A planned rollout of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta version 10.2 to roughly 1,000 Tesla owners with “perfect” safety scores was delayed on Saturday. In explaining the delay, CEO Elon Musk stated that there were “a few last-minute concerns about the build.”
Tesla owners were abuzz with excitement earlier this week when Musk announced that roughly 1,000 drivers with perfect safety scores—the 0 to 100 scale the company uses to determine whether the driver will have a future accident—would receive FSD beta version 10.2 at midnight on Friday. Contrary to its name, the software does not allow Tesla cars to drive themselves. It provides assistance on highways and city streets but requires driver supervision at all times.
As with all Musk deadlines, this one was taken with a grain of salt. In the end, Tesla didn’t rollout FSD.
“A few last minute concerns about this build. Release likely on Sunday or Monday. Sorry for the delay,” the CEO tweeted early Saturday.
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Musk didn’t detail what last-minute concerns had caused the delay. However, hearing that FSD 10.2 has issues isn’t a surprise. Just about two months ago, Tesla said that FSD beta version 9, which was delayed for years, could “do the wrong thing at the worst time.”
Tesla’s initial plan consisted of releasing version 10.2 to about 1,000 drivers with a 100/100 score and analyzing how they did with the software for several days. If the release looked good, Musk explained, 10.2 would gradually begin rolling out to drivers with scores of 99 and below. The FSD system has been operated by 2,000 drivers for almost a year with no accidents, the CEO said in September, adding that it needed to stay that way.
“FSD beta system at times can seem so good that vigilance isn’t necessary, but it is. Also, any beta user who isn’t super careful will get booted,” Musk said at that time.
According to Tesla’s website, a driver’s safety score is based on five metrics called “safety factors,” which are: forward collision warnings per 1,000 miles, hard braking, aggressive turning, unsafe following, and forced Autopilot disengagement. A higher score indicates a safer driver, the company claims, with most drivers expected to have a safety score of 80 and above.
Tesla has recently come under fire from regulators such as the National Transportation Safety Board. The head of agency, Jennifer Homendy, told the Wall Street Journal in September that the company shouldn’t release the newest FSD beta until it addressed safety deficiencies in its technology.
