The highlight of FSD Beta v12 lies in its increased usage of neural networks. A neural network in artificial intelligence is akin to the human brain's network of neurons. It is a complex system that learns from large datasets - in Tesla's case, millions of video clips - to recognize patterns and make informed decisions. This machine-learning approach allows the system to adapt and improve continuously.
Neural networks are already used for determining surroundings, detecting objects, and more, but FSD v12 will be the first time Tesla adds neural networks that control the vehicle's acceleration, braking, and steering. According to Musk, FSD Beta v12 features end-to-end neural networks, meaning that these AI networks are used for everything, from vehicle input (cameras) to vehicle output (steering).
Tesla will be able to replace more than 300,000 lines of explicit code with these new networks.
Release Notes
Release notes for FSD Beta v12 were never obtained, however, the release notes for v12.1 confirm the use of neural networks for vehicle control.
The release notes are short, but hopefully, Tesla will expand them to offer additional details before v12 goes out to customers. The release notes currently only include one feature that states:
“FSD Beta v12 upgrades the city-streets driving stack to a single end-to-end neural network trained on millions of video clips, replacing over 300k lines of explicit C++ code.”
FSD Beta v12 Livestream
The public got an early glimpse of FSD v12's potential back in August 2023, when Musk live-streamed his vehicle driving with an alpha version of v12 on X.
The livestream wasn't without its share of issues, but it showed off some of its capabilities of v12 and it appeared to be at least on par with FSD Beta v11, even at this early stage.
Release Timeline and Inclusion of Updates
While the exact timeline for FSD Beta v12's release to public testers remains unknown, the expansion to additional employees is a promising sign. FSD Beta v12.1 is currently Tesla update 2023.44.30.10, although we'll likely see additional releases before it goes out to public testers.
Back in June of 2023, Musk said that FSD would finally graduate out of beta with FSD v12, however, the release notes for v12.1 clearly state "FSD Beta v12.1." Musk's goal could be for FSD to come out of beta with an eventual v12 release, but at this time it looks like FSD will remain in beta - at least in its current state.
FSD Beta v12.1 Video
It looks like we're not the only ones excited about the release of FSD Beta v12.
A video of FSD Beta v12.1 has been published online by an apparent employee. You can watch the video below.
Keep in mind that with major changes to FSD Beta, there are often regressions as well, and it usually takes several revisions to iron out major issues.
FSD Beta v12 is a fundamental shift in how the vehicle is controlled and represents an exciting future for Tesla and its FSD ambitions.
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Winter is here, and temperatures are dropping, so one of the most common Tesla questions is about to resurface.
If you’ve landed here after frantically searching about “smoke” coming from your Tesla while Supercharging, take a deep breath—it’s completely normal.
Tesla Smoking While Charging
If you’re Supercharging in freezing weather—even with preconditioning—you might notice steam rising from your Tesla. But rest assured, your car isn’t smoking.
Your Tesla’s heat pump is hard at work warming both the cabin and battery to keep you comfortable and ensure optimal charging temperatures. Over time, condensation and ice build-up in the heat exchanger coils.
Why Does It Happen?
When you reach a Supercharger with your vehicle, the heat pump is still running hot, but without the cold air from driving to keep the heat exchanger coils cool, the ice and condensation quickly start to evaporate—creating what looks like smoke.
Since this typically happens near the front of the vehicle, where a car would traditionally have an engine, new vehicle owners can be startled by the discovery. However, rest assured that it’s just water vapor and it’s completely normal in cold weather.
In fact, this behavior can be experienced in any EV with a heat pump in cold climates. So, if you saw steam coming out of your vehicle and panicked, don’t worry—you’re not alone.
Now that you know what’s happening, go ahead and Supercharge with confidence.
Tesla made a lot of improvements in the 2024 Holiday Update, including more than 15 undocumented improvements that were included in the release. One of these was a stealthy performance improvement to the YouTube app.
Several people have mentioned they’ve seen improved performance on YouTube since this year’s Holiday Update - and there’s an interesting reason why.
YouTube Improvements
The improved YouTube performance in Tesla vehicles comes from an unexpected source—Tesla actually rolled back support for YouTube’s newer AV1 video encoding. Instead, vehicles now default to the older VP9 encoding standard.
While AV1 is highly efficient in terms of bandwidth, it requires considerably more processing power to decode and display videos. VP9, on the other hand, is less computationally demanding but uses more bandwidth to achieve the same video quality. This trade-off means smoother playback and better overall performance, even if it comes at the cost of slightly higher data usage.
Intel Inside
The VP9 video codec that the YouTube app is now using is much easier to decode, making it less taxing on the vehicle’s processor. This change is particularly beneficial for Tesla vehicles with Intel processors, which previously struggled to stream video at just 720p. When using AV1, these vehicles often experienced stuttering, sometimes forcing the YouTube app to automatically downgrade playback to 480p.
With this update, Intel-based Teslas should now be able to stream at 1080p smoothly. Streaming at 1440p is also possible, although occasional stutters still occur as the system keeps up with the decoding process.
Intel-based vehicles are the big winners with this change, but this appears to affect AMD Ryzen-based infotainment units as well, providing even smoother playback.
Chromium Web App
Tesla’s Theater apps aren’t native applications; instead, they run as chromeless web apps, leveraging the open-source browser built into Teslas known as Chromium (the open-source version of Chrome). Although this works quite well, there is a severe limitation - Chromium hardware acceleration isn’t supported on Linux, the operating system Tesla uses for their OS.
As a result, Tesla vehicles rely on software decoding instead of hardware decoding, which would otherwise handle video playback far more efficiently. A potential solution could be for Tesla to transition away from Chromium-based web apps in favor of a Mozilla Firefox-based browser, as Firefox does support hardware acceleration on Linux. This switch could also open the door to better streaming performance and the possibility of expanding Tesla’s in-car entertainment options.
However, Tesla’s choice of Chromium likely stems from Digital Rights Management (DRM) requirements for streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix, which rely on DRM-enabled playback. Firefox on Linux has had inconsistent support for DRM due to codec availability and variations in operating system versions.
We’re hopeful that Tesla will either adopt Firefox or develop a fully native application to improve video streaming, rather than continuing with the current web-based Tesla Theater. This shift could also pave the way for additional in-car applications built on Tesla’s native Linux environment—perhaps even reviving the long-rumored Tesla App Store.
Regardless, this update is a welcome improvement, particularly for YouTube, which remains one of the most widely used Theater Mode apps due to its accessibility, free content, and mix of short and long-form videos. It remains to be seen whether similar improvements are made for Netflix, Disney+, or other streaming platforms.
If you’ve noticed improved performance in Theater Mode, now you know why.
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