Tesla has announced it’s rolling out a major update of its Full Self Driving (FSD) software [note: That’s just it’s name; the car is not actually capable of fully driving itself. —Ed.] to address the several problems that prompted a recall to be issued by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The NHTSA recall in February mostly covered four specific defects, with the administration asking Tesla to remedy the cars’ decision-making logic and improve vehicle behaviour: in situations where the vehicle may drive straight in a turn-only lane; when proceeding through or stopping at yellow lights; leading up to stop-sign intersections; and in adjusting its speed when entering new speed zones and detecting speed-limit signs.
While Tesla Autopilot comes standard in new Teslas and allows for traffic-aware cruise control that will follow a car in front of you, the optional FSD Beta marks a step up, above that functionality. The automaker says its goal is for FSD to offer autonomous driving from destination to destination, and that this latest Beta update, currently being used in some 400,000 vehicles, includes several features like stop-sign control. The car is not yet able to fully autonomously drive itself, however.
Learn more about the cars
-
2023 Tesla Model 3
MSRP $54,990 to $72,990
-
2023 Tesla Model Y
MSRP $69,990 to $75,990
-
2023 Tesla Model S
MSRP $122,990 to $149,990
-
2023 Tesla Model X
MSRP $135,990 to $149,990
This new Tesla FSD Beta v11 update – which will combine the FSD Beta software stack with Tesla’s Autopilot highway software stack, among other things – could significantly enhance Tesla’s highway-centered Autopilot feature, which hasn’t been majorly updated in four years.
It is also expected to address things like close cut-ins, better position the car in wide lanes, improve its handling of lane blockages and lane changes, make for smoother turns, and provide better communications to drivers.
Keyword: Tesla updates FSD Beta, fixes issues that irked NHTSA