Tesla is shipping the latest FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 to public testers now
Not a Tesla App
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving program continues to expand with FSD Beta version 10.69.3.1, but the biggest one, version 11, is on track for release in December.
FSD Beta 10.69.3.1
Most beta testers have been stuck on beta 10.69.2.4 for quite a while, which was first released on October 20th. This build was based on update 2022.20, so it's missing several months of Tesla software enhancements, making owners even more eager to get the latest build that is based on 2022.36.
About one percent of public testers got access to 10.69.3.1 over the weekend and the trend continued today with about 10% of testers receiving access to the latest beta.
We believe the trend will continue with more users receiving this build tonight and tomorrow and we expect all current testers to be on FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 by Thursday this week. If you've been waiting for a new build, the wait shouldn't be long now, as long as no major issues are found.
While Elon Musk has been busy rebuilding his new company Twitter, he did use the platform to share a few updates about Tesla. On Friday, November 19, Musk tweeted: Tesla FSD 10.69.3.1 is going to wide release now.
Expanding to New Testers
While FSD Beta 10.69.3.1 has begun going out to some existing testers, it has also started to be sent to some owners completely new to the FSD program.
Tesla and Elon Musk have iterated that everyone in the US and Canada will receive FSD Beta by the end of the year. We expect Tesla to slowly add more users to FSD Beta until everyone is eventually included.
FSD Version 11 - Soon
On Sunday, Tesla’s CEO was asked for an update on FSD V11. Musk tweeted: Making good progress. Still tracking to wide release next month. This tweet caused a lot of confusion because, five days earlier Musk tweeted: We’ll widen V11 beta before Thanksgiving.
Many people were looking for clarification, including Twitter user @BLKMDL3, who asked: By “wide release next month” do you mean to those who currently have beta or to anyone who purchased FSD who won’t have to do safety score. Musk responded: Latter.
That response indicates that beta V11 could possibly start showing up this week for a select few, but Musk is staying with his timeline stated at the third quarter earnings call; FSD is going out to everyone by the end of the year, including the new V11.
Single Stack Version 11 is a Game Changer
V11 release notes indicate this update will be nothing short of incredible. As Tesla engineers pointed out on A.I. Day 2022, version 11 is a single stack, one code that provides all the information from parking lots to highways. The update: “unifies the vision and planning stack on and off-highway and replaces the legacy highway stack, which is over four years old,” states the notes.
Tesla said the legacy FSD highway program uses several single-camera and single-frame networks but could only navigate “simple lane-specific maneuvers.” That will change with the next update as the program uses: “multi-camera video networks and next-gen planner, that allows for more complex agent interactions with less reliance on lanes, make way for adding more intelligent behaviors, smoother control and better decision making.” The extensive list includes improvements for severe weather, navigating blocked lanes and debris, and better speed matching and gap selection.
For many who have been waiting for FSD for years, you may need patience for a few more weeks. But from all accounts, FSD will be well worth the wait.
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Back in 2023, Tesla put together a rather unique Supercharger site idea - one with a CyberCanopy. This canopy is intended to provide solar power for Supercharging, helping to reduce the impact on the local grid while also providing a futuristic and Cybertruck-themed location that would set it apart.
Unfortunately, the plans never moved beyond the filing stage. Instead, Tesla opened a standard-looking Supercharger at the same Canton, Massachusetts location. However, the site is still well-situated just off the highway and benefits from natural tree cover in the parking area.
However, Tesla is at it again with a concept for another CyberCanopy with RGB lighting. Thanks to MarkoRP for spotting this. No April Fool’s this time.
We want to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worthy of the trip itself. - Max de Zegher
CyberCanopy 2
This second Supercharger with CyberCanopy is set for Roswell, New Mexico, at the Whataburger in town. Featuring just eight stalls, this will be one of Tesla’s smaller Supercharger sites, but for what it lacks in size, it makes up for it in uniqueness. The charging stalls are covered from the rain by a futuristic, Cybertruck-themed canopy, which will have solar panels installed on the top of it.
According to the plans, the CyberCanopy boasts 20.88kW of solar panels on its roof, providing shelter from the elements while also providing some power back to the grid.
RGB Lighting
At nighttime, the Supercharger will make a big statement. Tesla intends to light the long edges of the canopy, which will not only look amazing, but it’ll actually make finding the Supercharger easier in a large parking lot.
The lighting coming off the edge of the canopy reminds us a lot of the lightbar on the Cybertruck and now the new Model Y. It’s definitely the direction Tesla is moving for all their models, so expect all future models to have it, including the new Roadster and the next-gen model.
Tesla’s Max de Zegher also took to X after the plans for the new Supercharger were found and shared the image above. He stated that Tesla wants to build a few cool Superchargers that will be worth stopping at, even if they’re out of the way a little bit. So it seems like this isn’t just a concept, but an idea that Tesla wants to expand to several areas around the country or world.
We want to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worthy of the trip itself. Wish we could have kept it under wraps for longer, but submittal was needed for Planning Approval. We can't hide anything from @MarcoRPi1! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/X2WaKDd408
This particular site doesn't have a Megapack or other form of energy storage, unlike the upcoming Harris Ranch Supercharger site in California. That means that Tesla won’t be storing the solar energy gained from this site, but instead will be either offsetting the immediate grid impact or serving energy back to the grid when the site isn’t actively charging.
Tesla will likely be incorporating V4 Superchargers, including both V4 posts and the new, more powerful V4 Cabinets, as the permit states that Tesla will be redesigning the site internally before beginning construction. For Cybertruck owners, 500kW charging may be around the corner.
We’re hoping Tesla continues to deploy these kinds of Supercharger sites around the world - they make a stylistic statement about Tesla’s futurism, like the Shell gas station that was upcycled into a Supercharger site earlier this year in Spain.
They also make a big impact for ownership because it is a far more comfortable charging experience when you stop at a site that’s shaded from the elements - and one that’s better for the environment with offset emissions.
It was a rainy April 1st when a news-searching author went on a delve into the depths of April Fools to find fact from falsehood. And while we found a lot of fantastic jokes, we also found some good ideas.
So, with a shoutout to MarcoRP on X, whose April Fool’s Joke gave us a good run for our money for a couple of minutes, we thought to ourselves - what would a Cybercab Charging Station / Cleaning Hub really look like?
Cybercab Wireless Charging Sites
Now, before continuing, we’d like to point out that the image up top is a joke from Marco - it isn’t an accurate or real site map submission from Tesla. However, it gave us the impetus to think critically about what is required for a Robotaxi fleet, based primarily on the Cybercab, to be able to service a city.
Requirements
Tesla will likely need to charge a small fleet of Cybercabs at a single time and in a single place. That means that the site needs to be large enough to cover a major metro area while also still being compact enough to not cost too much money to build out.
In addition, we need to factor in charge times. The Cybercab is likely to launch with a battery around 50 kWh, which will result in a range of approximately 300 miles. With that much range, the average Cybercab may not need to charge more than once or at all during daytime shifts, so instead, most of the vehicles will charge overnight.
MarcoRP
Math and Charge Times
The overnight charging means that most of these vehicles could be charged slowly. When we did some back-of-the-napkin math last year, we determined that Tesla’s wireless charger will likely peak around 17 kW (for comparison, Tesla’s Wall Connector at 32 amps charges at about 7 kW). If we scale Tesla’s wireless charger down slightly to 10 kW, accounting for some energy loss and the potential size of the site, that means a Cybercab will be able to charge in about 5 hours.
Tesla’s upcoming V4 Supercharger unit can currently handle 1.5MW per cabinet, but this slower-speed charging is A/C, not DC, which means there is a step-down loss of about 3-5%. Let’s make that a comfortable 10% for any other overages, but we can estimate around 1.35MW of power. That 1.3MW will easily handle charging up to 100 Cybercabs at once - all wirelessly, using Tesla’s unique beam-forming and beam-steering technology to keep efficiency high at every single stall.
Within about 5 hours, a whole fleet of 100 Cybercabs could be charged overnight when electricity rates are cheaper and still be out in time for the morning commute.
While this is all just hypothetical, it really does make sense that Tesla will be establishing these sites that won’t require much space or a ton of energy.
Tesla recently curtained off a large section of the parking garage at Giga Texas, as well as some of their chargers on the eastern end of the facility, leading us to believe they may just be testing this at scale internally.
There’s a lot to look forward to with Tesla’s V4 Supercharger deployment coming this year and with Robotaxi launching in just a couple of months.
