Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently revealed that he has tested an unreleased version of the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, known as the v12 Alpha build. Musk described its performance as “mind-blowing,” adding to the anticipation surrounding Tesla’s ongoing advancements in autonomous driving technology.
Just a month ago, Musk had already begun building excitement around the 12th version of the Full Self-Driving suite. Although not yet ready for public release, Musk indicated that it could become available to customers later this year. However, he emphasized that further refinements are necessary, as Tesla maintains a cautious approach to releasing new FSD versions.
One of the most significant aspects of the v12 Alpha build is Musk’s statement that this version could be the first to shed the “beta” label. This would mark a major milestone for Tesla, signifying a high level of confidence in the suite’s capabilities. Despite this, it is essential to understand that the term “Full Self-Driving” does not imply fully autonomous driving. Instead, it represents an improvement over previous iterations, rather than a claim that Tesla has fully “solved” self-driving.
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The v12 Alpha build, while impressive, does not mean that Tesla’s FSD suite is ready for fully autonomous driving. The current system requires drivers to monitor the vehicle and be ready to take control at any moment. Until regulators approve Tesla’s FSD as a level 4 or 5 autonomous driving system, it remains a driver-assist feature with advanced capabilities.
A key factor in the development of the v12 Alpha build is Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer. This powerful computing platform is expected to accelerate the improvements of the FSD suite by processing vast amounts of driving data. The culmination of hundreds of millions of miles of driving data has been instrumental in refining the FSD system, making it more accurate and robust.
While Musk has hinted that the v12 Alpha build could be available by the end of the year, his aggressive timetables for feature releases suggest that 2024 might be a more realistic estimate. Historically, Musk’s ambitious timelines have faced delays, so a cautious approach to anticipating the release date is advisable.
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Despite Musk’s enthusiastic praise, there is a degree of skepticism surrounding his statements. Previous versions of the FSD suite, such as v9, were also described in similarly glowing terms but did not fully meet the high expectations set by Musk’s words.
Fred Lambert of Electrek expressed this skepticism, noting that while the v12 Alpha build might be impressive, Musk’s frequent use of terms like “mind-blowing” can diminish their impact.
“Mind-blowing is a strong word choice, but unfortunately, Musk has been overusing those words. He said the same thing about Tesla’s FSD v9, and it was quite underwhelming,” Lambert commented.
Tesla’s FSD Beta first launched in late 2020 and has seen considerable improvements since then. However, it remains far from achieving level 4 or 5 autonomy. The journey from driver-assist systems to fully autonomous vehicles is complex and involves navigating regulatory hurdles and technological advancements.