Tesla has released its latest version of Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, v12.2.1, to more owners on Monday night. The release come a little over a month after v12.1.1 went out to employees and select customers.
The update was first spotted on third-party tracking service Teslascope, with software update 2023.44.30.20 installed on a Model Y in California. Not long after that, dozens of owners in the US reported on social media that they received the update, but unlike previous releases, it was not limited to the original group of beta testers, but instead it was deployed to a random sample of owners with both Hardware 3 (HW3) and Hardware 4 (HW4) equipped vehicles.
We noticed a new Tesla software update 2023.44.30.20 on a Model Y AWD LR (2021) in California, United States. View the rollout of this update here: https://t.co/AFDAyGfljT
— Teslascope (@teslascope) February 19, 2024
If you are unfamiliar with the ‘V12’ version of FSD Beta, it is significant because it operates entirely on neural nets trained on millions of video clips from Tesla’s fleet of vehicles, replacing hundreds of thousands of lines of code that used to tell the car what to do.
Based on some early tests of V12.2.1, it appears to be performing well in most scenarios, with one of the most common themes among the feedback is that it operates much more smoothly and confidently than before. This new behaviour is evident in the videos that have already been shared, with the vehicle navigating turns and slowing down and speeding up much more smoothly than before. The software is also detecting and slowing down for speed bumps in the road.
Showcasing just how powerful operating on neural nets alone is, instead of hand-written code, one test by @AIDRIVR on X showcased his car performing a u-turn. This might not seem that impressive, but according to Paril Jain (@pariljain), head of Autopilot Planning & Decision Making at Tesla, “no dedicated effort went into” making u-turns work.
Best part – no dedicated effort went into “Let’s make U-turns work”
— Paril Jain (@pariljain) February 20, 2024
One notable change with this update is that the steering wheel nag can no longer reset by using the scroll wheels. It is unclear if this is a permanent change, or simply being implemented during these early stages of this significant V12.2.1 release, and the scroll wheel trick will eventually return.
So far there have been no public reports of V12.2.1 being released to Canadian owners. However, we can confirm it is being tested by employees, so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long until we get a public release north of the border.
Here are a few videos showcasing the new FSD Beta V12.2.1.
FSD Beta 12 first drive & observations
— Arthur (@ArthurFromX) February 20, 2024
– SMOOTH. Can’t say this enough.
– Handles speed bumps perfectly.
– More confident.
– Using the scroll wheel to disable nag doesn’t work.
– Accelerates to freeway speeds better.
– Performed a “California Roll” through a stop sign.… pic.twitter.com/rt9IGZRkQ6
First Drive on FSD V12. Off ramp and going into construction area. It seems like it can see the ground because it would slow down how a human would for the noticeable bumps, V12 slowed down much more smoothly. No disengagements. pic.twitter.com/DGvDkpu9LT
— Sat (@sa_futurist) February 20, 2024
FSD V12. I noticed it’s not changing lanes unnecessarily. Also the second the truck put on the hazard lights the turn signal came on. It knew to move over immediately. There was a car accident literally on the side of the hill, probably from the rain on the right shoulder. pic.twitter.com/xLf8IUCf4U
— Sat (@sa_futurist) February 20, 2024
