David Havasi

Ummm… we need to talk about Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving software version 12.3.3. Last night FSD v12.3.3 was downloaded to my Tesla Model 3 via an over-the-air update while it sat parked in my garage. This morning my car drove me from my house, to lunch, then to the gym, then back to my house. MY CAR DROVE ME. The only time I had to disengage FSD was when pulling into my neighborhood, my car smoothly came to a stop to let a woman cross the street who was walking her dogs but she stopped too and waived me through so I disengage FSD and made the turn myself so she could carry on with her walk. THEN this afternoon my Tesla drove me, door-to door, over 230 miles across the state of Florida to Miami. I repeat: MY. CAR. DROVE. ME. TO. MIAMI. The only time I disengaged FSD was when going through a toll section on I-75 because I wasn’t quite sure what it would do so I just took over. Beside that IT DROVE ME, even through downtown Miami during rush-hour. It was smooth, confident, and drama free. To be honest, FSD (beta) software v11, and previous versions, were quite rough/glitchy in my experience; but since Tesla has switched to end-to-end neural network training with FSD v12… IT IS NEXT LEVEL. It’s a quantum leap. I can’t believe what I am experiencing. I want to shout it from the roof tops. The drives today were not only stress-free, they were incredibly relaxing. I actually felt safer with FSD on than with me driving on my own, which is the first time I have ever felt that way using FSD. v12 has changed evening. My mind is blown. This technology is going to change/save lives! I am thrilled that we have gotten this far. The over-the-air updates are coming more and more frequently, so it’s going to continue to get even better from here; eventually getting to a level that is many times smoother and safer than a human driver could ever possibly be. What is really astonishing is that this is not some crazy closed off technology on some rare experimental prototype vehicle. Anyone can experience what I experienced. EVERY NEW TESLA IS CAPABLE OF THIS*. A car that YOU can get TODAY can do this. That’s amazing! After experiencing what I’ve experienced today there is no question in my mind that open-world fully-autonomous vehicles are possible; and it is coming much sooner (in a Tesla near you) than most people realize. Bravo @Tesla @teslasi @elonmusk Viva rEVolution! (*Coming soon to the Cybertruck via OTA software update)

Wow. The velocity of the Trump loyalty exodus is head spinning.

This guy just passed 35,000 consecutive miles with his Tesla’s Full Self-Driving engaged. That means this guy hasn’t touched the steering wheel or pedals in this car while it was moving for the past 35,000+ miles. Highways, side streets, city streets, suburban streets, alleyways, country roads, mountain roads, dirt roads, parking lots, parking garages, construction zones, day, night, rain, snow, etc, etc. The car did it all 100% on its own. That’s astonishing. And this is not just going up and down the same routes. He has taken this car (with FSD engaged the entire time) throughout the United States and Canada from the West Coast to the East Coast, and many places in between. This is generalized autonomy at scale, and in a consumer vehicle. It technically has to be “supervised” for now, which means glancing out the front window every few seconds. Pending regulatory approval, “unsupervised” FSD should be just around the corner, enabled by an over-the-air software update. No other car manufacturer (at least outside of China) is even remotely close to doing what Tesla is doing here. This is a really really big deal that practically no one knows about. The convenience, the productivity gains, the stress relief, the safety, the lives being saved, and the lives that will be saved- It blows my mind that this is not front page news. Well, you heard it hear. Check it out. Try it for yourself. It is truly revolutionary and will significantly change your life for the better. I guarantee it. I know this sounds hyperbolic, but it’s not. It’s just that amazing.

From the elephant’s mouth:

I learned an important lesson during my time at Tesla (particularly in the early days) when practically every “industry expert” said that Tesla would fail and that success was impossible. The lesson was this: When most people say something is impossible, what they really mean is that they can’t image doing the things that are necessary to make it possible. The only thing that truly determines if something is impossible is first principles physics. Can it be done within the laws of physics? If it can, then the limiting factors are how much you want it, how hard are you willing to work to get it, and applying efficient feedback loop iteration. That realization changes everything. Thanks to Jaime Marco for sharing the @confidentwomenclub Instagram post that inspired this meditation.

I LOVE my Tesla Model 3 Performance. It’s like having superpowers. It’s like the Iron Man (Mark III) suite in car form. The performance for the money is unmatched. I take it to track events about every other month and it hangs with cars costing several times more. Its UI, software, and self-driving is unmatched by any car at any price. I can afford pretty much any car, including exotic/hyper cars, and I still chose this car. It’s just SO good at so many things. I can do a cross-country road trip with my family in two days, then drop them off at home and head straight to the track for the weekend and get in all my run groups (which I’ve actually done). It’s the Swiss Army knife of cars. Full Self-Driving is revolutionary. FSD handles all of the boring, monotonous driving (heavy traffic, straight roads) and I drive only when it’s fun (green light launches, curvy roads, and on the track). Did I mention I love it? So yah, it’s awesome.

But was Ricky Lake at the opening night?