Tesla invites drivers to FSD Beta 10.2, NDA restrictions not included

Tesla released a new version of its experimental driver assistance software, which it has dubbed Full Self-Driving Beta 10.2, according to an email the company sent to eligible car owners on Monday.

FSD Beta provides early access to new features that Tesla is still working on, such as “autosteer on city streets,” which enables drivers to navigate around complex urban environments without moving the steering wheel with their own hands.

The prototype technology, like Tesla’s standard driver assistance system, Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving premium driver assistance package, doesn’t actually make Tesla vehicles autonomous.

In an email to customers inviting them to download the newest beta, Tesla warned, “Full Self-Driving is in limited early access Beta and must be used with additional caution. It may do the wrong thing and at the worst time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel and pay extra attention to the road.”

In 2019, Tesla raised $2.7 billion from sales of stock and convertible bonds after telling shareholders that autonomy would lift the company to a $500 billion market cap. The company also claimed that Tesla vehicles would increase in value as self-driving capabilities are added through software updates, making them worth up to $250,000 within three years.

Tesla’s market cap surpassed $500 billion late last year, but the company has yet to deliver a driverless vehicle.

Meanwhile, its current driver assistance systems have drawn scrutiny from auto critics, probes by federal and state authorities and a legal rebuke in Germany.

The National Transportation Safety Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are both investigating Tesla to see if the company’s driver assistance features contributed to or caused crashes, including some with fatalities. Other accidents involved Tesla cars, with Autopilot features engaged, smashing into parked first responder vehicles on the side of the road.

NTSB has specifically called out Tesla’s FSD Beta program for exploiting a lack of federal regulation and conducting testing on public roads that could pose a risk to drivers, other motorists, passengers or pedestrians.

The latest release of FSD Beta arrived a few days later than Tesla CEO Elon Musk originally planned. On Oct, 9, Musk wrote the following on Twitter, “A few last minute concerns about this build. Release likely on Sunday or Monday. Sorry for the delay.” He did not specify the nature of Tesla’s concerns about the technology.

To get access to the FSD Beta program, drivers must own Tesla vehicles with newer hardware, and must purchase or subscribe to the premium FSD package, which costs $10,000 up front in the U.S., or $199 a month. The company revealed earlier this year that it had about 2,000 users of FSD Beta.

To determine who should get access to the latest 10.2 version of FSD Beta, Tesla used an