KEY POINTS

  • Tesla electric vehicles are not self-driving but come with Autopilot
  • Full Self-Driving has been available to vehicle owners as an option for years
  • Not all who purchase the FSD can receive the next Tesla FSD beta update 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the next Full Self-Driving beta version will roll out next week but, unfortunately, it is not for everyone.

The American electric vehicle maker released Tesla's FSD beta a few weeks ago and EV owners are excited to receive the beta update to get a feel of the latest features of the autonomous system that Tesla has prepared for them. That's why on Twitter, the account @teslaownersSV asked the CEO about the release of the Tesla FSD beta update.

Musk replied that the "Update probably goes to wide release next week. This is a big one," hinting at the possibility of significant content. But the Tesla CEO later clarified that the release window of the FSD beta update scheduled next week is for those with a high safety score on their FSD (likely those with 99 to 100 ranks), based on their driving skills and evaluation made by Tesla.

"I meant wide release to high safety score beta participants. Going to all beta participants is expected later this year," the tech billionaire said in a follow-up tweet. It appears that while an update is coming next week, the full rollout will take time and Musk said it might become available to other beta users in the later part of 2022.

Tesla launched the FSD but not to all the customers who have paid for it. The American electric vehicle maker rolled out the safety score tool in 2021 to gauge users' readiness for the beta version of the Full Self-Driving software.

Elon Musk is poised to take over Twitter while he runs a set of other enterprises including electric car star Tesla and private space exploration endeavor SpaceX
Elon Musk is poised to take over Twitter while he runs a set of other enterprises including electric car star Tesla and private space exploration endeavor SpaceX AFP / Jade Gao

Based on the Q4 shareholder letter of the company, around 60,000 Tesla users use the FSD beta software. Full Self-Driving has been available to vehicle owners as an option. Tesla is not a full self-driving vehicle although it comes with an autopilot, which is just a standard driver assistance system.

Owners can purchase the FSD feature for an additional $12,000, which according to Musk, will one day offer autonomous driving capabilities. Among the features included in the Tesla FSD are the parking feature Summon, Navigate and Autopilot.