Teslaās CEO Elon Musk has for years been guiding the company towards an autonomous future with cars driving themselves around cities and towns with its full-self driving (FSD) software, if regulators would allow it.
In left-hand-drive markets like the US, this capability has been available to many Tesla owners but no launch timeline was hinted for right-hand-drive markets like Australia.
Now, Musk has taken to X to share that right-hand-drive customers could start receiving FSD software in their cars as early as the first quarter of 2025.
Hopefully, RHD markets in late Q1, early Q2, pending regulatory approval
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
This came just after the Tesla AI team released its roadmap for the products and features they are working on.
In that update, Tesla indicated FSD will be heading to Europe and China in Q1 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
Due to popular demand, Tesla AI team release roadmap:
September 2024
– v12.5.2 with ~3x improved miles between necessary interventions
– v12.5.2 on AI3 computer (unified models for AI3 and AI4)
– Actually Smart Summon
– Cybertruck Autopark š
– Eye-tracking with sunglasses š¶ļø
-ā¦— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 5, 2024
FSD software can be purchased with every new Tesla in Australia and as of the writing of this article, the price is $10,100.
In the US, the FSD capability can also be accessed via a subscription of $US199 per month.
The news of FSD release outside of the US comes over a year after Tesla started hiring āADAS Test Operatorsā outside of North America in Europe for what was believed to be the expansion of the Full Self Driving (FSD) Autopilot suite.Ā
Soon after that in July 2023, Tesla began hiring for āVehicle Operatorā roles right here in Australia with an aim to collect data on local roads.
As Tesla described it at that time, the local roles were to āhelp accelerate vehicle level data collectionā across ādesignated regions.ā These regions were referring to four states including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
In recent months, multiple breakthroughs have been experienced by Tesla in the areas surrounding its FSD program.
This includes a wide release of the software from the Beta stage into the hands of everyday drivers who have purchased the software in the US.
With the latest update from Musk hinting at an early 2025 release in right-hand-drive markets, many Tesla owners could get to experience the carās full capabilities in the not-too-distant future.Ā
We just hope that the barrier to experiencing the software also comes down with a monthly subscription over an upfront cost being charged in Australia today.
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
No thanks. Don’t want Tech Bro’s murdering Australians with their half baked software.
But you’re perfectly fine with bad drivers murdering Aussies with their half baked driving skills?
The worst are the ones who THINK they are good drivers and thus drive even more recklessly.
Just saying…
Ok Boomer
Ok barista.
It’s a balance between bad drivers and bad (incomplete) software. We have both these already, particularly bad drivers! We also drive in cars which already have software running your antilock brakes and control modules for stability control. More capability will become available as time goes that’s a fact. At the moment it’s an option to buy if you want. Just wait until you have no choice, and you have to have it!
Yeah would much prefer sharing the road with drunk and drugged drivers *rolls eyes*. The tech is already 5x better than a human driver based upon kilometers per crash.
Why I sold my Tesla stock:
thanks for that link, it mirrors my own experience and thinking (I don’t get as good an experience with my fsd as Fred Lambert and have previously said I think useful FSD is a long time in the future)
I never understood why it took Fred so long to align with Seth.
It seems that flying to Mars will probably happen first
When Elon Muskās lips move or fingers type, he lies
Tesla is a subscription revenue company now.
Beats having to go to the office regularly.
The cars becoming classics seems plausible.
Cause we all believe what Elmo says
Haters will hate.
But this is real folks.
The FUD, and haters prevail, no doubt.
One may be excited about it, -or read the endless negative rants.
Like the guy or not, the world is changing fast.
Not fast enough, but watch this space.
Everyone said the Cybertruck was vaporware…
It’s a recurring cycle. FUD/hate all the way to release – then sudden silence.
/shrug
TSLA needs the money asap for quarterly report propping up purposes.
It’s now becoming a subscription company for theoretical delivery.
Holmes and Bankman-Fried were cult heroes also.
FSD will be a good thing once the system matures. I have a 2024 Model Y, and some specific Aussie, maybe even Qld, things defeat the current software.One wonders how the AI training will handle the vast amount of left-hand driving data versus a much lower volume of right-hand driving data and other region-specific differences.The most annoying thing is the speed sign reading errors. The illuminated variable speed signs are frequently misread, possibly due to brightness or colour reversal, red on black versus the painted versions red on white. There also appear to be some motorway exit speed signs that are misread. The result is inaccurate automatic speed adjustments.2025 sounds ambitious to me.
Regarding LHD/RHD, think about how easy it is to adapt when overseas. Some people can’t get their head around it I suppose, but I at least found it super easy. That’s especially true when there’s traffic around to “remind” you what’s going on. The hardest part of it was remembering to get in the correct side of the car.
I would like to think that the software was programmed with adaptability of this kind in mind – so I feel like the vast majority of the training will be able to cope with this change. Different signage is going to be a bigger blocker than staying on the correct side of the road.
So it’s more important that the passenger feels comfortable than that the car ‘knows’ what side of the road to drive on?
Making the roads safer.
If only OEMs tried as hard over the last 100 years they were in business.
Got to protect their profits. Need to roll back EV plans because their business model needs high maintenance products.
“24 Oct 2016 ā Tesla has begun including Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta information in some of its newer owner’s manuals across Europe, China and Australia, further…”
Oh look what popped up in my feed today;
https://www.understandingai.org/p/human-drivers-are-to-blame-for-most
Super keen to purchase fsd once it’s released here. What’s coming out of the States with fsd12 on hw4 and 3 is pretty phenomenal stuff. Although I predict NZ will get it before us, knowing the legislation approval process and ADR approvals, will definitely slow its release here.
Do everyone a favour and redress the migration pattern by moving there.
I don’t want to be on the same road as someone too lazy to drive.
I’ll take my chances with the drunk, drugged, tired and incompetent every day thanks.
The over reliance on technology will not end well.
“In the US, the FSD capability can also be accessed via a subscription of $US199 per month.”
That’s incorrect, the price for the FSD subscription is $99 USD per month in the US, and it’s $8,000 USD to purchase.