Tesla Launches FSD V13 But Vehicle Autonomy Is Still Further Away

EV giant Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has started rolling out version 13 of its full self-driving (FSD) driver assistance software to customers in North America after a significant delay.

What Happened: The new version includes several upgrades to the previous version and is expected to enable autonomous parking in a garage in the future, Tesla executive Ashok Elluswamy said.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said that version 13 of the technology will enable drivers to drive five to 10 times more miles autonomously than the previous version of the software before they will have to intervene.

The EV company had said in September that it would launch version 13 of FSD in October. However, Tesla is known for delaying its timelines.

Why It Matters: Tesla’s FSD, despite the name, is yet to enable fully autonomous driving. However, Musk is optimistic. He has previously said that Tesla will solve autonomy even if he got “kidnapped by aliens.”

Musk also said during Tesla's third-quarter earnings call that the company expects to start a ride-hail service in Texas and California starting next year, subject to regulatory approval, with self-driving Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

However, the vehicles might not all operate as driverless robotaxis initially but with a driver as some states demand it until the company touches certain milestones in terms of miles and hours driven, the company then said.

However, Musk also expressed confidence about the company operating driverless paid rides sometime next year.

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