Tesla Updates Definition and Features of Full Self-Driving

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla has updated its description of FSD capability
Tesla has updated its description of FSD capability
Not a Tesla App

Tesla made a subtle yet possibly significant change to its website regarding its Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature. While small, it might show Tesla's confidence in its upcoming FSD updates.

The “Autosteer on city streets” feature has been marked as “coming soon” for the past four years. But now the coming soon label has been ripped off, and 'Autosteer on city streets' is now a part of the core features you get when buying Tesla's 'FSD Capability.'

In addition to this change, Tesla has also added the phrase: "Your car will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention and will continuously improve," which also seems to imply improved confidence in FSD's ability.

Musk Confirms Enhancement

Tesla's journey toward achieving an autonomous vehicle has been under meticulous scrutiny by the NHTSA, critics, and investors alike. The change was first spotted by a shrewd Tesla enthusiast, Sawyer Merritt. He rightly pointed out the significance of this change by stating, “This might seem like a small change, but it’s a big one. This indicates that Tesla is getting very confident in FSD’s capabilities.” Elon Musk responded with a simple "Yup."

However, Tesla’s overarching mission has always been anchored in safety. Even with these advancements, the company's website emphasizes the need for active driver supervision. They state, “The activation and use of these features depend on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience.” This warning is imperative, as pointed out in a recent crash when the driver was warned 150 times before running into an emergency vehicle.

FSD Gets More Affordable

Price plays a significant role in the adoption of new technology. Reflecting its growing confidence in its product and looking to make it more accessible, Tesla recently reduced the price of its FSD software. This may also be an effort to get more drivers using the technology that supplies Tesla with more data to train the system.

Musk's recent demonstration of theFSD Version 12 showcased Tesla's technological prowess. The test, which was broadcast live from Palo Alto, featured a Model S equipped with an alpha version of FSD, that was running completely on neural nets and cameras and reduced code.

While Tesla advances in North America, it's essential to note its position on a global scale. Different regions see variations in FSD features and pricing. For instance, in China, where Tesla faces stiff competition, the configurator lists different FSD functions, and Europe too has its set of available FSD features.

As technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, Tesla owners can expect their cars to be updated with over-the-air software updates. The cars just keep getting better!

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Tesla Introduces Hands-Free Frunk Opening in Update 2024.32.3

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

In Tesla’s upcoming update, 2024.32.3, Tesla has added hands-free support for opening the vehicle’s frunk. This follows the Spring Update (2024.14), which added Hands-Free Trunk support for certain vehicles.

When hands-free trunk support was added earlier this year, it was supported on vehicles that include an ultra wideband chip, which includes the refresh Model S, new Model X, and the 2024 Model 3. Due to the hardware requirement, these will be the same vehicles that support the new Hands-Free Frunk feature. Legacy vehicles without UWB will unfortunately not support either feature due to the hardware requirement. UWB enables far more accurate tracking of the phone key, allowing Tesla to pinpoint its exact location relative to the vehicle.

The Cybertruck interestingly also includes an ultra wideband chip, however, it didn’t include the automatic opening of the gate earlier this year. However, we expect the Cybertruck to also receive the hands-free frunk opening in this 2024.32.3 update or relatively soon afterward.

Update: The Cybertruck is receiving hands-free frunk support in the 2024.32 update as well.

Hands-Free Frunk

The Hands-Free Frunk works similarly to the trunk feature – with an iPhone 11+ and a recent version of the app, you’ll be able to stand in front of your vehicle, and the Frunk will unlatch after sounding a chime. On some vehicles, the frunk will immediately open after being unlatched, however, you’ll need to manually close it.

This new feature isn’t enabled by default – you’ll need to go to Settings > Locks > Hands-Free Frunk to enable it.

At this time, Tesla doesn’t support UWB on Android devices, though both the Hands-Free Trunk and Hands-Free Frunk support will come to Android users in a future app update, according to Tesla.

Exclude Home

With the addition of the hands-free frunk opening, Tesla has also added a new option. You can now choose to disable the automatic opening when your vehicle is located at home to prevent you from accidentally opening. This will apply to the automatic frunk and trunk. In addition, in the Model X, you’ll also be able to disable the self-presenting doors at home. This is a great addition as many people have kept the hands-free feature disabled due to it awkwardly opening in the garage.

In the 2024.32.3 update, Tesla also mentions that they’ve improved the detection of the phone key, which should make the feature more reliable and faster when approaching the vehicle from the front or rear.

Tesla’s Referral Program Launches in Europe

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Following its recent launch in the United States and Canada, Tesla has launched their referral program in several European countries as well.

The program is available in Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and possibly others. The program is almost the same as the one available today in North America, with rewards for each referral and a discount for those referred. The cap in Europe is also ten per year.

This program comes right on the heels of a 0% financing offer for the Model Y in Sweden and France. While referrals aren't currently available in Sweden, the 0% financing still is.

European Referrals

The European Referral program accounts for country and local currency, where applicable.

Country

Referral Discount

Referral Award

UK

£1,000

£500

Germany, France, Netherlands

€1,000

€500

Norway

kr11,500

kr5,750

The referral reward program is comparable to the one available in North America. After exchange rates, there is only an approximately 10% difference between the available rewards in the US and EU.

Other Countries

We expect this program to start rolling out to other European countries over the next few days or weeks, as Tesla continues to expand its referral program.

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