This article seeks to answer the most frequently asked questions about Tesla's Full-Self Driving Beta Program. It will answer questions about how to get selected for the program, how to improve your safety score and when it will become available for wider release.
How does FSD work?
FSD is Tesla's proprietary self-driving software that is improved by collecting data from Tesla's network of over 100,000 beta testers.
What is FSD Beta?
FSD Beta allows Tesla vehicles to drive autonomously to a destination entered in the car's navigation system. Since this is the Beta program, drivers must remain vigilant and ready to take control at all times.
How many users are there in the FSD Beta Program?
As of July 2022, there are over 100,000 Tesla drivers enrolled in the FSD Beta program in the U.S. and Canada.
How many miles have been driven on FSD Beta?
As of July 2022, Tesla reported that its fleet of customers driving with the FSD Beta software has surpassed 35 million miles driven.
Which countries is FSD Beta available in?
Tesla currently allows FSD Beta for cars in the U.S. and Canada. Tesla plans to launch the program in Europe later this year.
How much does FSD Beta cost?
Tesla's FSD package has consistently increased in price over the years. Most recently in January 2022, Tesla increased the cost from a one-time payment of $10,000 to $12,000.
The software is also available as a monthly subscription for $99 if you have Advanced Autopilot or $199 if you have basic Autopilot.
The subscription price is only available if you have FSD hardware 3.0 or above.
Which models are available for FSD Beta?
If you have purchased FSD capability and have FSD hardware 2.0 or 2.5, you are eligible to receive a complimentary installation of Tesla's FSD computer (hardware 3.0).
A complimentary hardware upgrade to the FSD computer is not available for Full Self-Driving capability subscribers; however, you may be eligible to upgrade for $1,000.00 plus applicable tax, which includes installation.
How do you sign up for FSD Beta?
You must be a FSD user (paid in full or by subscription) and live in a supported region to request access to the Beta program.
You can request by tapping on Controls > Autopilot > “Request Full Self Driving Beta”, and accept the terms and conditions. You will need to meet Safety Score minimums over a certain period before Tesla gives you access to the beta.
You can view your Safety Score in the app and we have seen Tesla add beta testers with a score of 95 and above. However, Tesla does not add additional testers continuously, and it may take a week or months of having a score above 95 before you're given access to the beta.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will receive the FSD Beta even if you have a high Safety Score as Tesla only adds additional testers when needed.
How does Tesla select users for the FSD Beta Program?
Though requirements change over time and vary depending on region, the current requirements for the Beta test include getting a 95-100 Safety Score over a monitoring period of seven days.
How do I improve my Safety Score?
There are five safety categories that Tesla actively uses to measure the safety score of a driver. Your performance in each category is compared to the median of Tesla's fleet.
These are the five categories in order of weighted average score:
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.
