TESLA FSD 10.69 UPDATE ARRIVES WITH A $15,000 PRICE INCREASE; HOWEVER, IS IT WORTH IT? On September 5th in North America, Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software will raise in price by $3K to $15K, coinciding with the public release of the 10.69.2 Beta upgrade. The early release version has just begun trickling out to beta testers, and the results are beginning to indicate whether or not the price increase is justified. This weekend, approximately 1,000 testers began receiving the latest version, and patch notes have been posted online. The documents are comparable to the 10.13 release notes that were leaked last month, including enhancements to left turns, animal and pedestrian recognition, and “crawling” behaviour. Follow For More Updates at Rapiddnews.com
The cost of Tesla FSD is rising.
Given this apparent improvement in capability, Tesla FSD determined it was appropriate to increase the software’s price once more. On September 5, prices will increase to $15,000, although the “old” price of $12,000 will be honoured for orders placed before September 5 but delivered after that date. This price rise will only occur in North America; other locations are “safe” with the old price because Autopilot upgrades tend to arrive slower in those regions than in North America.
We do not yet know if Tesla’s FSD subscription service will be modified. This service costs $199 per month and has not increased in price since the previous time Tesla FSD adjusted FSD fees. For vehicles purchased between late 2016 and mid-2019, however, Tesla charges $1,000 for the equipment previously purchased. Since its inception, Tesla FSD has steadily increased the price of its FSD software. The public justification is that as software grows more capable and useful, the price should increase.
It also serves as an incentive for Tesla FSD owners to “lock in” lower prices by purchasing the software early. An FSD purchaser who purchased the software a few years ago could have paid as little as $5,000 (although the early purchasers were treated unfairly in this aspect) for software that now costs $12k, but can now receive the same benefit as a current purchaser. Tesla FSD continually raises the price of its software, prompting some current owners to purchase it in order to avoid being “left behind” by potential improvements. Musk’s public pronouncements about Autopilot have hinted that Tesla’s self-driving robot taxi will be available beyond “next year”… for multiple years in a row.
“Full independence?”
Unfortunately, Tesla’s fully automated driving is still not autonomous driving. As it stands, the technology is still classified as “Level 2” by the SAE, alongside other driver aid systems like GM’s Super Cruise and Mercedes Intelligent Drive. A Level 2 system needs the driver to be constantly present and attentive to the road, however, the driver may remove his or her hands from the steering wheel. Level 2 cannot be considered true autonomous driving because the driver is still responsible for the vehicle. A vehicle cannot be deemed totally self-driving until it reaches Level 4, at which point it will be capable of making all choices without the need for a driver.
This disparity between the Tesla brand and the actual capabilities of the system has prompted concern from government and non-government sources, as well as a recent smear effort by a competitor’s self-driving software business. While its qualities have improved over time, it still causes frightening circumstances, as Fred recently discovered when it nearly threw him down the cliff. It was well-behaved for the majority of the journey, but “the majority of the journey” is insufficient when sitting on a cliff, passing pedestrians and motorbikes, driving at high speeds, etc.
Test drives update 10.69
However, this was an older revision. As the software became accessible to beta testers, post-update test drives started emerging on YouTube. During a ten-minute trip on different unmarked roads, this one showed improvements and no driver intervention: This ride begins on dirt roads, something the programme used to be able to perform, but frequently alerted the driver to take control immediately.
The ride exhibits seemingly excessive deceleration on a dirt road while climbing a minor hill, and there are a few disconnects and idiosyncrasies, but there was no phantom braking on city roads: Here is Chuck Cook’s examination of unprotected left turns, made famous by “Chuck’s Turn,” a challenging unprotected left turn that has proven challenging for many autonomous/driver assistance systems:
Does FSD affect your driving style?
Currently, Tesla’s fully autonomous driving does not significantly alter how a driver operates their vehicle. You still need to be in your seat and pay attention to the road. You cannot command your vehicle to drop you off and find a parking spot, take you home after a night out, or drive itself while you read the newspaper, work on spreadsheets, or watch a movie.
Autopilot does offer some advantages, such as lowering mental strain during long drives. Many drivers report feeling more awake when they reach their destination when Autopilot is enabled. However, these features are largely incorporated in the Autopilot package that comes standard on all Tesla FSD vehicles, which includes lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control.