Tesla is starting to release a new Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software update that includes many high-level changes that should positively impact performance.
FSD Beta enables Tesla vehicles to drive autonomously to a destination entered in the car’s navigation system, but the driver needs to remain vigilant and ready to take control at all times.
Since the responsibility lies with the driver and not Tesla’s system, it is still considered a level two driver-assist system despite its name. It has been sort of a “two steps forward, one step back” type of program, as some updates have seen regressions in terms of driving capabilities.
The company now has over 100,000 people in the FSD Beta program and plans to expand it to everyone who buys access in North America by the end of the year through a few more software updates to refine the system.
Considering we are already in November and it generally takes at least a month for Tesla to deliver a new FSD Beta update, we expect Tesla is one or two updates away from the promised wider release.
Today, the automaker has started pushing a new FSD Beta update (v10.69.3) to employees for internal testing, which generally means that it will expand to beta testers in the customer fleet soon.
According to the release notes below, the update doesn’t include any new features, but it includes a lot of high-level updates to Tesla’s neural nets to improve the overall performance of the system.
Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta Release Notes v10.69.3 Release Notes via Not a Tesla App:
– Upgraded the Object Detection network to photon count video streams and retrained all parameters with the latest autolabeled datasets (with a special emphasis on low visibility scenarios).
– Improved the architecture for better accuracy and latency, higher recall of far away vehicles, lower velocity error of crossing vehicles by 20%, and improved VRU precision by 20%.
– Converted the VRU Velocity network to a two-stage network, which reduced latency and improved crossing pedestrian velocity error by 6%.
– Converted the non-VRU Attributes network to a two-stage network, which reduced latency, reduced incorrect lane assignment of crossing vehicles by 45%, and reduced incorrect parked predictions by 15%.
– Reformulated the autoregressive Vector Lanes grammar to improve the precision of lanes by 9.2%, recall of lanes by 18.7%, and recall of forks by 51.1%. Includes a full network update where all components were retrained with 3.8x the amount of data.
– Added a new “road markings” module to the Vector Lanes neural network which improves lane topology error at intersections by 38.9%.
– Upgraded the Occupancy Network to align with road surface instead of ego for improved detection stability and improved recall at hill crest.
– Reduced runtime of candidate trajectory generation by approximately 80% and improved smoothness by distilling an expensive trajectory optimization procedure into a lightweight planner neural network.
– Improved decision-making for short-deadline lane changes around gores by richer modeling of the trade-off between going off-route versus trajectory required to drive through the gore region.
– Reduced false slowdowns for pedestrians near crosswalks by using a better model for the kinematics of the pedestrian.
– Added control for more precise object geometry as detected by the general occupancy network.
– Improved control for vehicles cutting out of our desired path by better modeling of their turning/lateral maneuvers thus avoiding unnatural slowdowns.
– Improved longitudinal control while offsetting around static obstacles by searching over feasible vehicle motion profiles.
– Improved longitudinal control smoothness for in-lane vehicles during high relative velocity scenarios by also considering relative acceleration in the trajectory optimization.
– Reduced best-case object photon-to-control system latency by 26% through adaptive planner scheduling, restructuring of trajectory selection, and parallelizing perception compute. This allows us to make quicker decisions and improves reaction time.
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Climate XChange’s Annual EV Raffle is back for the 10th year running – and for the first time ever, Climate XChange has two raffle options on the table! The nonprofit has helped lucky winners custom-order their ideal EVs for the past decade. Now you have the chance to kick off your holiday season with a brand new EV for as little as $100.
About half of the raffle tickets have been sold so far for each of the raffles – you can see the live ticket count on Climate XChange’s homepage – so your odds of winning are better than ever.
But don’t wait – raffle ticket sales end on December 8!
Climate XChange is working hard to help states transition to a zero-emissions economy. Every ticket you buy supports this mission while giving you a chance to drive home your dream EV.
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Here’s how Climate XChange’s 10th Annual Raffle works:
Image: Climate XChange
The Luxury Raffle
Grand Prize: The winner can choose any EV on the market, fully customized up to $120,000. This year, you can split the prize between two EVs if the total is $120,000 or less.
Taxes covered: This raffle comes with no strings – Climate XChange also pays all of the taxes.
Runner-up prizes: Even if you don’t win the Grand Prize, you still have a chance at the 2nd prize of $12,500 and the 3rd prize of $7,500.
Ticket price: $250.
Grand Prize Drawing: December 12, 2025.
Only 5,000 tickets will be sold for the Luxury Raffle.
The Mini Raffle (New for 2025)
Grand Prize: Choose any EV on the market, fully customized, up to $45,000. This is the perfect raffle if you’re ready to make the switch to an EV but aren’t in the market for a luxury model.
Taxes covered: Climate XChange pays all the taxes on the Mini Raffle, too.
Ticket price: $100.
Only 3,500 tickets will be sold for the Mini Raffle.
Why it’s worth entering
For a decade, Climate XChange has run a raffle that’s fair, transparent, and exciting. Every ticket stub is printed, and the entire drawing is live-streamed, including the loading of the raffle drum. Independent auditors also oversee the process.
Plus, your odds on the Luxury and Mini Raffles are far better than most car raffles, and they’re even better if you enter both.
Remember that only 5,000 tickets will be sold for the Luxury Raffle and only 3,500 for the Mini Raffle, and around half of the available tickets have been sold so far, so don’t miss your shot at your dream EV!
Climate XChange personally works with the winners to help them build and order their dream EVs. The winner of the Ninth Annual EV Raffle built a gorgeous storm blue Rivian R1T.
How to enter
Go to CarbonRaffle.org/Electrekbefore December 8 to buy your ticket. Start dreaming up your perfect EV – and know that no matter what, you’re helping accelerate the shift to clean energy.
Who is Climate XChange?
Climate XChange (CXC) is a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states pass effective, equitable climate policies because they’re critical in accelerating the transition to a zero-emissions economy. CXC advances state climate policy through its State Climate Policy Network (SCPN) – a community of more than 15,000 advocates and policymakers – and its State Climate Policy Dashboard, a leading data platform for tracking climate action across the US.
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The CSC Monterey – one of the most charming little electric scooters on the US market – has dropped to a shockingly low $1,699, down from its original $2,899 MSRP. That’s nearly half off for a full-size, street-legal electric scooter that channels major Honda Super Cub energy, but without the gas, noise, or maintenance of the original.
CSC Motorcycles, based in Azusa, California, has a long history of importing and supporting small-format electric and gas bikes, but the Monterey has always stood out as the brand’s “fun vibes first” model. With its step-through frame, big retro headlight, slim bodywork, and upright seating position, it looks like something from a 1960s postcard – just brought into the modern era with lithium batteries and a brushless hub motor.
I had my first experience on one of these scooters back in 2021, when I reviewed the then-new model here on Electrek. I instantly fell in love with it and even got one for my dad. It now lives at his place and I think he gets just as much joy from looking at it in his garage as riding it.
You can see my review video below.
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The performance is solidly moped-class, which is exactly what it’s designed for. A 2,400W rear hub motor pushes the Monterey up to a claimed 30 mph or 48 km/h (I found it really topped out at closer to 32 mph or 51 km/h), making it perfect for city streets, beach towns, and lower-speed suburban routes.
A 60V, roughly 1.6 kWh removable battery offers around 30–40 miles (48-64 km) of real-world range, depending on how aggressively you twist the throttle. It’s commuter-ready, grocery-run-ready, and campus-ready right out of the crate.
It’s also remarkably approachable. At around 181 pounds (82 kg), the Monterey is light for a sit-down scooter, making it easy to maneuver and park. There’s a small storage cubby, LED lighting, and the usual simple twist-and-go operation. And it comes with full support from CSC, a company that keeps a massive warehouse stocked with components and spare parts.
My sister has a CSC SG250 (I’m still trying to convert her to electric) and has gotten great support from them in the past, including from their mechanics walking her through carburetor questions over the phone. So I know from personal experience that CSC is a great company that stands behind its bikes.
But the real story here is the price. Scooters in this class typically hover between $2,500 and $4,500, and electric retro-style models often jump well above that.
At $1,699, the Monterey is one of the least expensive street-legal electric scooters available from a reputable US distributor, especially one that actually stocks parts and provides phone support.
If you’ve been curious about swapping a few car errands for something electric – or you just want a fun, vintage-styled runabout for getting around town – this is one of the best deals of the year.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss a big Tesla Robotaxi setback, the new Mercedes-Benz CLA EV, Bollinger is over, and more.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Climate XChange, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to help states pass effective, equitable climate policies. Sales end on Dec. 8th for its 10th annual EV raffle, where participants have multiple opportunities to win their dream model. Visit CarbonRaffle.org/Electrek to learn more.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
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After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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