Tesla Full Self Driving Supervised V12.6.4 — Occurring 6 Years with My Mannequin 3

I’ve been driving with Tesla’s Full Self Driving now for 3.5 years, most likely going by 20 completely different variations. I exploit it obsessively on the busy roads and 12-lane Interstate in northern Utah. I exploit it driving cross nation 1551 miles on principally Interstate between Lindon, Utah, and Three Lakes in northern Wisconsin. I additionally use it for five months every summer season right here in rural northern Wisconsin.

My automobile simply dodged a puddle within the highway and braked for a deer crossing in entrance of me. I put my vacation spot into the navigation and sit again whereas it drives as easily as and extra precisely than probably the most skilled human driver utilizing full focus … more often than not. I marvel at the way it strikes left simply sufficient to present the bicycle rider on my proper respiration room and navigates completely round a giant truck and trailer parked going through the fallacious path on my facet of the highway on my fairly slim rural avenue. On the tremendous freeway, it observes the slow-moving truck effectively forward, strikes into the passing lane, and rapidly returns to the right-hand lane earlier than an impatient fast-moving driver behind me is tempted to move on the appropriate. These are a results of pretty current enhancements in FSD.

I learn bulletins that Tesla is planning to provoke full driverless robotaxi service in geofenced areas of Austin, Texas, utilizing a model of this software program quickly. How shut am I to with the ability to learn a guide whereas FSD (now not supervised) drives me extra safely than I may drive myself? See under. It appears like it can by no means occur for my 2019 Mannequin 3. These of us who’ve lived by these 20-some variations of FSD had been amazed what it may do when first launched, and we proceed to be amazed on the enhancements we now have seen throughout the entire journey, together with simply the previous couple of days. Nonetheless, we proceed to see it fail on edge circumstances. A number of the failures occur in conditions that appear straightforward to repair, whereas in different conditions, it’s exhausting to think about an answer.

Some FSD Supervised faults

For instance: FSD Supervised observes cease indicators, velocity restrict indicators, and site visitors lights, together with flip indicators and responds appropriately. You get extra reassurance that it understands as a result of it not solely sees the indicators and lights but additionally presents the proper icon representing the signal or mild on the touchscreen. Nonetheless, my Tesla doesn’t but decelerate for 20 mph college zone velocity restrict indicators with the large yellow alternating flashing lights. That is baffling to me! My solely imagined rationalization is that Tesla simply hasn’t gotten round to programing the system to do it. They’ve crew of a whole bunch of software program engineers engaged on FSD and so they haven’t had time to appropriate a obtrusive fault like this? Possibly there aren’t any college zone velocity limits in California or Austin, Texas.

For correcting different faults, it’s exhausting to think about options. Keep in mind my automobile neatly dodged a puddle within the highway and braked for a deer. Nonetheless, it additionally braked for some massive tar stripes within the highway which was not acceptable. We name this phantom braking. It even occurs fairly continuously once we don’t observe something that would trigger it. Learn how to get the system to distinguish between true risks and phantoms? I do not know.

One other nagging downside with FSD Supervised is the occasional failure to get within the correct lane prescribed by the navigation at a stoplight or cease signal. Typically it can then even make a flip not prescribed by the navigation. Nonetheless, it can get better taking an extended path to your vacation spot.

Aggressiveness setting plusses and minuses

Aggressiveness has three settings: Chill, Common, and Hurry. I’m amazed how aggressively FSD finds a small spot between vehicles and modifications lanes on a busy freeway. That is wanted when you must transfer proper in time to exit on a multilane freeway. Nonetheless, I’m uncomfortable following the automobile in entrance of me so intently. It’s simply too shut, even within the Chill setting. Sadly, I can now not get the over-speed quantity that I set. I set the over-speed setting to 10 mph, however even within the Hurry mode, it by no means reaches 10 mph over prefer it did in earlier variations of FSD.

Do I’ve the newest model of Tesla’s FSD software program?

No! Again in 2019–2020, Elon stated that anybody with the newest cameras and HW3 pc would have the ability to hire their vehicles out as robotaxis inside 12 months. At the moment, Tesla agreed to improve homeowners with HW2 computer systems to HW3 computer systems for free of charge. 5 years later, we appear to be no nearer to full Stage 5 automation on any Tesla vehicles. Not solely that, however Tesla has just lately been transport vehicles with improved cameras and extra highly effective HW4 computer systems. Homeowners of HW3 computer systems like myself at the moment are caught on FSD V12 with no improve path for the higher computer systems. HW4 pc homeowners at the moment are utilizing FSD V13. Nonetheless, it’s reassuring that we’re nonetheless getting software program upgrades with obvious enhancements in FSD efficiency. It is usually reassuring with schadenfreude to listen to studies that FSD V13 customers usually are not getting any quantitative enchancment in efficiency.

How does Tesla know that drivers are being attentive to the highway?

Since early variations of lane help software program, Tesla has required drivers to use a small quantity of torque to the steering wheel to let the system know that the driving force is being attentive to the highway. It is a flawed system as a result of the driving force could possibly be studying a guide or texting with one hand and nonetheless apply the torque. I personally discovered making use of torque to be very annoying since you needed to apply simply the correct quantity of torque. An excessive amount of and you’ll “break free” from the system. Too little and it will say your arms aren’t on the wheel.

I addressed this downside by strapping a 2-lb metal weight to my steering wheel, which labored nice for five years. Nonetheless, Tesla has a a lot better option to monitor driver consideration. There’s a digicam simply above the mirror that observes the driving force’s face and eyes. Tesla may be very strict with this technique. In the event you look away from the highway, have a look at the navigation display, or look down at your cellphone for quite a lot of seconds, you get a blue flashing warning on the high of the display. In the event you stick with prohibited habits, that’s adopted by a full-screen, flashing, purple steering wheel; after which lastly, disengagement from FSD. The system works nice in daylight so long as the driving force shouldn’t be sporting darkish sun shades. I discovered this to be sufficient enchancment that I’ve lower off and thrown out my metal weight. Once I drive at night time (hardly ever), I relaxation my hand on the crossbar of the steering wheel to use the torque.

Tesla additionally punishes you in case you are naughty greater than 4 instances. On the fifth time, you’re despatched to the nook of the room and made to take a seat on a stool sporting a dunce cap for precisely 7 days. Throughout this era, you solely have entry to traffic-aware cruise management (TACC). You not solely lose entry to FSD, however you additionally get no entry to steering help. I’m boy more often than not when driving domestically, however on long-distance journeys, I can get distracted getting my cellphone Bluetooth paired or one thing like that. I often lose entry to FSD and steering help by the center of the second day of an extended journey. I then have to recollect methods to drive manually for the remainder of the journey. It positively makes me recognize FSD. In the course of the first 4 instances you may have unhealthy habits resulting in a compelled disengagement, you lose entry to FSD till you pull off the freeway, cease, and put the automobile in park.

Why I nonetheless recognize driving my 2019 Tesla Mannequin 3 EV with 150,000 miles

We just lately flew again to Utah for a number of days for the commencement ceremony for our two granddaughters. We rented a really good 2024 Mazda CX50 gasmobile for the three days. As we climbed a reasonably steep grade on limited-access freeway 40 close to Park Metropolis, Utah, the velocity dropped to 10 mph under the 70-mph set within the cruise management. There was a horrible whining noise because the automobile downshifted and painfully tried to regain the set velocity. Equally, after I went to move a automobile on a two-lane freeway with the Mazda, there was a noticeable delay earlier than the whining started to get the ability to move the automobile. I’m very spoiled by the moment, whisper-quiet, very sturdy acceleration I get in my dual-motor Mannequin 3. And I don’t even have the efficiency mannequin. Additionally, when I’m pulling my 2500 lb ski boat out of the water at a ship ramp, I can barely really feel it behind me. Renting a fuel automobile is a reminder of how fortunate we’re to be usually driving an EV.

My granddaughter had a slightly good, outdated, dependable 2010 Toyota Camry. Nonetheless, it did have nearly 200,000 miles on it when it refused to go greater than 4 mph. After a $148 diagnostic price on the mechanic, I used to be knowledgeable that the timing chain and kit had been shot and it will price $4,000 for the restore. We bought the automobile to a junkyard for $700. I’m so glad that my Tesla Mannequin 3 has a easy electrical motor with no timing chain.

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