FSD Profiles let you pick from three different driving styles and assertiveness. By adjusting your FSD profile your vehicle will adjust its following distance, acceleration, how aggressively it makes lane changes, and more.
When using the 'Assertive' FSD Profile, the vehicle may also perform rolling stops at a stop sign when certain conditions are met.
The NHTSA is now asking Tesla to remove the ability for Teslas to roll stop signs. It's not clear if this recall is delaying the release of FSD Beta 10.9 to all testers.
This change is making headlines, but it impacts a very small amount of owners. Tesla recently revealed that it has almost 60,000 FSD Beta testers. This change will only affect those testers who have their FSD Profile set to assertive, which is not the default setting. So it's going to be a fairly small amount of users.
It's pretty clear why Tesla added FSD Profiles and the ability to roll stop signs. If you go out on the roads and perform four-second stops at every stop sign, drive the speed limit and follow every traffic law under every condition, you're likely to run into some pretty angry drivers.
It was forward-thinking of Tesla to add driving profiles, letting you set Autopilot to your preference and match the driving style in your area. Drivers in New York City and drivers on country roads are clearly not driving the same way.
What's interesting in this recall is that Tesla outlined exactly when a Tesla may perform a rolling stop. It's not enough to have just your FSD Profile set to assertive. The vehicle goes through a checklist to confirm that it's safe to make a rolling stop, much like a human might do when coming up to a stop sign. You look around, make sure there are no other cars coming, there are no police cars, no pedestrians, etc.
FSD Beta will only perform a rolling stop if all these conditions are met:
1. The functionality must be enabled within the FSD Beta Profile settings; and
2. The vehicle must be approaching an all-way stop intersection; and
3. The vehicle must be traveling below 5.6mph; and
4. No relevant moving cars are detected near the intersection; and
5. No relevant pedestrians or bicyclists are detected near the intersection; and
6. There is sufficient visibility for the vehicle while approaching the intersection; and
7. All roads entering the intersection have a speed limit of 30 mph or less.
After going through the list above, one may actually be able to argue that FSD Beta will perform a rolling stop much safer than a human.
After speaking with NHTSA, Tesla agreed to send out an update to FSD Beta testers that will disable rolling stops when using the assertive driving profile. The recall outlines that Tesla will release the update as version 2021.44.30.15.
Tesla's latest FSD Beta, Beta 10.9 is version 2021.44.30.10.
It's not clear whether this update will simply be a point release of FSD Beta 10.9 or if it will be part of FSD Beta 11, which Elon has previously said was coming after Beta 10.9.
Everyone in the Tesla community knows that this is a simple software update, but in NHTSA's safety report, they're still calling these kinds of issues recalls, which could be misleading.
It'd be nice to see NHTSA use different language when a vehicle needs to be physically brought in and when it can simply be performed as a remote software update that requires almost no owner intervention.
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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.
