

News
Elon Musk says next FSD version to let drivers wear sunglasses
Tesla’s next version of Full Self-Driving (FSD) has been widely discussed in recent weeks, and a new update from CEO Elon Musk over the weekend highlights the fact that it won’t prevent drivers from wearing sunglasses anymore.
The FSD Supervised system uses a driver monitoring feature that makes sure drivers remain attentive and awake, though the system won’t allow the driver to wear sunglasses with the system engaged without nags. In response to one X user complaining about not being able to wear sunglasses while using FSD on Saturday, Musk wrote that the issue would be fixed in v12.5, to which many users in the thread expressed appreciation.
Should be fixed in 12.5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2024
Tesla FSD v12.4.1 with no nag starts rolling out to select customers
It’s still not clear exactly when Tesla plans to start deploying FSD Supervised v12.5.
Musk originally said that FSD v12.5 would be out in late June, and many are especially waiting for the update as it’s expected to finally bring FSD Supervised to the Cybertruck. Despite missing the late June target for the release, Musk has highlighted a handful of the other improvements in the version, as well as noting on Thursday that the release was in fact ready to hit the Cybertruck upon its deployment.
He also said this month that FSD Supervised v12.5 will finally merge the city and highway software stacks, as was previously done with v11, though it was apparently rolled back at some point with the arrival of v12.
Tesla started rolling out FSD Supervised v12.4.3 to some customers earlier this month, after previous versions had been delayed due to an extremely low level of interventions—and after the company essentially halted the rollout of v12.4.2.
Musk highlighted the issue of low interventions earlier this month.
The amount of testing time it takes to figure out if the new AI is better than the existing AI as measured by miles between interventions is the limiting factor on progress.
The better FSD gets the longer it takes to find interventions.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2024
He also detailed the problem during Tesla’s Annual Shareholder Meeting last month, explaining that the fewer interventions there are, the more difficult it becomes to test versions and point versions against each other to see which ones are performing best.
“And then, like I was saying earlier, it actually gets, as the system gets better, it gets harder to figure out which AI model is better, because now you know, like, ‘Okay, it’s thousands of miles between interventions.’
“How do we, as quickly as possible, figure out which AI model is better. And when you make these different AI models, they’re obviously not like super deterministic, so we have a new model that eliminates one problem but creates another problem. So we’re trying to solve this by a combination of simulation, uploading models, having them run in Shadow Mode.
“It’s actually kind of helpful that not everyone has Full Self-Driving, because we can see, we can run it in Shadow Mode and see, ‘What would this new model have done compared to what the user did?’
“So since we’ve got, you know, millions of cars that we can do this with, that gives us a delta between what the AI model predicted would do and the user would do. And if you kind of sum up the errors between them, you can see ‘Oh, there was a bigger error stack from this model versus that model,’ when you uploaded them into, each uploaded them into 100,000 cars.
“But that’s the biggest limiter right now. It’s not training, it’s not data, it’s actually testing the AI models. And then figuring out clever ways to figure out if a new model is better or not. Like there were sort of particular intersections that are difficult.”
RELATED:
Tesla offers owners $1,000 off to upgrade from EAP to FSD in new car
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
News
Tesla launches new Model S and Model X, and the changes are slim
Tesla’s newest versions of its flagship vehicles have arrived with some slim changes.

Tesla has officially launched the newest versions of its flagship Model S and Model X vehicles, but the changes are pretty slim, which is something we expected when a couple cars were spotted during public testing recently.
The new “refreshed” Model S and Model X were spotted recently by The Kilowatts, and the changes appeared to be a new front camera, a new color, and only a handful of other changes.
Tesla officially announced the launch of the Model S and Model X on Thursday night, and here’s what it listed as the changes to the two vehicles:
Model S & X are now even better – launching today in the US 🇺🇸
Highlights:
– Frost Blue paint color
– Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
– Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
– New… pic.twitter.com/i4PcEklOWj
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 13, 2025
- Frost Blue paint color
- Up to 410 miles of range (Model S Long Range – our longest range Tesla yet)
- Even quieter inside: less wind + road noise & more effective Active Noise Cancellation
- New wheel designs & improved aerodynamics = more range
- Front fascia camera for better visibility
- Dynamic ambient lighting that brings unique animations along the dash & doors upon entry
- An even smoother ride thanks to new bushings & suspension design
- Adaptive driving beams
- New exterior styling for Model S Plaid, optimized for high-speed stability
- More space for 3rd row occupants & cargo (Model X)
We expected most of these changes, especially the new Frost Blue paint color, as it was spotted by The Kilowatts in its initial coverage of the cars being spotted a few weeks back. Here’s what it looks like officially:
Some of the changes are familiar from the Model Y Refresh, which featured the quieter interior through acoustic-lined glass, a front fascia camera, new bushings, and suspension improvements for a smoother ride.
However, Tesla did refine the Model S Plaid’s exterior for “optimized high-speed stability.” You can see the difference between the two below:
The front-end air diffusers are much deeper, and the front end is more boxy than the previous iteration of the Plaid Model S.
Here are some more images of the Model S that Tesla released in a teaser video:
- Credit: Tesla
Tesla sells such a low volume of the Model S and Model X that it was probably less than likely that the company would put endless manpower and effort into completely redesigning it. CEO Elon Musk said a few years ago that the two cars would only stay in production for “sentimental reasons.”
While they are very special to the Tesla family, they are not incredibly important to the mission of the company.
Elon Musk
Tesla owners across the globe prepare for Robotaxi launch with this neat customization
Tesla will eventually have Robotaxis worldwide. Some owners are already preparing.

Tesla owners are already preparing for the company’s launch of the Robotaxi platform with a new, neat customization that is appearing around the world.
On Tuesday, the first Tesla Robotaxi test mule was spotted in Austin, where the company will launch the first driverless rides of this ride-hailing service. At first, it will be a limited rollout, reserved for a select few. CEO Elon Musk said public rides could occur as soon as June 22.
First Tesla driverless robotaxi spotted in the wild in Austin, TX
However, the Tesla Robotaxi platform is not one that will be confined to cities and geofenced to certain areas.
Eventually, Tesla will gain enough confidence to roll the Full Self-Driving software straight to every car in the customer fleet that paid for it. Owners will be able to generate income for themselves while they sleep, as the cars will operate as ride-hailing vehicles for people to use for transportation.
In an effort to prepare for the launch of Robotaxi, Tesla owners across the globe are installing Tesla’s ‘Robotaxi’ word art on their cars.
Here’s one in South Korea:
🚨ROBOTAXIS SPOTTED IN 🇰🇷SOUTH KOREA TOO! $TSLA
It’s not official, just vinyl wraps, but you should sell these!pic.twitter.com/mViKuIV96P pic.twitter.com/fuYpvuOjic
— Tesla Archive (@tesla_archive) June 12, 2025
Here’s another in the U.S.:
🚀 Transform your ride into a vision of the future with our Robotaxi sticker set. 🌟
Your Tesla isn’t just a car—it’s a symbol of innovation and style. Be the trendsetter you were born to be and let your vehicle spark inspiring conversations wherever you go. ✨😎
Grab yours… pic.twitter.com/wTJPmnsO1X
— TESBROS (@teslabros) June 12, 2025
Obviously, this is more of a symbol of support for the Robotaxi launch, but many owners are recognizing that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software will extend to them the ability to use their personal cars as ride-hailing vehicles, becoming a part of the global fleet of self-driving chauffeurs.
These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2025
Elon Musk
Tesla sues former Optimus engineer for stealing trade secrets
Tesla is suing a former engineer who worked on Optimus after he left and immediately started a robotics company that achieved quick development of a hand.

Tesla is suing former Optimus engineer Jay Li in federal court after accusing him of stealing trade secrets and using them to enable a startup he founded after he left.
Li is accused of stealing confidential files and using them to help get his company, “Proception,” off to a rocking start. Tesla says the files Li took helped his new startup “shortcut the typical development process” for robot hands, something that took Tesla years to develop and evolve.
The company said in the complaint (via Reuters):
“Through Li’s pilfering, Defendant Proception purportedly achieved in a matter of months what it has taken Tesla over four years, hundreds of employees, and billions of dollars to achieve.”
Li was an employee at Tesla for several years, working on the Optimus sensor team from 2022 to 2024. The company says it utilized and devoted “extraordinary resources” to the development of Optimus, which has come a long way since its unveiling several years ago.
Tesla Optimus to receive hands with 22 degrees of freedom later this year
Li allegedly downloaded confidential files related to Optimus’ robotic hand movement research before departing the company. He did not work on the hands at the time. However, he left and swiftly started Proception, as the suit states the company was founded just six days after he left Tesla.
Proception was gloating about its ability to build robotic hands just five months after the company was founded. Tesla says the hands have “striking similarities” to its own design for Optimus.
The company is looking for monetary damages and a court order that would block Proception from misusing the secrets it accuses Li of taking.
This is not the first suit Tesla has filed over trade secrets and confidential information theft. Recently, it accused German-Canadian dual citizen Klaus Pflugbeil of stealing battery-related secrets. He was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison.
Men accused of selling Tesla battery secrets arrested in undercover sting
The U.S. Department of Justice used an undercover sting to arrest Pflugbeil.
Tesla is being represented by Josh Krevitt, Orin Snyder, and Angelique Kaounis of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
The case is Tesla Inc. v. Perception Inc., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:25-cv-04963.
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla to lose 64 Superchargers on New Jersey Turnpike in controversial decision
-
News4 days ago
I took a Tesla Cybertruck weekend Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
Elon Musk explains Tesla’s domestic battery strategy
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla lands on date for Robotaxi launch in Austin: report
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s apparent affordable model zips around Fremont test track
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter
-
Elon Musk4 days ago
Tesla tops Cathie Wood’s stock picks, predicts $2,600 surge