Tesla Full Self-Driving version 12.1 beta faces yet more delays

Tesla's much-anticipated Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta version 12.1 has begun its slow rollout, raising questions about its future deployment beyond employees and the validity of its "beta" distinction. Despite promises of a revolutionary shift in autonomous driving, skepticism lingers as Tesla faces yet another delay in achieving its self-driving goals.

In a recent update, Teslascope revealed that FSD beta v12.1 is now reaching an initial wave of over 15,000 personally owned Tesla employee vehicles. This comes after a limited release to employees last month, sparking speculation about a potential public release as early as mid-January.

We can confirm that Full Self-Driving (Beta) V12.1 has now rolled out to Wave1, which including 15,000+ personally-owned @Tesla employee vehicles.

It’s happening. 🎉

— Teslascope (@teslascope) December 27, 2023

The transition to a neural network-based system for city driving is at the core of FSD beta v12's promised improvements. This version aims to eliminate over 300,000 lines of human-written code, relying instead on an end-to-end neural network trained on millions of video clips. CEO Elon Musk showcased an early build of FSD v12 in August, but doubts persist about the removal of the "beta" distinction, as the release notes still include the term.

However, Tesla's self-driving ambitions face a setback, as the important FSD v12 update experiences delays. Despite Musk's recurrent promises of achieving self-driving by year-end, it appears that this goal will be deferred once again. The update, set to introduce "end-to-end neural nets," which would handle the vehicle's controls through artificial intelligence, faces additional testing requirements outside California.

Musk acknowledged that while the system performs well in California, it requires more training for areas with heavy rainfall, raising concerns among FSD beta testers about its effectiveness in diverse weather conditions. The delay fuels skepticism about Tesla's ability to deliver a truly self-driving system, especially as the company remains tight-lipped about its plans for the post-beta phase.

Tesla still mandates FSD drivers to remain hands-on and ready to take control, absolving the automaker of responsibility for accidents on Autopilot or FSD. Despite Musk's assertion that v12 is on many cars, it's crucial to differentiate between internal employee test fleets and customer updates, leaving uncertainty about the actual progress of the rollout.

As Tesla grapples with delays and the elusive goal of removing the "beta" label, skepticism prevails regarding the practicality and safety of its Full Self-Driving capabilities. The FSD beta v12.1 rollout marks a significant step, but questions about the system's performance in various conditions and Tesla's commitment to taking responsibility remain unanswered.

Via