Future Timeline

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/04/e ... lease.html
Elon Musk reasserts that Tesla FSD 12.4 will be another big improvement and will be released soon.

Tesla FSD 12.4 will have the driving data learned from another billion miles of driving from the one month free trial for 2 million users.

The new driving data will be from many new drivers who were inexperienced using FSD 12.3.X. The new drivers had more disengagements.

Tesla FSD 12.4 should also have major features that should complete the major gaps in FSD capability. Those major features should be around driving in reverse, handling flashing red lights providing a more comfortable ride that is safer but also feels safer to passengers.

Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous driving—what most of us imagine when we think of "self-driving"—has historically been reserved for "robo-taxis" like Waymo. But after becoming the first automaker in the United States to secure Level 3 autonomous driving permits last year, Mercedes-Benz is selling the technology directly to American consumers. EQS and S-Class sedan drivers can enable "Drive Pilot" through an annual subscription that allows them to divert their attention from the road.

Mercedes began obtaining government approval for Drive Pilot last year. Because Nevada law allows all levels of autonomous driving on public streets, Mercedes simply "self-approved" its software in January 2023, then submitted documentation for California approval a few months later. In June, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued Mercedes a Level 3 self-driving permit that allowed the German automaker to begin selling Drive Pilot in the state.

Unlike Level 2 autonomous driving software, such as Tesla's poorly-named and incredibly pricey "Full Self-Driving" beta, Level 3 doesn't require that drivers keep their eyes on the road. Instead, it uses a complex web of sensors, processors, and algorithms to make its own driving "decisions," allowing drivers to scroll their phones or dig into their drive-thru meals without keeping one greasy hand on the wheel. Naps aren't encouraged, as drivers must be prepared to intervene in tricky scenarios, but otherwise, Level 3 autonomous driving is fairly hands-off.

https://newatlas.com/automotive/autonom ... live-free/
The first autonomous car race (27 April 2024) is a really important historic event that appears to have been missed by the main media. We expect the race will birth a fascinating new "television sport" with a fan-base of highly-educated technophiles drawn by the technological progress towards human capability in full view.

Eight teams will use identical Dallara Super Formula SF23 cars with the same autonomous technology stack, so like with any single marque race series, it's entirely down to the driver. This is a Grand Prix for software engineers. Each team can only utilize its coding skills, AI algorithms, and machine learning software expertise to teach the cars how to drive ... fast. The event will also see former Red Bull F1 driver Daniil Kvyat run against one of the autonomous cars in a non-autonomous Dallara SF23, and during testing Kvyat was much faster, but the gap was closing.

Elon Musk has posted that Tesla FSD 12.4 will start its rollout next week. Tesla FSD 12.4 has been almost completely retrained. The final touches are for comfort, as it sometimes accelerates or brakes too fast for most people’s taste.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/05/c ... tests.html
Chinese officials told Musk that China welcomes Tesla to do some robotaxi tests in the country and hopes it to set a good example, the sources said, but authorities did not immediately approve its widespread use of FSD functions.