The Tesla v12 software update is expected to introduce what CEO Elon Musk has been calling “end-to-end neural nets”. The biggest difference with previous FSD updates is that the vehicle’s controls would now be handled by neural nets rather than being coded by programmers. Tesla writes in the release notes of the update: “FSD Beta v12 upgrades the…

Tesla has started releasing to employees its FSD v12 update, which is apparently critical to Tesla’s achieving its self-driving goal. CEO Elon Musk has previously said that he believes Tesla will achieve “true” self-driving capability by the end of the year. Now, the CEO has said that before and it didn’t happen. But this time, he has linked the goal with Tesla’s FSD v12 update. The main difference with the v12 update is expected to be vehicle controls being taken over by neural nets…