Tesla Full Self Driving (Beta) V11 — 5-Week Overview

For six months, my spouse and I’ve used 9 or 10 variations of FSD Beta V10. Just lately, we heard about Tesla engaged on a “revolutionary” improve from V10 to V11. This improve would incorporate huge enhancements that Tesla has been engaged on for a very long time. Lastly, we bought our improve slightly over a month in the past. In a earlier article, I reported on my first impressions. Right here’s my report on what I’ve noticed since then.

Determine 1: New wider blue pathway line indicating FSD Beta. V11.3.6 display screen. April 17, 2023. Picture by Fritz Hasler.

Abstract

Sure, there have been important enhancements. For instance, when working accurately, FSD Beta V11 strikes you over and will get you into the proper flip lane earlier. The lane modifications are additionally a lot smoother. You additionally get a wider blue pathway middle line that allows you to know that FSD Beta is lively, as proven in Determine 1 above. You continue to have the choice of utilizing FSD solely on limited-access highways, which provides you a narrower blue middle line, or solely utilizing Autosteer, which provides you two very slim blue strains on both sides of the lane.

Nevertheless, nonetheless too continuously, FSD Beta places you within the improper lane. The worst is when it places you right into a flip lane when the navigation requires going straight. This, to me, is the largest failure of the present system.

Additionally, I nonetheless observe phantom braking: This happens occasionally, and I don’t regard this as a deal-breaker. I preserve my foot resting very gently on the accelerator and I block the deceleration whether it is sturdy or if a automobile is following intently behind me.

Why Haven’t These Issues Been Fastened?

Tesla has large groups of software program specialists engaged on these issues. But, I’ve seen no enchancment on these two objects within the 10 variations of the software program I’ve used. My take: They don’t have a clue methods to repair them! Alternatively, enhancements within the generalized neural web strategy Tesla is utilizing don’t tackle these issues.

The incorrect-lane downside — an answer? They may use a map-based resolution if Musk was keen. Nevertheless, he seems to be satisfied that Tesla software program ought to take care of these points on an advert hoc foundation identical to a human driver does.

Phantom braking resolution? Others have noticed a discount in phantom braking. Nevertheless, making the 269-mile journey north from Saint George to Lindon, Utah, on I-15 not too long ago, I noticed the worst phantom braking I’ve ever seen. I noticed fairly sturdy phantom braking that occurred repeatedly (a minimum of 10 occasions) throughout a brief stretch of the journey. Since then I’ve noticed phantom braking, however not continuously.

My 2018 Nissan Leaf with good cruise had no downside with phantom braking. Nevertheless, my Leaf was not programmed to see automobiles, pedestrians, or objects in my path and keep away from them. It appears that evidently the FSD Beta system has problem telling the distinction between phantoms and bonafide risks. I do not know how you’ll repair this.

Fallacious lane/failure to comply with the navigation:

• The system nonetheless usually modifications lanes otherwise than I’d do: For instance, if I’m on 6-lane State Avenue on the Utah Wasatch Entrance and the navigation tells me that I’ve a left flip 0.5 miles forward, I begin transferring towards the left lane or keep within the left lane if already there. FSD Beta will continuously change lanes to the appropriate and will or might not change lanes again to the left in time to make the flip.
• Shifting into the flip lane when the navigation requires going straight: I used to be not too long ago driving up Provo Canyon en path to Heber, Utah. Alongside the route, there have been a number of locations the place the two-land street widened with an additional lane for turning proper. A number of occasions, FSD Beta pulled me to the appropriate into the flip lane despite the navigation directing the automobile to go straight. On the finish of the flip lane, the automobile would shortly return to the primary site visitors lane. Not a showstopper, however very annoying.
• Identical as above, however truly making a proper flip when the navigation says go straight. It is a downside that has remained by way of a number of variations of FSD Beta. Exiting I-15 at 1600 N and going east in Orem, Utah, you might have two lanes that cut back to 1 lane at a site visitors mild as you go up the hill. The navigation says to go straight, however FSD Beta determinedly retains placing you within the right-hand lane (that can shortly disappear) even should you manually attempt to keep in the primary site visitors lane on the left. Generally FSD Beta will sneak you to the left on the mild on the final second to get you into the one by way of site visitors lane. Different occasions FSD Beta will make a proper flip which diverges from going straight as specified by the navigation. Actually? Briefly, FSD Beta doesn’t all the time comply with the navigation route for some cause!

Different FSD Notes

Roundabouts/rotaries: For those who don’t have FSD Beta, however solely the usual Automated Steering Help that comes with each Tesla, your automobile gained’t make the sharp turns required within the rotary and can fail halfway by way of. Up till the model of FSD Beta V10.20.2.4, my automobile would cease lifeless earlier than coming into the rotary however then negotiate the rotary correctly. With the newest software program updates, my automobile will deal with the rotary correctly, like a yield signal, if no automobiles are approaching you, and can proceed to navigate accurately by way of the rotary. I’ve experimented with rotaries a number of occasions with V11.3.6. The habits was appropriate more often than not. Nevertheless, generally my automobile would simply come to a lifeless cease in the midst of the rotary. Not good.

Timid habits at cease indicators: FSD Beta habits at cease indicators is all the time slightly too gradual for a traditional driver and is, significantly, too gradual for that automobile behind you. When merging onto a busy avenue, you possibly can all the time do higher by making the flip manually or a minimum of giving it assist with the accelerator pedal.