Gamingdeputy reported on May 20 that Tesla began to push its latest FSD v12.4 update. This update removed the controversial “holding the steering wheel reminder” and improved the camera-based driver monitoring system. Resolved a previous vulnerability that could be used to evade detection using sunglasses.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk likes to call upcoming FSD updates a “shocking” upgrade. However, this time in addition to exaggerated adjectives, Musk also revealed some verifiable details. Musk said the v12.4 update should improve “range between takeovers” by 5 to 10 times. Since Tesla has never released relevant data for past versions, this statement is difficult to verify.
One of the highlights of this update is the removal of the “steering wheel reminder”, a feature that many Tesla owners refer to as “nagging.” Since Tesla currently cannot directly detect whether the driver has their hands on the steering wheel,The vehicle “confirms” whether the driver is keeping his or her hand on the steering wheel by detecting changes in torque on the steering wheel.
Tesla is the first to push the v12.4 update to its internal fleet this weekend, now we can also learn more details about the driver monitoring system. Tesla wrote in the update release notes (via Not a Tesla App): “When FSD (Supervised) is enabled, the driver monitoring system will now rely primarily on the in-car camera to determine whether the driver is paying attention.This improvement applies to vehicles equipped with interior cameras and only works if the interior camera has a clear and continuous view of the driver's eyes(For example, the camera is not blocked, the interior of the vehicle is well lit, the driver is looking forward at the road ahead, and is not wearing sunglasses, low-brimmed hats, or other items that block the eyes). “
Tesla warned:In situations other than those mentioned above, there will still be a “steering wheel reminder”: “Except for the above situations, the driver monitoring system will continue to rely on a combination of torque (steering wheel) and visual recognition to detect driver attention.”
Tesla also explained how the camera-based driver monitoring system works: “If the camera detects driver distraction, a warning will appear. The driver can override the warning by immediately redirecting his attention back to the road ahead. Depending on the nature and frequency of the distraction detected, warnings may escalate and may ultimately result in the suspension of the Autopilot feature.”
Judging from the text description, the v12.4 update seems to have reduced the frequency of warnings for driver attention. As long as the driver pays attention in time, the penalty after the warning upgrade can be avoided.
Gamingdeputy noticed that Tesla also responded to some users’ concerns about the privacy of in-car cameras: “The images collected by the in-car cameras will not leave the vehicle itself, which means that they can only be shared if you enable data sharing. The system will save or transmit the information.”
Tesla is expected to push the v12.4 update to more vehicles this week.