The race to perfect autonomous driving capabilities continues as Tesla rolls out significant software updates, though access to the latest features remains hardware-dependent.
Latest deployment details: Tesla has released version 12.5.6.3 of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, introducing end-to-end neural networks for highway driving specifically for vehicles equipped with HW4 (AI4) hardware.
- The update extends neural network control across highways, city streets, and parking lots for compatible vehicles
- End-to-end neural networks allow AI to control the vehicle directly from visual input rather than relying on explicitly coded instructions
- The release was initially planned for October but faced delays before its wider rollout in November
Technical specifications: End-to-end neural networks represent a significant advancement in how Tesla’s autonomous driving system processes and responds to road conditions.
- The system now uses neural networks to handle all driving scenarios, moving away from separate software stacks for different driving environments
- Tesla’s head of self-driving and AI, Ashok Elluswamy, confirms the update includes customizable driving styles for speed and lane change preferences
- The technology promises smoother, more natural, and potentially safer highway driving compared to previous versions
Hardware limitations: A clear divide is emerging between Tesla’s newer and older vehicles in terms of autonomous driving capabilities.
- HW3 (AI3) vehicles are restricted to “improved v12.5.x models for city driving” according to Tesla’s roadmap
- The company has acknowledged reaching computational limits with the HW3 hardware
- No retrofit options have been announced for owners of vehicles with older hardware
- Millions of HW3 vehicle owners are currently excluded from accessing the latest end-to-end neural network features
Real-world implications: Early user experiences with recent FSD updates highlight ongoing challenges with the technology’s reliability and consistency.
- Some users report regression in performance with version 12.5.4.2 compared to previous releases
- Highway exit handling remains problematic, with instances of unsafe maneuvering reported
- The lack of hardware upgrade paths for older vehicles raises concerns about long-term support and improvement potential
Future outlook: Tesla’s diverging development paths for different hardware versions suggests a potentially permanent split in feature availability, raising questions about the company’s commitment to its earlier promises of universal self-driving capabilities through software updates alone. The absence of retrofit options may ultimately force owners of older vehicles to upgrade to newer models to access the latest autonomous driving features.
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