Experienced beta tester of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system AI DRIVR mentioned improvements in the latest point release versions of the software in his new video review.
The new point release versions of the FSD v13 don’t have additional release notes. The original FSD v13 release notes mentioned a list of advancements already deployed and another list of upcoming features.
According to AI DRIVR, despite Tesla (TSLA) isn’t mentioning new improvements in the latest versions, there are still advancements that can be measured if the system is tested with attention to detail.
Autopark Improvements
In his extensive testing of Tesla Autopilot FSD v13, AI DRIVR found out that the system is getting better at automatically parking the vehicle (Autopark) with each new point release.
Tesla does not mention this improvement in each new subversion rollout, but as the Tesla neural net learns each day, the new OTA updates carry that learning forward to the vehicles.
According to the tester, his Tesla Model Y parks itself more easily and frequently in a public parking lot after each new point release. However, he noticed that if you use a pin location for destination parking instead of an address, the car performs the Autopark function better.
Stopping At a Tollbooth
During a test drive on FSD v13, the beta tester found out that his vehicle stopped at a tollbooth where a human would normally. The driver-side window of the vehicle aligned perfectly with the tollbooth window.
The vehicle also positioned itself closer to the tollbooth to make it easy to hand over the payment. Autopilot slightly hesitated on leaving the window as a barrier was lifted but it understood the situation.
Unprotected Left Turn (Two Way Left Turn / Chicken Lane)
We have seen Chuck Cook testing unprotected left turn (UPL) testing in Jacksonville, FL. But Chuck’s UPLs have an island where the vehicle can pause before merging with the traffic going left.
In this specific test, the UPL had two-way traffic. Instead of an island, it had a center or turning lane (yellow lines on both sides). Tesla FSD waited patiently for the right moment to turn left and used the center lane for merging.
According to some beta testers, Tesla should teach the AI Vision to take a right turn and then take a U-turn to avoid comparatively unsafe situations at UPLs. This type of turning and merge might be illegal in some states and cities.
Alternate Navigation Routes
The later versions of FSD v13 like v13.2.6 and v13.2.7 are more and more using AI to understand the best route and not just blindly following the path set in the navigation maps.
This is more of a human-like behavior as they tend to take better and shorter routes if they’re aware of the surroundings of the location.
Smooth U-Turns
Just around 2 years ago, I posted a report that highlighted that U-turns were a big challenge for Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD). However, this has not been the case lately.
Now, especially since FSD v13, U-turns have been smooth as silk (as Elon would like to call it). AI DRIVR showed us how FSD v13 took a U-turn that made it look effortless (watch below).
Disengagements
Tesla FSD has improved significantly in recent versions but there are still situations where it needs human intervention (disengagements).
Tesla Vision AI is taking too many hints from human drivers and vehicles around it. For example, it drove over a crosswalk by following a human driver ahead of it.
Sometimes, Tesla FSD still takes the wrong route. AI DRIVR showed that his Tesla was stuck on a path where it saw a traffic cone blocking the road. Although there was room around it, the vehicle got stuck there and the human driver had to take over. It was also not the right way to go to the back alley which was behind this school. Even after setting a new navigation route, Tesla FSD thought it was still the best route to go through.
In rare situations, Tesla FSD still gets confused and stuck in a loop.
Snow driving is still challenging for Tesla FSD. The automaker is working on better cleaning of the Autopilot cameras that will be rolled-out in upcoming updates.
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