Elon Musk's Internal Memo Emphasizes FSD Demonstrations
On July 31, Tesla enthusiast Omar shared a now-deleted post, revealing an internal email from Elon Musk to all Tesla employees. The memo, titled "FSD 12.5.1," highlighted the importance of showcasing the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature:
"In North America, please make sure that all test drive vehicles are upgraded to FSD 12.5.1 and that all test drives, as well as new vehicle and service deliveries include a 5 to 10 min demonstration of FSD.
This is extremely important, as most Tesla owners or prospective owners have no idea how good FSD has become or how to use it.
We are working with regulatory authorities in other countries to roll out supervised FSD worldwide.
Thanks,
Elon"
FSD 12.5.1's Broad Release and Improved Performance
On July 29, Elon Musk announced the broad release of FSD 12.5.1, which has received widespread acclaim since the 12.5 update. According to teslafsdtracker.com, which tracks FSD performance, the latest version shows significant improvements. The "critical disengagement" interval—instances where drivers must intervene due to serious safety issues like running a red light or an imminent collision—has increased to 320 miles overall and 225 miles in urban areas for the 12.5.x versions. This is a marked improvement from the 191 and 126 miles, respectively, for the 12.3.x versions.
For context, the average American driver travels about 40 miles per day. The 12.5.x version's disengagement interval suggests an average driver might experience a critical disengagement roughly every eight days, combining both highway and urban driving. Elon Musk responded to these statistics, stating:
"We have a clear path to doubling the average intervention interval in August."
Real-World Testing by Tesla Enthusiast
On August 1, FSD enthusiast Darryn Appleton shared his test results on social media, detailing his experience using a Model 3 with FSD 12.5.1 for Uber rides:
"Tonight, we ran four Uber rides with our Model 3 on version 12.5.1, just to test FSD and make some extra cash.
We drove over 70 miles with zero interventions and zero disengagements, only manually driving for short distances at pickup/drop-off points.
Passengers were amazed! No one knew FSD could perform this well. I was blown away!
Two minor issues:
- My first passenger was someone I knew... a funny coincidence!
- One passenger was an amputee in a wheelchair. This wasn't a problem for me—I happily helped load his wheelchair and some luggage into the Model 3's trunk. This raises a question about how to accommodate disabled passengers in robotaxis. We might need a fleet equipped with trained Optimus robots to assist passengers needing physical help."
Regulatory Challenges and Future Prospects
During Tesla's Q2 earnings call on July 26, Elon Musk addressed analyst Dan Levy's question about regulatory hurdles for robotaxis:
"From our experience, once we demonstrate a technology is sufficiently safe, or significantly safer than humans, regulators tend to support its deployment.
With billions of miles of data proving unsupervised FSD is safer than human drivers, it becomes indisputable. What regulator would genuinely block such technology? They have a moral obligation to approve it.
I believe regulatory approval won't be a limiting factor.
I should also mention that autonomous capabilities outside North America lag significantly behind. With the release of version 12.5, or perhaps 12.6, we will soon seek regulatory approval for supervised FSD in Europe, China, and other countries.
I think it's possible we could receive approvals by year-end, which will undoubtedly drive demand in those regions."
