Tesla explains what’s happening to Autopilot with FSD Beta v11, adds voice feedback
In the release notes of the latest Tesla FSD Beta v11, Tesla explains what is happening to Autopilot with the new update, and it adds the capacity to send voice feedback.
Tesla FSD Beta v11 is both an exciting and scary step as it is supposed to merge Tesla’s FSD and Autopilot highway stacks.
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 rests 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.
Tesla has frequently been releasing new software updates to the FSD Beta program and adding more owners to it.
Since the wider release of the beta last year, there are currently over 400,000 Tesla owners in the program in North America – virtually every Tesla owner who bought the FSD package on their vehicles.
However, the bulk of these owners have yet to receive significant FSD beta updates as Tesla was supposed to release v11 to the fleet in November 2022, but the update has been stuck in testing within Tesla’s closed fleet since then.
The update is an important step because it includes many new neural networks, as Elon Musk stated, but from a consumer perspective, it’s also important because it is expected to merge Tesla’s FSD Beta software stack primarily used on roads and city streets with Tesla’s Autopilot software stack, which is used as a level 2 driver assist system on highways.
It has been delayed several times, but recently, Musk confirmed that a new version (v11.3) is going to a closed beta fleet this week – indicating that it might finally be about to be more widely released.
Now NotaTeslaapp, which tracks Tesla software updates, has obtained the FSD Beta v11.3 release notes, and they contain some interesting information.
Tesla starts out by explaining in more detail what it going to happen to Autopilot with this update:
Enabled FSD Beta on highway. This unifies the vision and planning stack on and off-highway and replaces the legacy highway stack, which is over four years old. The legacy highway stack still relies on several single-camera and single-frame networks, and was setup to handle simple lane-specific maneuvers. FSD Beta’s multi-camera video networks and next-gen planner, that allows for more complex agent interactions with less reliance on lanes, make way for adding more intelligent behaviors, smoother control and better decision making.
As expected this leaves the door open for some regression at first, but Tesla makes it clear that it believes this is the way to go long-term.
Another interesting new feature revealed by the release notes is the capacity to send Tesla voice memos about your FSD Beta experience. That’s something that Beta testers have been asking for a while as they can use it to give Tesla more details about a specific situation that they experience with the system.
A big part of the rest of the notes appears to focus on curbing some potentially dangerous driving behavior that FSD Beta has been known to do and has recently been described by NHTSA in its FSD Beta recall notice.
As we noted in our reporting of the recall, the notice made it sound like Tesla’s “fix” for the “recall” was simply its usual next software update, but now it looks like they did try to address some of these things more specifically as described in the release notes.
Here are the full Tesla FSD Beta v11.3 release notes:
- Enabled FSD Beta on highway. This unifies the vision and planning stack on and off-highway and replaces the legacy highway stack, which is over four years old. The legacy highway stack still relies on several single-camera and single-frame networks, and was set up to handle simple lane-specific maneuvers. FSD Beta’s multi-camera video networks and next-gen planner, that allows for more complex agent interactions with less reliance on lanes, make way for adding more intelligent behaviors, smoother control and better decision-making.
- Added voice drive-notes. After an intervention, you can now send Tesla an anonymous voice message describing your experience to help improve Autopilot.
- Expanded Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) to handle vehicles that cross ego’s path. This includes cases where other vehicles run their red light or turn across ego’s path, stealing the right-of-way. Replay of previous collisions of this type suggests that 49% of the events would be mitigated by the new behavior. This improvement is now active in both manual driving and autopilot operation.
- Improved autopilot reaction time to red light runners and stop sign runners by 500ms, by increased reliance on object’s instantaneous kinematics along with trajectory estimates.
- Added a long-range highway lanes network to enable earlier response to blocked lanes and high curvature.Reduced goal pose prediction error for candidate trajectory neural network by 40% and reduced runtime by 3X. This was achieved by improving the dataset using heavier and more robust offline optimization, increasing the size of this improved dataset by 4X, and implementing a better architecture and feature space.
- Improved occupancy network detections by oversampling on 180K challenging videos including rain reflections, road debris, and high curvature.
- Improved recall for close-by cut-in cases by 20% by adding 40k autolabeled fleet clips of this scenario to the dataset. Also improved handling of cut-in cases by improved modeling of their motion into ego’s lane, leveraging the same for smoother lateral and longitudinal control for cut-in objects.
- Added “lane guidance module and perceptual loss to the Road Edges and Lines network, improving the absolute recall of lines by 6% and the absolute recall of road edges by 7%.
- Improved overall geometry and stability of lane predictions by updating the “lane guidance” module representation with information relevant to predicting crossing and oncoming lanes.
- Improved handling through high speed and high curvature scenarios by offsetting towards inner lane lines.
- Improved lane changes, including: earlier detection and handling for simultaneous lane changes, better gap selection when approaching deadlines, better integration between speed-based and nav-based lane change decisions and more differentiation between the FSD driving profiles with respect to speed lane changes.
- Improved longitudinal control response smoothness when following lead vehicles by better modeling the possible effect of lead vehicles’ brake lights on their future speed profiles.
- Improved detection of rare objects by 18% and reduced the depth error to large trucks by 9%, primarily from migrating to more densely supervised autolabeled datasets.
- Improved semantic detections for school busses by 12% and vehicles transitioning from stationary-to-driving by 15%. This was achieved by improving dataset label accuracy and increasing dataset size by 5%.
- Improved decision-making at crosswalks by leveraging neural network-based ego trajectory estimation in place of approximated kinematic models.
- Improved reliability and smoothness of merge control, by deprecating legacy merge region tasks in favor of merge topologies derived from vector lanes.
- Unlocked longer fleet telemetry clips (by up to 26%) by balancing compressed IPC buffers and optimized write scheduling across twin SOCs.
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Mack Trucks and Terex Utilities have announced plans to reveal the next generation of their zero-emissions utility bucket trucks at Work Truck Week in Indiana later this month – and it looks fantastic!
Co-developed by Terex Utilities and Mack Trucks on a Mack MD7 Electric Class 7 chassis, the new Terex bucket truck is a zero-emission utility capable of traveling longer distances and hauling more cargo wherever it’s needed to upgrade, or even restore power where it’s needed.
To make it work, Terex installed an Optima HR55 aerial device that draws power from a HyPower SmartPTO (Power Take Off) from Viatec. The SmartPTO replaces a conventional, mechanical PTO that’s powered by an internal combustion generator. In so doing, it avoids a loud idling engine while reducing utility workers’ exposure to toxic exhaust fumes and the heavy particulate emissions matter with idling diesels (even with Tier V standards).
“Our collaboration with Mack Trucks represents continued progress in zero-emissions utility vehicles,” explains Tyler Schwingler, Terex Utilities product marketing manager. “By combining our industry-leading Optima HR55 aerial device with Mack’s innovative MD7 Electric chassis, we’re providing utility companies with a solution that doesn’t compromise on performance or capability while supporting their sustainability goals.”
In addition helping meet the company’s ESG goals, the Mack MD Electric is also equipped with the advanced 3rd Eye digital platform, which integrates AI-driven camera systems to enhance safety and productivity. With up to six HD cameras that display a real-time, 460-degree view on a 7-inch in-cab monitor. The bird’s-eye view all but eliminates blind spots when reversing and moving through high-traffic job sites.
“This electric bucket truck represents the next natural step in our commitment to sustainable transportation solutions,” says George Fotopoulos, vice president of E-mobility at Mack Trucks. “Our lightweight electric chassis provides the capability to handle more demanding applications, and when combined with Terex’ expertise in utility equipment, we’re delivering a solution that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in zero tailpipe emissions utility vehicles.”
Terex will be bringing its new Mack MD Electric-based utility bucket truck to this year’s Work Truck Week at the Indianapolis Convention Center March 8-11.
Electrek’s Take
If all this news sounds familiar, that just means you’ve been paying attention. We covered the HyPower SmartPTO a few months ago in a story about Enwin Utilities. Those trucks were based on a Class 7 (33,000 lb. GVWR) International eMV Series BEV.
The International is a fine truck, of course – but the Mack MD Electric raises the bar a bit with more range than the eMV and more rear axle capacity than anything else in its class. The MD also has enough commonality with its HD cabs and chassis that parts availability seems to be top of the class. Pair that with parent company Volvo’s global reputation for quality and progressive ideologies and, well … let’s just say we all have our favorites.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: Mack Trucks, via TruckNews, Work Truck Online.
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Tadano first showed its massive, 100-ton electric rough-terrain crane at last year’s ConExpo, promising the same lifting capacity as its 100-ton diesel counterpart. Now, we know a little more about this big lifter.
Officially dubbed the Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, the big mobile crane ships with six lithium ion battery packs offering up to 226 kWh of power. Tadano says that’s good enough for up to seven hours of continuous operation in a single spot, or or up five hours of continuous operation and five-and-a-half miles of driving before it runs out of juice.
Re-juicing (?) the big crane is achieved with a standard CCS/J1772 DC fast charger with speeds up to 150 kW. That’s enough, Tadano says, to fully charge the eGR-1000XLL-1’s batteries in under two hours, or overnight on an 80A 220/240V AC charger … but all that is besides the point.
Grid-connected power for 24/7 use
The EVOLT’s real superpower isn’t its big battery or 100-ton lifting capacity. Instead, it’s the crane’s ability to operate 24/7 when it’s on grid power. If the job site loses power or power has to be shut down as part of regular operations, the crane can keep things moving under battery power for up to seven hours. It can even be connected to mobile charging stations if seven hours isn’t enough, or driven a few miles back to grid power to be charged up.
And, with 4x4x4 drive, those few miles don’t have to be paved … or even cleared, probably, making the big Tadano perfect for disaster recovery efforts.
“We are very confident in the investment we’ve made in this crane,” said Dean Barley, president and CEO at Tadano America of the 100-ton-capacity machine. “This crane has been tested and retested. We wanted to make sure that the first fully electric rough terrain (RT) crane in North America meets all the requirements of the market.”
Being fully electric, the EVOLT is quiet enough to work at night in urban and sensitive environments – and, because it produces no exhaust emissions, can also be tasked with indoor work in hangars and stadiums where diesel emissions would quickly pose a substantial health risk.
Speaking of health risks, swinging up to 100 tons of material around can be dangerous work. That’s where Tadano’s Lift Visualizer and AML Crane Control safety systems come into play:
LIFT VISUALIZER
The eGR-1000XLL-1 also offers Lift Visualizer to enhance safety and efficiency. This feature utilizes a suspended load monitoring camera, allowing operators to monitor suspended loads directly from above. Particularly useful in blind spots such as rooftop work, the Lift Visualizer pulls critical lift information from the AML control system and displays it on the video screen, including radius, capacities and load, among others, to improve efficiency and safety for the operator.AML CRANE CONTROL
The AML Control System delivers dependable crane control and monitoring solutions, ensuring safe and efficient performance during crane operations. This system incorporates the latest advancements from Tadano rough terrain cranes, featuring an enhanced operator interface, a broad range of functionalities and the renowned reliability and ease of use characteristic of Tadano products. The system facilitates time and cost savings through straightforward on-board diagnostics, improved settings and easily adjustable lifting limits.
In addition to offering the ability for construction crews to bid on work they simply couldn’t get without an electric option, the company says its new EVOLT models will reduce operating costs on an annual basis by about 35% compared to the diesel-powered version of the same crane. That estimate includes costs of fuel and electricity, as well as maintenance and downtime costs at an estimated 1,200 engine hours per year.
You can check out the full specs on the eGR-1000XLL-1 EVOLT, below, then let us know what you think of Tadano’s latest HDEV in the comments.
Tadano eGR-1000XLL-1 full specs
| Capacity Class | 90.7 tonnes | 100 tons |
| Main Boom Length | max 51 meters | 167 ft. |
| Boom Extension | max 17.7 meters | 58 ft. |
| Max. Tip Height | 68.3 meters | 224 ft. |
| Outrigger Bases | 7.33 x 7.33 meters | 24 x24 ft. |
| Hoist Line Pull | 9,090 kg | 20,040 lbs. |
| Max. Radius | 57.91 meters | 190 ft. |
| Dimensions | 15.18 m L | 50 ft. |
| 3.31 m W | 10′ 10″ | |
| 3.74 m H | 12′ 4″ | |
| Axles2 | 2 | |
| Drive | 4x4x4 | |
SOURCE | IMAGES: Tadano.
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Massachusetts is launching a first-of-its-kind statewide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot program. This two-year initiative, backed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), aims to deploy 100 bidirectional chargers to homes, school buses, municipal, and commercial fleet participants across the state.
These bidirectional chargers will enable EVs to serve as mobile energy storage units, collectively providing an estimated 1.5 MW of new storage capacity. That means EVs won’t just be getting power – they’ll be giving it back to the grid, helping to balance demand and support renewable energy use. The program is also focused on ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to this cutting-edge tech.
The Massachusetts pilot is one of the largest state-led V2X initiatives in the US and is designed to tackle key challenges in deploying bidirectional charging technology. By strategically placing these chargers in a variety of settings, the program aims to identify and resolve barriers to wider adoption of V2X technology.
Massachusetts EV owners and fleet operators enrolled in the program will get bidirectional chargers capable of both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and backup power operations at no cost. Here’s what they stand to gain:
- No-cost charging infrastructure: Bidirectional charging stations and installation are fully covered for participants.
- Grid resilience: With an estimated 1.5 MW of new flexible and distributed storage assets, the program strengthens Massachusetts’ energy infrastructure.
- Clean energy integration: V2G technology allows EVs to charge when renewable energy is available and discharge stored energy when it’s not, supporting the state’s clean energy goals.
- Backup power: EV batteries can be used as backup power sources during outages.
- Revenue opportunities: Some participants can earn money by sending stored energy back to the grid.
Clean energy solutions firm Resource Innovations and vehicle-grid integration tech company The Mobility House are leading the program’s implementation. “With the charging infrastructure provided through this program, we’re eliminating financial barriers and enabling school districts, homeowners, and fleets to access reliable backup power,” said Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations. “We aim to create a scalable blueprint for V2X programs nationwide.”
“Bidirectional charging benefits vehicle owners by providing backup power and revenue opportunities while strengthening the grid for the entire community,” added Russell Vare of The Mobility House North America.
The program is open for enrollment now through June 2025. For more details, visit the MassCEC V2X Program webpage. A list of eligible bidirectional vehicles can be found on that page.
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