Tesla has launched another round of free trials of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised software, just over a week after the company unveiled its Cybercab and Robovan autonomous vehicle platforms.
Customers in both the US and Canada received emails this week about another 30-day free trial of FSD Supervised, marking the second time Tesla has launched such a program (via Not a Tesla app). Most of the vehicles appear to be getting the older FSD v12.3.6, although some have since been upgraded to v12.5.4.1, the latter of which includes Actually Smart Summon (ASS) and support for wearing sunglasses during hands-free driving.
Credit: Not a Tesla app
Tesla began rolling out its first free trials of FSD Supervised during a comprehensive offensive on the software in March, along with mandatory test runs of the software after the release of v12 for those who already did a demo drive. At the time, Tesla also launched an additional round of free FSD transfers with new vehicle purchases, which the company also recently launched for the fourth quarter of the year.
Tesla launched two new platforms for the upcoming Unsupervised builds of FSD earlier this month, called Cybercab and Robovan.
The Cybercab is a two-seat, fully autonomous vehicle based on FSD that does not include a steering wheel or other vehicle controls, along with the ability to charge wirelessly instead of including a charging port. Meanwhile, the Robovan is a larger autonomous bus in the Art Deco style,
The news also comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into 2.4 million of Tesla’s vehicles following reports of a few accidents, including one injury and the death of a pedestrian. The agency has said the study examines the ability of the FSD-monitored software to detect obstacles and respond adequately in low visibility conditions.
To be sure, Tesla’s FSD is currently only available in a “supervised” build, which requires drivers to remain alert and ready to retake control of the vehicle at any time. Tesla also warns drivers about this when the hands-free system is activated, along with a detailed description of the safety warning on the software in each of its user manuals:
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a practical feature that requires you to always pay attention to the road. Always keep your hands on the wheel, pay attention to road conditions and surrounding traffic, be aware of pedestrians and cyclists, and always be prepared to take immediate action (especially around blind corners, crossing intersections and in tight driving situations).
Failure to follow these instructions could result in injury, serious injury or death. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the limitations of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and the situations where it may not work as expected.
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