Tesla Releases FSD Beta 12.2.1 Update [Update: Now Going Out to Customers]

FSD 12.2.1 goes to employees

Not a Tesla App

Tesla's journey towards fully autonomous driving takes another cautious step forward with the release of Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta version 12.2.1, currently rolling out exclusively to Tesla employees. This latest iteration arrives amidst the backdrop of Tesla's recent earnings call, where the spotlight was on FSD Beta v12's limited release to select customers. However, the exclusivity is to a very limited set of public testers, with many OG testers still waiting to receive any of the v12 releases. It arrives as update 2023.44.30.20 which remains on Tesla’s 2023 holiday update code base, instead of being based on Tesla’s newer 2024.2 updates.

Focused on Fine-Tuning

Through incremental updates, the progression from version 12 to 12.2.1 has been watched on a few Tesla social media accounts. Notably, @WholeMarsCatalog was one of those select customers with access to version 12.1.2. But he doesn’t have the latest version yet.

Fisherman's Wharf to SFO in the Rain with 0 Interventions Required on Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta 12.1.2

Watch in 4K: https://t.co/LwC61XQfmK
Raw 1x speed footage: https://t.co/4Oxcq5LPwf

Highlights
0:01 — Left turn onto Jefferson Street in Fisherman's Wharf
0:52 — Passing… pic.twitter.com/ldDyOwSaz1

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) February 18, 2024

But the small iterations signal Tesla's current emphasis on ironing out the intricacies rather than overhauling features. This could suggest Tesla is nearing a version it feels confident to release more broadly. Each small refinement brings us closer to what many hope will be a future of roads populated by fully autonomous vehicles.

Reality Check on Full Autonomy

Despite the excitement surrounding each FSD Beta release, Tesla hacker Green's insights offer a grounded perspective. According to Green, the expectations of FSD v12 being "fully" end-to-end might be overstated. His analysis, shared via X, points out that while showing significant improvements, recent versions still do not fulfill the lofty expectations of complete autonomy from camera to car controls.

Lots of hype - that's for sure.
Beyond hype? I suspect not much, not like it's going to enable L3, let alone L4.

— green (@greentheonly) February 16, 2024

This revelation tempers expectations, reminding us of the complex road ahead in achieving full self-driving capabilities. Even Elon’s brother, Kimbal, recently stated that fully autonomous driving is five years out. George Hotz, a renowned hacker and someone following autonomous driving technology closely, recently stated that FSD is more than a decade away.

Navigating the Path to Autonomy

The diverging opinions of industry insiders and technology enthusiasts highlight the inherent challenges of achieving full autonomy. While Tesla's approach of incremental improvements through versions like 12.2.1 demonstrates progress, it also underscores the complexity of the task at hand. The insights from figures like Green and observations from the broader tech community serve as a reality check, aligning expectations with the current state of autonomous driving technology.

The speculation around the timeline for achieving full autonomy varies widely and is certainly not in “two weeks.” However, Tesla's ongoing efforts to improve FSD Beta and its strategic approach to development and deployment keep Elon’s dream of fully autonomous driving alive.

Customer Rollout

Update: This FSD Beta update is now going out to customers. It looks like Tesla isn’t following its traditional release wave with the OG testers getting the release first, and is instead sending it to a variety of Tesla customers.

You must be on a holiday update release such as 2023.44.30.14 to be eligible to receive this update. If you’re currently on a 2024.2 update, you’ll need to wait until Tesla updates FSD Beta to be based on a 2024.2 or later update.

The only changes in this update will be related to FSD Beta, unless you haven’t received 2023.44.30.14 yet, then it will also include the indicator light changes.

If you’ve bought or subscribed to FSD, then check your vehicle and see if you’re one of the lucky few to receive this update. Follow the rollout of this v12 release on our statistics page.

Follow

Follow

Follow

Tesla Releases FSD V12.6.1 for Model 3 & Model Y

Not a Tesla App

Last night, Tesla released software update 2024.45.25.15, which includes FSD V12.6.1. This update adds support for all HW3 vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. We’re excited to see the continued support for HW3 owners. 

FSD V12.6.1

V12.6.1 is now going wide, according to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI. This update is going to the Model 3 and Model Y for the first time - as only the Model S and Model X were included in FSD V12.6. 

V12.6 is a big step forward for HW3 - it includes End-to-End on Highway, Improved City Streets Behavior, and Smoother and More Accurate Tracking - all contributing towards a better, smoother, and more comfortable build of FSD. You can read our comparison between FSD V12.6 and V13.2.2 here. 

In short, FSD V12.6 performs considerably closer to V13 than V12.5.4.2 - which is a massive improvement. It performs as well as the Cybertruck version of FSD V13, which is still missing a few features when compared to other HW4 vehicles, but it’s a great sign for HW3. A lot of the improvements can be pointed to in the improvements to lane selection and decision-making - the vehicle tends to hesitate far less on V12.6, meaning the ride is a lot smoother. Many early V12.6 testers mentioned that it felt more like V13-mini than anything else.

Legacy Model S & X

We haven’t seen this update hit any legacy Model S and Model X vehicles just yet. We’re not sure whether Ashok’s statement of “generally” applies here - but it should. If you do get the update, please let us know.

Legacy Model S and Model X vehicles are still on an older FSD build and potentially won’t see another FSD update for a little while longer. While they do have the same FSD hardware as other vehicles, there are enough hardware differences that require a build specifically for these vehicles.

Release Date

FSD V12.6.1 is going out now to the redesigned Model S and X with HW3 and all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with HW3. The initial wave went out last night, and we expect to see more later today or tomorrow. If this release ends up going “wide,” we should see much larger waves go out next week.

Follow

Follow

Follow

Tesla Issues Physical & OTA Recall for Hardware 4 Computer

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has issued a recall for some vehicles due to issues linked to a revision of the Hardware 4 (HW4) computer that was introduced this past November. This recall affects all vehicles with the revised hardware except for the Cybertruck, as it uses a slightly modified version of the HW4 system.

Many vehicle owners have reported a complete failure of their Autopilot computer, which not only leaves the vehicle without FSD and Autopilot but also disables many of the active safety features that make a Tesla what it is.

Let’s take a look at this recall - because the recall is partially physical and partially a software recall.

HW4 Failure

Tesla has identified the failure and flagged it to the U.S. NHTSA (but not Transport Canada or Euro NCAP at the time of publishing) as a recall.

Tesla mentions that the vehicle’s FSD computer circuit board may short circuit, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. The recall itself is focused on the rearview camera - as not having a functional rearview camera breaks a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. However, it does impact more than just the rearview camera.

As previously mentioned, users have experienced the full loss of Autopilot and FSD on these vehicles, as well as reduced traction control and removal of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision avoidance assist, and forward collision warnings. 

While the vehicle remains driveable, it is not necessarily a good idea to drive the vehicle with many of these features, especially with the reduced traction control noted by many people. We’ve already noted that while Tesla has been sending tow trucks to pick up some vehicles, it is also prompting owners to drive the vehicle to their service center in some cases.

Remedy

Unlike most of Tesla’s recalls, this one isn’t entirely an OTA recall, owing to the fact that people have already experienced circuit board shorts and are already waiting for replacements.

The software portion of the recall has already been mostly completed for any vehicles with Tesla software update 2024.45.25.3 or greater. However, a significant portion of the tracked fleet remains on update 2024.44.25.2 (approximately 20%), so we recommend updating your HW4 vehicle whenever you receive the notification.

On the hardware side, Tesla is immediately identifying and replacing hardware that has had circuit board failure. Tesla is also reaching out to customers who have expressed intermittent issues with Autopilot features, active safety features, or vehicle cameras that don't display correctly. If you have experienced any of these issues in a late 2024 vehicle, we recommend submitting a service ticket with Tesla to ensure that your vehicle isn’t affected by this recall.

Follow

Follow

Follow