Tesla's FSD Beta software version 11.4.6 is now available to some customers
Not a Tesla App
Tesla’s next FSD Beta update, 11.4.6 started going out to customers earlier this week, but there's a lot to discuss around Tesla's FSD software these days.
FSD Beta 11.4.6, which Tesla began pushing to employees just last week, has received positive criticism from public testers who’ve received the update. Tesla owner and influencer, Whole Mars Catalog, shared videos on YouTube showing FSD improvements, alongside commentary at locations where the software previously struggled.
All FSD Beta, All the Time
Tesla recently started including FSD Beta in all of its software updates. However, the version included is a slightly older, more stable build, known as FSD Beta 11.3.6. Having the software baked into every update means that all eligible customers can now easily activate FSD Beta simply by subscribing or buying Tesla's FSD feature. There's no longer a need to wait for Tesla to push a separate update for FSD Beta. Of course, owners will still need to be in a supported region (currently U.S., Canada) and have a supported vehicle, which unfortunately still excludes hardware 4.0 as of now.
Older FSD Beta users, on the other hand, have Tesla's older updates, version 2023.7.x, which doesn't include many of Tesla's newest features, such as the refreshed Spotify app. However, these older builds includes a newer version of FSD Beta, such as 11.4.4 or this newest build, FSD Beta 11.4.6.
Musk Says FSD V12 is “Mind-Blowing”
Tesla is working on the next milestone for FSD Beta, and in typical Musk optimism, Musk is calling this v12 alpha version, "mind-blowing."
Tesla makes significant architectural changes with each major update to FSD Beta, and v12 will be no different.
With FSD Beta v11, Tesla finally merged the city and highway Autopilot versions, which has resulted in a much smoother Autopilot highway experience, although some believe it's not as consistent or reliable. However, that's not completely unexpected with the major changes included in v11. As FSD Beta v11 matures, we'll likely gain the consistency we've become used to on our highway drives.
FSD v12 is being reserved for when the vehicle can run entirely on AI from “video in to control out,” according to Musk. This will mean that AI will finally take control of the vehicle, from steering to braking and acceleration.
Musk has a track record of being overly optimistic, but the improvements the FSD team has made in the last couple years are nothing short of amazing.
Tesla’s vehicles are its core product, but the company is also building Optimus, a human-like robot that will replace monotonous and dangerous tasks.
According to Tesla's Autopilot lead, Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla is building out its vehicle and robot software simultaneously. Many of the neural networks Tesla uses today are shared between their vehicles and Optimus, according to Elluswamy.
The closer Tesla gets to solving FSD, the closer they'll be to solving a lot of other problems. As Elon Musk has said, Tesla will likely need to solve Artificial General Intelligence in order to solve FSD. Although we're likely years away from that happening, the Tesla team isn't shying away from the challenge.
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Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
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