Tesla is constantly evolving with new and innovative support features to improve the safety score of their electric vehicles and enhance your driving experience. Over the years, the automaker has explored the feasibility of producing semi-autonomous and autonomous electric vehicles with full self-driving capabilities. After successful testing, all Tesla cars built after September 2014 now come standard with advanced Autopilot features.
Autopilot is the ultimate feature for highway driving, even in dense traffic scenarios. When engaged, your car can automatically detect lane lines, navigate interchanges, suggest lane changes, apply automatic emergency braking, and assist with other dynamic driving tasks.
However, Tesla Autopilot is semi-autonomous, meaning it requires constant driver attention. To overcome the shortcomings and improve its features, Elon Musk announced on Twitter the rollout of the company’s full self-driving. Although it doesn’t convert your Tesla into a self-driving car, it promises to achieve autonomous driving with major improvements to the FSD Beta version.
If you are into automated driving systems, you might consider joining the Tesla FSD program as one of the company’s Beta testers. This tutorial explains everything about the Tesla FSD Beta program to help you decide whether to join.
What is Tesla FSD Beta?
Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta (Tesla FSD Beta) is a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level 2 driver support software upgrade that unlocks your vehicle’s full self-driving capabilities. It is an upgrade of Tesla’s Autopilot feature.
FSD Beta allows Teslas to drive autonomously through the navigation route entered in the vehicle’s navigation system. It provides partial automation, making your Tesla semi-autonomous and assisting in driver operations such as steering, braking, and acceleration.
Since this Beta software version is not fully autonomous, Tesla drivers are responsible for most vehicle operations. Even with Tesla FSD enabled, you are still responsible for driving decisions to maintain the safety of your EV.
Initially, the program’s previous updates were only available in North America to Tesla drivers in the United States and Canada. However, the Elon Musk’s company is pushing FSD Beta to wide release, making it available to Tesla owners in Europe and Asia.
Tesla FSD Beta Features
Along with improved functions, Tesla FSD Beta includes all the features in the non-Beta version. These include the following:
Autopilot
Autopilot comes standard with Teslas manufactured after September 2014. This driver assistance suite features Traffic-Aware Cruise Control that matches your vehicle’s speed to current speed limits and Autosteer that steers your Tesla within a marked traffic lane.
Enhanced Autopilot
Enhanced Autopilot builds on its predecessor’s features for improved safety and convenience. It includes functions like auto navigation that lets your vehicle drive from an on-ramp to an off-ramp on the highway. It also features Auto Lane Change that guides your car to an adjacent lane and Autopark for parallel parking. Summon moves your Tesla in tight spaces, while Smart Summon navigates your vehicle in complex environments and parking lots.
Full Self-Driving Capability
Full Self-Driving includes all the functions of Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot. This advanced software upgrade includes Autosteer on city streets and Traffic and Stop Sign Control (one of the upcoming features) that automatically detects traffic lights and slows your EV to a halt on approach.
Tesla FSD Beta has undergone multiple software updates as the company strives to propel it to Level 4 and 5 autonomy by the end of 2023. FSD Beta release notes show that each air software update has minor to comprehensive upgrades from previous versions.
As of July 2023, FSD Beta’s updated features include the following:
- Improved geometric accuracy reducing the position error of trailers, semi-trucks, and exotic vehicles
- Enhanced handling of oncoming vehicles on narrow lanes and unmarked roads
- Improved absolute recall of distant vehicles
- Improved maneuverability while driving on curvature roads to ensure consistency between lanes
- Upgraded Occupancy Network for Automatic Emergency Braking
- Improved precision of object detection/semantic detection of road debris
- Better road edge prediction
- Upgraded short-deadline lane change decisions on public roads
- Enhanced offset consistency for static object network
- Improved ego behavior near vulnerable road users (VRU)
- Improved Automatic Emergency Braking in response to cut-in objects and cars behind the position of ego while reversing
- Upgraded handing for VRUs near crossing lanes
- Enhanced Occupancy Flow prediction for arbitrarily moving objects
- Decreased false slowdown intensity and offsetting near intersections and around objects in wide lanes
- Integrated Next-Gen planner and FSD Beta’s multi-camera video networks for complex agent interactions, adding intelligent behaviors, better decision-making, and smoother control
- Replaced legacy highway stack with vision and planning stack for on and off-highway driving
- Enhanced recall for close-by cut-in cases for trucks and high-yaw rate scenarios
- Expanded dedicated speed control and improved object kinematics in low-speed scenarios.
How To Get Tesla FSD Beta?
Previously, Tesla FSD Beta was only available to a test pool of 160,000 public testers in the United States and Canada. Tesla owners also required a minimum Tesla Safety Score of 80+ points to qualify for FSD Beta.
With the wider release, these stricter regulations no longer apply. Any Tesla owner can join the program if their vehicle has the Full Self-Driving Computer 3.0 or above and has basic Autopilot or Enhanced Autopilot capabilities. You must also reside in a supported region. Following this major update, the number of Beta testers has surpassed 400,000 drivers.
If eligible, you can purchase FSD capability and request FSD Beta from your vehicle’s touchscreen or the Tesla app. You can also join the program without a paid subscription if the “request Full Self-Driving Beta” option is available on your car’s touchscreen.
Subscribing to FSD capability in the Tesla mobile app
- Load the Tesla app on your device
- Tap Upgrades
- Tap Subscribe at the top of the screen
- Go to Full Self-Driving Capability and tap the checkbox
- Tap Subscribe
Subscribing to FSD capability from your Tesla’s touchscreen
- Tap the Controls menu
- Tap Upgrades
- Tap FSD Subscription
- Swipe to complete the purchase
Requesting FSD Beta
Once subscribed to Tesla FSD, you can request Full Self-Driving Beta using these steps:
- Open the Controls menu on your vehicle’s touchscreen
- Tap Autopilot
- Tap Request Full Self-Driving Beta
- Agree to Beta test conditions
- Download FSD Beta
Note: The latest Tesla news indicates that the company has suspended the rollout of FSD Beta and issued a recall on specific Model X, Model S, Model Y, and Model 3 vehicles with installed or pending FSD Beta software. The move aims to improve particular FSD Beta driving operations.
Requirements to Remain in the Tesla FSD Beta Program
While the FSD Beta program is open to everyone with a paid FSD subscription, you’ll have to meet various requirements to continue participating. The company constantly monitors your driving operations and safety score. Five Forced Autopilot Disengagements can land you in trouble with the company. You might lose access to FSD Beta, and Tesla can suspend your participation or kick you out of the program for improper usage.
Here are some tips to help you continue participating in the FSD Beta Program:
- Enter navigation details before activating FSD Beta
- Pay constant attention even with FSD Beta enabled
- Disable FSD Beta in dense traffic scenarios
- Observe and obey Forward Collision Warnings
- Respect to speed lane
- Avoid aggressive turning
- Drive within the speed limits
- Minimize late-night driving (10 PM to 4 AM)
- Fasten your seatbelt when driving over speeds of 10 mph
- Limit touchscreen interactions and put your phone away
Steps to Opting Out of FSD Beta
The FSD Beta is under testing, meaning it is prone to mistakes such as phantom braking, unnecessary slowdowns, wrong lane change maneuvers, hesitancy around crossing lanes, and cutting off adjacent lane vehicles. These issues can be inconvenient, if not annoying. As such, you may want to opt out of the program.
Fortunately, opting out of FSD Beta is straightforward. Here are your options:
- Disabling FSD Beta in Autopilot settings
- Sending a removal request via email to Tesla
Some people use unconventional means like getting over five Forced Autopilot Disengagements to get out of the program. However, this option might compromise your access to FSD features in the future.
How Much Does FSD Beta Cost?
FSD Beta is free with a paid FSD capability subscription. The pricing depends on your current Autopilot or Enhanced Autopilot package. Upgrading from Basic Autopilot to FSD capability will cost you $199 monthly, while Enhanced Autopilot to FSD capability costs $99 monthly. You can make a one-time payment of $15,000 to access FSD capability and request Full Self-Driving Beta.
FAQs
What Tesla Safety Score do I need for FSD Beta?
Your Safety Score does not matter. Previously, Tesla required a minimum Safety Score of 80 points to join the program.
How long does FSD Beta suspension last?
FSD Beta suspensions last between one and two weeks, depending on the number of strikes received.
Take Away
Whether or not Tesla FSD Beta is worth it depends on your budget and driving preferences. After all, the features in update are still at the experimental stage. Since it does not make your vehicle autonomous, it’s not worth spending over $15,000 on an upgrade still in its formative years. However, you might consider joining the program if you want to ride th
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