Tesla FSD v12 Rolls Out to Employees With Update 2023.38.10 (Update: Elon Confirms)

Tesla has started rolling out FSD v12 to employees

Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk announced earlier this month that Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) v12 would be released in two weeks. The usual timeframe reference Musk is famous for was met with skepticism. However, it seems that Tesla is right on track with its rollout.

We have learned through a trusted source that FSD v12 has started rolling out internally with Tesla update 2023.38.10.

Update: Musk has responded to our article on X, confirming that Tesla has indeed starting rolling out FSD v12 to employees.

FSD v12 is the update that is expected to remove "beta" from the title. The initial rollout to employees appears more limited in scale than previous updates. Considering the magnitude of the changes in this version, it makes sense to start slow.

Public Release

The timing of this internal release is close to two major Tesla events. The Cybertruck delivery event is just a few days away. Many eyes will be on the company during the event, allowing Tesla to possibly show the world its latest breakthrough. Alternatively, the highly anticipated holiday update, often regarded as the best update of the year, is expected to be released by 'Santa Musk' in the coming weeks, potentially featuring v12 as a significant addition.

Newer Features

The latest public FSD build, v11.4.7.3, is Tesla update 2023.27.7. This FSD build is several revisions behind the latest production builds, so it's nice to see that v12 will bring FSD beta testers back up to speed with some of the latest Tesla features such as Predictive Charger Availability, Faster Hazard Lights After a Crash, and other features included in updates 2023.32 and 2023.38.

As for FSD improvements, we haven't had a chance to see the release notes for FSD v12 yet. However, now that it has started going out to employees, it shouldn't be long before we find out all the FSD improvements included in this milestone release.

FSD v12: A Leap Forward with Neural Net Use

A significant change in v12 is eliminating over 300,000 lines of code previously governing FSD functions that controlled the vehicle, replaced by further reliance on neural networks. This transition means the system reduces its dependency on hard-coded programming. Instead, FSD v12 is using neural networks to control steering, acceleration, and braking for the first time. Up until now, neural networks have been limited to detecting objects and determining their attributes, but v12 will be the first time Tesla starts using neural networks for vehicle control.

The FSD v12 represents a significant leap in Tesla's FSD technology. Musk has described it as an "end-to-end AI", employing a "photon in, controls out" approach akin to human optical processing. This analogy underscores Tesla's ambition to replicate human-like decision-making capabilities in its vehicles.

Labeled as a "Baby AGI" (Artificial General Intelligence), the system is designed to perceive and understand the complexities of the real world. This philosophical and technological shift in AI-driven autonomy was vividly showcased during a live-streamed drive by Musk through Palo Alto, where the Model S demonstrated smooth and almost flawless navigation through various real-world scenarios, including construction zones, roundabouts, and traffic. That was three months ago; imagine how much the system has learned in 90 days.

Looking Forward: The Future of Tesla's AI Endeavors

The rollout of FSD v12 marks a critical point in Tesla's journey in AI and autonomous driving. It's not just about technological prowess but also about aligning AI with nuanced human behavior. With Musk's continued focus on AI, which is evident across his ventures, Tesla remains a crucial player in the EV market and the broader AI revolution.

As we await further details on the public release of FSD v12 and its potential showcase at the Cybertruck event, it's clear that Tesla is moving closer to a future where cars are not just self-driving but are also intelligent and responsive to the complexities of the real world.

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Tesla Expected to Fix Cybertruck Charging and Regen Issue in Update 2025.2

BrianASilver3 / Tesla

Cybertruck owners in northern areas - especially those in Canada, have noticed slower charging rates on some vehicles. These owners are experiencing low charging amperage even when using a 48-amp Wall Connectors.

The 4680 cell - the Cybercell, seems to be sensitive to temperature changes and, as such, loses the ability to charge or discharge rapidly. Tesla accommodates this by warming the battery in advance of driving or while driving. However, there seems to be a software issue preventing the battery pack from warming up properly.

In addition, other users have noted that they don’t have regen braking due to the battery not warming up properly, even after driving. If you drive other Tesla vehicles while they’re cold-soaked, they will eventually warm up to offer you full regen and full performance. The Cybertruck, interestingly, will offer you full performance at cold-soaked temperatures as low as -20C (-4F), but will have regen unavailable in temperatures as warm as -5C (41F). 

Software Fix Confirmed

Brian Silver over on X reached out to Tesla Service with his findings, who confirmed that this is a known software issue that has now been validated. Tesla Service responded by saying that they’re hopeful a fix can be built into the 2025.2 software update. This is the first time we’re hearing about Tesla’s next major software update, which is expected to be released around the second or third week of 2025.

Tesla has also confirmed that this is not a physical issue with the heating system, so no repair is required for this one - it’ll be another OTA fix, just like many others.

We’re glad to see this one getting fixed so quickly. The issue appears to have started with the 2024 Holiday Update, or it could just be a coincidence since Cybertrucks begin to settle into Canada this year, where winters are much harsher and colder on average.

Workaround

We’re hoping to see this fix go out soon, as the current procedure to get around this is annoying. It requires you to set the navigation to a nearby Supercharger so that your vehicle will precondition the battery. You can stop the navigation to the Supercharger after 5-10 minutes, at which point the battery pack will be more than warm enough to charge at the full amperage of your home charger.

This workaround also resolves the issue of limited regenerative braking by warming up the battery pack sufficiently.

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Tesla Introduces Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Light Shows [VIDEO]

Not a Tesla App

As part of Tesla’s Holiday Update, Tesla has introduced an awesome new feature - multi-vehicle synchronized Light Shows.

Now, you’re probably going to say: Wait! We’ve seen those kinds of light shows already.

And you’re not wrong - thanks to the hard work of people using the Light Show tool, you could synchronize light shows and run different shows on different vehicles. But this was a lot of manual, time-consuming work. Tesla now officially supports creating a light show involving up to eight vehicles.

Coordinated Shows

These new coordinated shows can be set up in the new xLights interface, making it far easier for Light Show designers to assemble everything. They’ll be able to edit and view multiple vehicles at the same time, synchronize them all together - and build variants with up to eight vehicles.

The output is still eight different Light Shows - which will still need to be put on USB flash drives and distributed to the correct vehicles in the correct order, but designers can now build a unified and coordinated light show. It could be possible to coordinate more than eight vehicles in a single Light Show - and we’re sure we’ll find out in the coming weeks what is possible with the updated xLights software.

Tesla showed off a great example below, putting together a jaw-dropping 8-vehicle Light Show using the new “Ready for Assault” show that arrived with the 2024 Holiday Update. Tesla has also gone ahead and contributed example Light Shows on Github to get Light Show designers familiar with the new process.

Stand in the middle to enter boss fight pic.twitter.com/IHvuzsQgG9

— Cybertruck (@cybertruck) December 23, 2024

Everything New in Light Shows

Tesla’s light show feature received a massive update with this year’s holiday update, but we’re only finding out about some of the features now. Here’s a quick rundown of everything new in Tesla’s Light Show feature:

• Support the Off-road Lightbar for the Cybertruck

• Start, Stop, or Schedule a Light Show from the Tesla app

• Create longer Light Shows

• Two new songs, including Cyber Symphony and Ready for Assault

• Ability to control Ambient Lighting in 2024 Model 3 or Cybertruck

• Display color effects on the vehicle’s center screen

• Create Light Shows that involve up to eight vehicles

Cybertruck Lightbar Support

Another interesting addition is the recent support for the Cybertruck’s off-road lightbar. The off-road lightbar can be addressed in three zones - the forward main bar and left and right ditch beams. With the holiday update, Tesla also added the ability to program the vehicle’s ambient lighting, display color effects, and create longer light shows than ever before.

Tying everything together in this update is the ability to start, schedule, or stop a light show directly from the Tesla app.

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