Version 10 of Tesla's FSD Beta landed this past Saturday and it has shown incremental improvements over the previous beta from just a few weeks ago. It's now driving smoother and more confident than it has in the past, especially in more complicated scenarios such as roundabouts and taking unprotected left turns.
We're a few weeks away from the next beta, which is sure to be an exciting one for many. It's the one that we've been looking forward to for quite some time. Beta 10.1 is the one that should be stable enough for Tesla to release it to a wider audience.
v10.1 Release
Beta 10.1 is scheduled to be released on October 1st at midnight if everything stays on schedule. If so, we'll soon have the long-waited button to opt-in to the 10.1 beta. Elon Musk already talked a little about how Tesla will release the beta to additional users. It'll be a gradual process, so not everyone who wants the beta will be able to get it initially.
Wider Release
Soon owners will be able to tap a ‘Download FSD Beta' button to opt-in to the FSD Beta. It's not clear whether the capability to show this button is already available in current software and Tesla just needs to enable it via a configuration or whether it will require a new software update. The original plan back in April was for Tesla to add the button to the Service menu in the car, or maybe adding it to the Software section makes more sense since we already have the ability to be on the stable or advanced track there.
Highway and City NNs Merged
With the 10.1 release Tesla is also set to merge Autopilot code for city streets and highways so that Tesla has a single stack for FSD. So far, Navigate on Autopilot on the FSD betas has utilized the same stack as production vehicles. Navigate on Autopilot on the highways is already fairly good, but we may see it get even better with this release.
One of my gripes on the highway is that the car will often go too fast around a sharp curve and go slightly toward the outer edge of the curve instead of taking the curve a little tighter. If you're taking one of these curves with a neighboring car, it can definitely be a little gut wrenching and I'll usually take off if the curve is sharp enough.
We'll hopefully see these kinds of issues improved when Tesla applies the new neural net to highway driving.
Ability to Move Backward
An additional feature that's expected in version 10.1 is the ability for the car to move backwards. For example, if the car is stopped at an intersection and doesn't have great visibility, it'll now creep forward for a better view, just like a human driver would. But with 10.1, the car will actually move backwards after creeping forward if it notices a car is coming. We're absolutely inching toward autonomy here.
Tesla is building an impressive system and we may all get to try it soon. Version 10.1 is set to drop in just 15 days.
With 10.1, it will creep forward with more confidence & quickly reverse back a little (just as a person would) if it sees danger
Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
Not a Tesla App
The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
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