Our Detroit Tesla friend Toni Ezero has been on a roll testing Tesla's recent updates of its Full Self-Driving beta technology. He's been filming drives for some time now, covering each big update, and also publishing a few interesting videos in between, including one where the technology ran a stop sign and got him a ticket.
At any rate, even though Detroit Tesla just published his usual, lengthy Detroit driving video on Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software update 10.69.2, he decided to put together another, shorter video after the subsequent update. There's been a whole lot of FSD chatter on Tesla forums and social media as the company has put out a few updates rather quickly, and it's significantly expanding the number of Tesla owners who get to be beta testers.
Toni hit the roads in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He makes it clear that he's not driving the usual route in downtown Detroit, but rather, he's in the suburbs, about an hour north. He also notes that he usually does his filmed tests during the day, but this drive was in the evening. While the lack of daylight, the different area, types of roads and traffic may have some impact, Toni points to the recent 10.69.2.2 update as the reason the car is behaving differently.
The FSD beta tester shares that even though Tesla just updated the technology via an over-the-air software update, and it should be improving, it seems to have taken a step back. This isn't uncommon, and it has been pointed out by multiple beta testers in the past. While it could just be related to Toni's specific experience, it could be notable changes Tesla made that will soon be reported by other testers. This is why we watch many videos and read a variety of positive and negative reports from Tesla owners.
Detroit Tesla's biggest concern appears to be the lack of "smoothness." As you can see, the car appears to do a pretty solid job in many cases, but the acceleration and stopping are often abrupt, and enough so that Toni mentions it multiple times as the technology is piloting the car. He says it's just not the way it was before the most recent update.
It seems one of the difficulties with such technology is trying to properly balance smoothness with the need for the car to be aggressive at times. A human driver can make this switch based on the situation, but it appears it's something that's exceedingly difficult for a machine.
As Tesla continues to make updates to its FSD beta, this will likely continue to happen. We've reported on a similar situation with the brand's vehicle settings, touch screen updates, and even the updates to the smartphone app. When you finally get comfortable with something, Tesla may send out an update and change it. Fortunately, it seems the company, and especially CEO Elon Musk, is paying close attention to its owners and their observations and requests.
