Tesla has initiated the rollout of its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) V12.4 update, which includes a significant change highly anticipated by the electric vehicle community — the introduction of vision-based attention monitoring and the removal of steering wheel nags.
Reports of the update’s initial rollout were shared on social media early Monday, with screenshots from Tesla software update tracking services such as NotATeslaApp and Tessie showing that FSD (Supervised) V12.4 was included in the 2024.9.5 release.
The 2024.9.5 update brings vision-based attention monitoring and new Autopilot suspension systems. According to the release notes, Tesla’s driver monitoring system will now primarily use data from the cabin camera to determine driver attentiveness. However, steering wheel nags will still be employed if the driver’s eyes are not visible to the cabin camera.
BREAKING: $TSLA FSD v12.4 is now being rolled out to employees!! 🚀
• Included in 2024.9.5 release
• Vision-Based Attention Monitoring
• Autopilot Suspension https://t.co/tSXena9DdF— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) May 20, 2024
The release notes for Tesla’s vision-based attention monitoring system in update 2024.9.5 state:
“When Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is enabled, the driver monitoring system now primarily relies on the cabin camera to determine driver attentiveness. This enhancement is available on vehicles equipped with a cabin camera and only when the cabin camera has clear and continuous visibility of the driver’s eyes (e.g., the camera is not occluded, there is sufficient cabin illumination, and the driver is looking forward at the road ahead and not wearing sunglasses, a hat with a low brim, or other objects covering the eyes). Outside of these circumstances, the driver monitoring system will continue to rely on a combination of torque-based (steering wheel) and vision-based monitoring to detect driver attentiveness.”
The update also introduces a warning system for inattentiveness, with warnings escalating based on the nature and frequency of detected inattentiveness, ultimately leading to a suspension of the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature if continuous inattention is detected.
The Autopilot suspension system included in the update ensures that improper usage will result in a suspension of the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature. Improper usage is defined as receiving five “Autopilot Strikeouts,” which occur when the system forcefully disengages after the driver receives several audio and visual warnings for inattentiveness.
Tesla’s update emphasizes the importance of driver attentiveness, stating, “Keep your hands on the wheel and remain attentive at all times. Use of any hand-held devices while using Autopilot is not allowed.”
The company also notes that one Autopilot Strikeout will be forgiven for each 7-day period without any Strikeouts, and the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature can only be reinstated after approximately one week following a suspension.
