Tesla has rolled out a key update for its Full Self-Driving Supervised technology, with version 14 (or v14.3.3) addressing the key flaws in the system's earlier iterations and creating a near-flawless self-driving experience.
Described by Elon Musk as "a banger", the new version began rolling out on eligible Tesla vehicles in Australia on June 19, and now CarsGuide has taken the wheel (or not taken the wheel) to test the upgraded tech on Australian roads.
But first, what's new? Truthfully, a lot of stuff that's difficult to understand. The neural vision encoder has been upgraded, for example, while the AI compiler has been rewritten with MLIR.
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But it's less what's been done, and more why it has been done, with Tesla's intention to make self-driving technology feel more natural, and more decisive, while adding new features.
Tesla says reaction time is now 20 per cent faster, and lane biasing and tailgating have been mitigated. There's also faster response times for emergency situations, like oncoming traffic, the sudden appearance of emergency vehicles and the unexpected arrival of what the brand describes as "small animals" in the Tesla's path.
The driver monitoring system has also been sharpened, making it less keen to chirp the driver for not paying attention, while the system has been trained to push through "temporary system degradations" without asking the driver to take over.
It's about reducing driver interventions, Tesla says, and to that end the brand has also included a kilometre counter that tracks how long self-driving was in use without the driver having to do anything.
The biggest (and most noticeable from the driver's seat) change is the way Tesla's FSDS now operates, with the 'driving' modes expanded to include Sloth, Chill, Standard and Hurry. While only Sloth (which "comes with lower speeds and more conservative lane selection") and Chill are new, all have been programmed to offer a more noticeable difference in driving behaviour. Hurry, for example, reacts like a harried human driver, overtaking slower-moving cars and darting into traffic gaps.
"Driver profile now has a stronger impact on behaviour," Tesla says. "The more assertive the profile, the higher the max speed."
Also new is the ability to choose how your trip will end, with your Tesla now able to pull into your driveway, or park at the front of your house. Alternatively, you can choose a carpark or indoor carpark.
If that's the on-paper changes, the real-world result is nothing short of staggering. One of my biggest complaints with self-driving technology is that it takes longer to get somewhere than if you drove yourself - especially in a busy city, where lane selection and gap seizing is absolutely crucial.
But Tesla FSDS V14 pretty comprehensively addresses those concerns. My first journey was a 33km trek from the edge of Sydney's Northern Beaches to the city's inner west, on a rain-soaked afternoon on the edge of School Zone chaos, and at no point was I forced to intervene.
Twice with an exit approaching in less than 800m, my Tesla Model 3 left its lane to overtake a vehicle travelling just under the speed limit ahead of me, cutting back into the correct lane in time to take the exit. In previous iterations, I've found the technology's patience is a lot more forgiving than my own, but that was not the case this time, with the Tesla also quick to change into a faster-moving lane when it spotted an opening, too.
When I arrived home, my Model 3 parked in a space out the front of my house, like it had been asked to.
The changes might not sound revolutionary, and the core technology isn't that different from when FSDS first launched in Australia, but the on-road feel is massively different, with the system now feeling far more natural and human-like in its reaction times and decision making.
Or to put it another way, I have now taken several trips in the Model 3, and the only time I have intervened is when I doubted the vehicle's ability to navigate a dangerous-feeling situation. That's not to say the system would have failed, just that I don't yet have the courage to launch it into a complicated and busy intersection on a dark and rain-soaked Sydney evening.
Downsides? You might have noticed I said "near-flawless", and that is because Tesla's FSDS still has an uncanny ability to pick out a pot hole, of which there are many on Australian roads. Even when cars ahead swerved around them, the Model 3 clanged through them. Another time it clipped the edge of what appeared to be a bit of bumper in its lane, while cars ahead and behind dodged it.
But even this is on the list for future updates, with Tesla promising to "add pothole avoidance" in its next update.