Tesla Full Self Driving (Beta) V11 — 5-Week Evaluation

For six months, my spouse and I’ve used 9 or 10 variations of FSD Beta V10. Just lately, we heard about Tesla engaged on a “revolutionary” improve from V10 to V11. This improve would incorporate huge enhancements that Tesla has been engaged on for a very long time. Lastly, we obtained our improve somewhat over a month in the past. In a earlier article, I reported on my first impressions. Right here’s my report on what I’ve noticed since then.

Determine 1: New wider blue pathway line indicating FSD Beta. V11.3.6 display. April 17, 2023. Photograph by Fritz Hasler.

Abstract

Sure, there have been vital enhancements. For instance, when working appropriately, FSD Beta V11 strikes you over and will get you into the proper flip lane earlier. The lane modifications are additionally a lot smoother. You additionally get a wider blue pathway middle line that permits you to know that FSD Beta is energetic, as proven in Determine 1 above. You continue to have the choice of utilizing FSD solely on limited-access highways, which supplies you a narrower blue middle line, or solely utilizing Autosteer, which supplies you two very slender blue traces on either side of the lane.

Nevertheless, nonetheless too often, FSD Beta places you within the fallacious lane. The worst is when it places you right into a flip lane when the navigation requires going straight. This, to me, is the largest failure of the present system.

Additionally, I nonetheless observe phantom braking: This happens occasionally, and I don’t regard this as a deal-breaker. I hold my foot resting very gently on the accelerator and I block the deceleration whether it is sturdy or if a automobile is following carefully behind me.

Why Haven’t These Issues Been Fastened?

Tesla has big groups of software program specialists engaged on these issues. But, I’ve seen no enchancment on these two objects within the 10 variations of the software program I’ve used. My take: They don’t have a clue the way to repair them! Alternatively, enhancements within the generalized neural internet strategy Tesla is utilizing don’t tackle these issues.

The incorrect-lane downside — an answer? They may use a map-based answer if Musk was keen. Nevertheless, he seems to be satisfied that Tesla software program ought to cope with these points on an advert hoc foundation similar to a human driver does.

Phantom braking answer? Others have noticed a discount in phantom braking. Nevertheless, making the 269-mile journey north from Saint George to Lindon, Utah, on I-15 just lately, I noticed the worst phantom braking I’ve ever seen. I noticed fairly sturdy phantom braking that occurred repeatedly (at the least 10 instances) throughout a brief stretch of the journey. Since then I’ve noticed phantom braking, however not often.

My 2018 Nissan Leaf with good cruise had no downside with phantom braking. Nevertheless, my Leaf was not programmed to see vehicles, pedestrians, or objects in my path and keep away from them. Evidently the FSD Beta system has problem telling the distinction between phantoms and bonafide risks. I do not know how you’ll repair this.

Fallacious lane/failure to observe the navigation:

• The system nonetheless typically modifications lanes in another way than I might do: For instance, if I’m on 6-lane State Avenue on the Utah Wasatch Entrance and the navigation tells me that I’ve a left flip 0.5 miles forward, I begin transferring towards the left lane or keep within the left lane if already there. FSD Beta will often change lanes to the best and will or could not change lanes again to the left in time to make the flip.
• Transferring into the flip lane when the navigation requires going straight: I used to be just lately driving up Provo Canyon en path to Heber, Utah. Alongside the route, there have been a number of locations the place the two-land highway widened with an additional lane for turning proper. A number of instances, FSD Beta pulled me to the best into the flip lane regardless of the navigation directing the automobile to go straight. On the finish of the flip lane, the automobile would rapidly return to the primary site visitors lane. Not a showstopper, however very annoying.
• Identical as above, however truly making a proper flip when the navigation says go straight. This can be a downside that has remained by a number of variations of FSD Beta. Exiting I-15 at 1600 N and going east in Orem, Utah, you might have two lanes that scale back to 1 lane at a site visitors gentle as you go up the hill. The navigation says to go straight, however FSD Beta determinedly retains placing you within the right-hand lane (that can shortly disappear) even in the event you manually attempt to keep in the primary site visitors lane on the left. Generally FSD Beta will sneak you to the left on the gentle on the final second to get you into the one by site visitors lane. Different instances FSD Beta will make a proper flip which diverges from going straight as specified by the navigation. Actually? Briefly, FSD Beta doesn’t at all times observe the navigation route for some motive!

Different FSD Notes

Roundabouts/rotaries: Should you don’t have FSD Beta, however solely the usual Automated Steering Help that comes with each Tesla, your automobile gained’t make the sharp turns required within the rotary and can fail halfway by. Up till the model of FSD Beta V10.20.2.4, my automobile would cease useless earlier than coming into the rotary however then negotiate the rotary correctly. With the newest software program updates, my automobile will deal with the rotary correctly, like a yield signal, if no vehicles are approaching you, and can proceed to navigate appropriately by the rotary. I’ve experimented with rotaries a number of instances with V11.3.6. The conduct was right more often than not. Nevertheless, typically my automobile would simply come to a useless cease in the course of the rotary. Not good.

Timid conduct at cease indicators: FSD Beta conduct at cease indicators is at all times somewhat too gradual for a standard driver and is, notably, too gradual for that automobile behind you. When merging onto a busy avenue, you’ll be able to at all times do higher by making the flip manually or at the least giving it assist with the accelerator pedal.