It took less than two months since the feature was released in the US, but Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta) (TLSSC) was finally released to Canadian Tesla owners today.
The new feature, which automatically stops your car at traffic lights and stop signs, was included in the 2020.20.13 software update, first posted to Twitter by Quintin_nl. The update appeared right on time, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed on Twitter last week that the feature would be coming to Canada “Thursday”.
Thursday
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2020
The autonomous driving feature is only available to those Tesla owners that have purchased the optional Full Self-Driving (FSD) package and have the latest HW3.0 computer. In addition to Canada, it was also released today in Australia and New Zealand.
Once the option has been turned on in your settings, it will work when either Autopilot or Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) is active. It does so by using GPS information and the on-board cameras to detect and react to traffic lights and stop signs.
IMPORTANT – This is still a Beta feature
Before you head out on the streets to try it out, it is important to remember this is a beta feature and will stop at all traffic lights, regardless of what stage they are at (red, yellow, green). If you approach a green light, the car will begin to slow down, but you can override it by tapping the accelerator and pressing down on the gear stalk.
You may be asking why would it stop for green lights? It is because you are helping to train the neural net to know when it is appropriate to stop or proceed through an intersection. This is similar to how automatic lane changes were when first released, which required confirmation from the driver before the lane change was performed.
Now after having enough data from drivers using the feature, it can do it automatically without driver intervention. Soon, TLSSC will be able to do the same.
Other features bundled in with this update include a GPS Update, Fallout Shelter, Theater Mode Improvements, and TRAX Improvements. You can see the full release notes, courtesy of @akidesir.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve received the update, and if you’ve tried it out already. Happy (self) driving!
UPDATE: Here are a couple of videos showing the feature in action on Canadian streets.
Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta)
Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control is designed to recognize and respond to traffic lights and stop signs, slowing your car to a stop when using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer. This feature will slow the car for all detected traffic lights, including green, blinking yellow, and off lights. As your car approaches an intersection, your car will indicate the intention to slow down via a notification, slow down, and stop at the red line shown on the driving visualization.
To continue through the stop line, pull the Autopilot stalk once or briefly press the accelerator pedal to confirm that it is safe to proceed. As with all Autopilot features, you must continue to pay attention and be ready to take immediate action, including braking because this feature may not stop for all traffic controls. This feature will be conservative, slowdown often at first, and will not attempt to turn through intersections. Over time, as we learn from the fleet, the feature will control more naturally.
To continue through the stop line, push down the gear selector once or briefly press the accelerator pedal to confirm that it is safe to proceed. As with all Autopilot features, you must continue to pay attention and be ready to take immediate action, including braking because this feature may not stop for all traffic controls. This feature will be conservative, slowdown often at first, and will not attempt to turn through intersections. Over time, as we learn from the fleet, the feature will control more naturally.
To enable, shift your car into PARK and tap Controls > Autopilot > Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control (Beta).
Note: When this feature is enabled, the maximum set speed while using Autosteer off highway is limited to the speed limit of the road. Before this feature can be enabled, camera calibration may be required, and the latest version of Navigation maps must be downloaded via Wi-Fi. Please refer to the Owner’s Manual for additional details about this feature.
GPS Update
We have updated your car’s GPS to improve its stability and tracking. Please note that with this update, the GPS in your car will temporarily recalibrate once after the update, which might cause a few minutes delay in where updating your car’s position is displayed on the map.
Fallout Shelter
Fallout Shelter puts you in control of a state-of-the-art underground Vault from Vault-Tec. Build the perfect Vault, keep your Dwellers happy, and protect them from the dangers of the Wasteland.
To play Fallout Shelter, tap Entertainment from the Application Launcher, then Arcade > Fallout Shelter.
Theater Mode Improvements
With this release, you can now play, pause, and skip video playback with your steering wheel controls while using Theater Mode. As usual, Theater Mode is only available while your vehicle is in PARK.
TRAX Improvements
We have added a piano roll view that allows you to edit and fine tune notes in a track. You can now tap in view to create a note, move or resize it by dragging the tail end of a note, and delete it with a long press. To play a note sound, simply hold and move the notes.
In addition, when you tap the record button, a metronome beat will play to make it easier for you to record at the desired time.
This release contains minor improvements and bug fixes.
