Tesla rolls out FSD version without steering wheel nag

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Tesla has begun rolling out its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised v12.4.1 to select customers, with the version featuring the highly anticipated removal of the steering wheel nag.

FSD v12.4.1 began rolling out to a small group of customers on Friday night, after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said a few days ago that the version would soon be going out to some external customers over the weekend. Instead of using the steering wheel nag, which has long been a complaint of many regular FSD users, the system will now rely more heavily on the cabin camera driver monitoring system to maintain driver attention.

“When Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is enabled, the driver monitoring system now primarily relies on the cabin camera to determine driver attentiveness,” writes Tesla in the release notes for the update.

“This enhancement is available on vehicles equipped with a cabin camera and only when the cabin camera has clear and continuous visibility of the driver’s eyes (e.g., the camera is not occluded, there is sufficient cabin illumination, and the driver is looking forward at the road ahead and not wearing sunglasses, a hat with a low brim, or other objects covering the eyes).”

Tesla preps its API for Robotaxi with two new features

In a post on X on Friday night responding to some of the first users receiving the version, Musk said that users can “expect the level of polish to improve considerably with each point release.” On Wednesday, Musk also said that the software version includes “a massive number of changes,” and could “arguably” be dubbed FSD v13 instead.

Tesla employees began receiving FSD v12.4.1 earlier this week, to which Musk said that the system was nearly getting to the point where it would take more than a year of driving to require a human intervention, at least once certain known bugs were fixed.

The news also comes as Tesla has been on an all-out offensive for FSD Supervised. A few months ago, Tesla began offering free, one-month trials of the system when customers purchased a vehicle, along with mandatory test drives with the software. Tesla has also set a date for the unveiling of its robotaxi platform in August, along with sharing a teaser of its upcoming ride-sharing platform.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla FSD v12.4.1 with no nag starts rolling out to select customers





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Tesla preps its API for Robotaxi with two new features

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Tesla is prepping its API for the future Robotaxi with two new features that were found within the coding.

Tesla’s Robotaxi unveiling event is set for August 8, and people are still curious as to what the automaker is planning to bring to the table. We know it will be built upon Tesla’s next-gen platform, which will enable more streamlined manufacturing in preparation for growth in both production and deliveries.

However, we are now seeing Tesla round out what will likely be a ride-sharing service similar to Uber or Lyft, with features like Passenger Ratings and a Guest Mode, which will limit features available to those who are just borrowing the vehicle.

Rider Quality Score

Tesla will implement a “Rider Quality Score” that will allow people to see how you treat the vehicle as a passenger. Uber and Lyft both implemented this years ago so that drivers could decline certain people from rides.

If you’re loud or obnoxious or damage things inside the car, your score will go down. This will keep riders on their best behavior and could eliminate things like theft or vandalism inside the car.

Whole Mars Catalog first saw this and shared a screenshot of the API coding:

It makes sense that Tesla would use this to potentially control some riders’ behaviors. We all know there are some people you probably wouldn’t want in your Robotaxi.

Guest Mode

According to Not a Tesla App, Tesla will also tie in a Guest Mode that is similar to Valet Mode. This will prevent certain features from being available.

Valet Mode allows for anything from glove box restrictions to speed limitations. It will be interesting to see what else Tesla wants to limit with the Robotaxi rollout.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla preps its API for Robotaxi with two new features





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Tesla Tequila is back — and better than before

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Tesla has released its second Tequila offering with a new Mezcal that it is selling on its website in a familiar lightning bolt-shaped bottle for $450.

The new Tesla Tequila comes three-and-a-half years after it first offered the booze on its website. In what started as a joke on April Fool’s Day in 2018, the company has truly embraced what its fan base has “thirsted” for, quite literally.

The company describes the new tequila offering:

“Smoky and floral with a smooth finish. Our limited-release Tesla Mezcal celebrates Oaxaca’s artisanal Tahona-milled mezcal with an alembic distillation process by intuitively combining the distinct flavors of native Espadín and Bicuishe agaves. The result is a mezcal that is as delicate as it is spicy, with a deep citrus and green apple nose that gives way to soft herbal notes with a delicate smokiness that lingers on the tongue. Finishes with notes of tuberose, jasmine, and chamomile that soften into a balanced, velvety mouthfeel.”

Mezcal differs from the añejo it offered nearly four years ago. Mezcal is a smokier flavor and is not quite as widely-loved as other tequila types, but it is certainly unique.

The tasting notes are described as:

“Tasting Notes: Floral, delicate and spicy with earthy aromas and hints of lime, green apple and spice followed by smoky notes. Finishes with soft tuberose, jasmine and chamomile. Mouthfeel is balanced, yet strong with light bitter notes at the end.”

However, some Tesla fans will not be buying the alcohol for the taste, and simply will store it as a collector’s item to show their true loyalty to the company and its CEO Elon Musk.

The tequila is not manufactured by Tesla and is handled by Nosotros Tequila & Mezcal. Orders are fulfilled by Speakeasy Co.

The tequila is also available to people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla releases second Tequila offering with new Mezcal





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