Gary Zhou 
The release notes for Tesla FSD Beta v10.11 were recently shared online, and they highlighted a number of critical improvements coming to the advanced driver-assist system. Elon Musk noted that if v10.11 performs well, Tesla would consider lowering the program’s Safety Score requirement to 95, an exciting move for drivers who haven’t been able to qualify for the FSD Beta program so far.
“If this version performs well, we can probably lower min safety score to 95,” Musk noted.
Lowering the Safety Score to 95 will pave the way for more Tesla drivers to join the FSD Beta program. Numerous Tesla owners have expressed their intention to help test FSD Beta, but the Safety Score system implemented by the company has proven to be challenging. Even with Tesla opening FSD Beta access to drivers with a Safety Score in the 98-99 range, receiving such a rating is still quite a bit of work.
The latest version of FSD Beta is poised to introduce significant improvements, moving Tesla closer to full autonomy. For example, Musk pointed out that vector lanes in v10.11 is a significant architectural improvement to Tesla AI in a recent comment on a Teslarati article on Twitter. V10.11’s release notes mention a reduction in unnecessary slowdowns when turning or merging, as well as significant improvements in VRU detection.
Many prominent people criticized Tesla for opening the FSD Beta program to more drivers. However, Tesla’s timing may be just right. The landscape for fully autonomous vehicles and driving systems seems to be changing of late. Just last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) updated the vehicle safety standards for occupant protection to include autonomous vehicles that do not have traditional manual controls for human drivers.
The NHTSA’s latest move hints that the future of the auto industry is autonomous vehicles. “As the driver changes from a person to a machine in ADS-equipped vehicles, the need to keep the humans safe remains the same and must be integrated from the beginning,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator. “With this rule, we ensure that manufacturers put safety first.”
