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Tesla AI Day 2022 Expectations: FSD Beta and Optimus Bot updates

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Tesla AI Day 2022 is just around the corner. As anticipation for the event builds, let’s look at the possible updates Tesla might provide during the event.

For the past month or so, Tesla has been rolling out FSD Beta 10.69 and its various iterations. Teslarati has been talking with FSD Beta testers and chronicling their thoughts on v10.69 over the past few weeks. Tesla might provide more insight into FSD Beta and its expected release to the public during AI Day 2022. 

Optimus has been in the works for nearly a year. The Tesla Bot was unveiled at last year’s AI Day. Everyone expects Tesla to unveil the long-awaited Optimus prototype during the upcoming AI Day 2022.

FSD Beta Updates

Tesla plans to roll out FSD Beta version 10.69.2.3 after AI Day 2022. Currently, Beta testers are trying out v10.69.2.2. Most Tesla drivers who have talked to Teslarati reported issues with lane selection, turns, turn signals, and speed limit signs. 

Beta tester Frank summed up the experiences of all the drivers in the program well. 

“From my experience, there [sic] has been both steps forward and backward. The late version is much better than the previous, but has a few [issues],” Frank noted. 

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“I would say that the general comments I read in your [Teslarati] articles would reflect my experience. Without a doubt, drive with caution. There has been progress to this complex problem,” he added.

During an invite-only Goldman Sachs tech conference, Tesla’s Senior Director of Investor Relations Martin Viecha stated that Tesla’s plans for the wide release of Full Self Driving remain on track. 

Earlier this year, Elon Musk forecasted that FSD might be released to qualified vehicles by the end of 2022. At the tech conference this month, Viecha explained that Tesla might release “supervised” FSD by the end of the year. 

Current FSD Beta testers believe that Tesla’s autonomous driving software has improved tremendously since the release of v10.69. However, quite a few also believe Tesla still needs to be cautious about releasing FSD to more drivers. 

“To Tesla, keep working things out, but do not be as optimistic as you are. If you are not having to intervene [sic], you are not driving on my roads,” commented one FSD Beta tester.

Tesla Bot [Optimus]

At the beginning of 2022, Elon Musk stated that Tesla’s humanoid robot, dubbed Optimus, is a top priority for the company. 

“So, in terms of priority of products, I think actually the most important product development we’re doing this year is actually the Optimus humanoid robot. This, I think has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time,” Musk said.

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“If you think about the economy, it is— the foundation of the economy is labor. Capital equipment is distilled labor. So, what happens if you don’t actually have a labor shortage? I’m not sure what an economy even means at that point. That’s what Optimus is about. So, very important,” he elaborated.

In May 2022, Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla would provide a sneak preview of the Tesla Bot. The 2022 AI Day teaser poster hints that Tesla still plans to reveal some juicy tidbits about Optimus. 

Hopefully, Tesla elaborates more on the humanoid robot’s production and potential release date on the market. During Musk’s TED appearance in April, he estimated that Optimus would cost less than a car once Tesla scales production. 

Tesla AI Day 2022 is a recruitment event similar to last year. The company is also expected to talk about its Dojo AI supercomputer, as well as its next-generation in-house computer, Hardware 4, which is expected to debut with the Cybertruck.

Are you attending Tesla’s 2022 AI Day? I’d like to hear your thoughts on the news Tesla shares during the event. Contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101

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Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

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Elon Musk hints at Tesla Cybercab’s next market

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(Credit: Teslarati)

After launching in Austin, Texas, last week, Tesla is looking to expand the Cybercab to new parts of the United States in an effort that will see the driverless, steering wheel-less, and pedal-less vehicle chauffeur people around as part of the Robotaxi ride-hailing service.

However, the expansion will go far beyond the United States, and CEO Elon Musk revealed he hopes Europe will be the next market where Cybercab will be operational.

Musk has publicly expressed hope that Tesla’s Cybercab robotaxi will reach Europe in the near future.

On September 8, Tesla’s Chief Executive quoted a German rider who had just completed a trip in Austin, Texas, and wrote that he hoped the vehicle would not take years to arrive in Germany. Musk replied with a short but notable message: “Hopefully soon in Europe too.”

The comment arrived only days after Tesla opened Cybercab ride-hailing to the public in Austin. The two-seat vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals and relies entirely on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software. Early passengers have described the rides as quiet, smooth, and more stylish than competing robotaxis such as Waymo.

Austin is currently the only city where members of the public can hail a Cybercab through Tesla’s Robotaxi app. The initial fleet is small; Texas registration records show only a few dozen of the purpose-built vehicles on the road.

Tesla set to open Cybercab rides to the public, with no steering wheel or pedals

Tesla has also been operating a larger number of conventional Model Y robotaxis in the same area, but the Cybercab itself represents the company’s first dedicated, controls-free taxi design.

Europe presents a different regulatory picture. The European Union does not permit manufacturers to self-certify vehicles the way Tesla did in the United States.

Type-approval rules and a small-series limit of 1,500 automated vehicles per type per year apply across the bloc.

Supervised Full Self-Driving has gained provisional approval in several member states through national recognition of Dutch certification, yet unsupervised robotaxi operation remains a separate and more distant step. Tesla has not announced a European launch city, date, or approval pathway for the Cybercab.

Musk himself has previously cautioned that the company does not control European regulators. In an earnings call earlier in 2026, he noted that even supervised FSD took an “immense amount of time” to clear and that unsupervised service would be “somewhat at the mercy of the governments in Europe and the EU.”

The latest social-media remark therefore functions more as an expression of intent than a timetable.

If the Cybercab eventually reaches European streets, it would mark a significant expansion of Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions beyond the United States. For now, the vehicle remains an Austin-only experience, and the gap between Musk’s hope and actual deployment will be decided by regulators rather than by engineering alone.

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Tesla Cybercab improvements are already on the minds of company engineers

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East | X

Tesla Cybercab might have just rolled out to the public as it entered the company’s Robotaxi suite in Austin this past week. However, the vehicle might already be on its way to becoming even better, as the company is asking riders to describe what they’d like to see improved with the Cybercab.

Tesla sent a rider experience survey to Cybercab passengers only days after paid rides began in Austin. The questionnaire asks how satisfied riders were with the overall trip. Then it requests star ratings for availability and wait time, door functionality, vehicle touchscreen, mobile app experience, seat comfort, interior space, ride comfort, cleanliness, and cargo space.

A later section asks which features riders would most like to have and allows selection of up to three items from a list that includes heated seats, ventilated seats, fully reclining seats, a tray table, a wireless phone charger, a better sound system, and more storage. Respondents may also choose none of these or write in another idea. The survey closes with a recommendation score from zero to ten.

This rapid request for input illustrates Tesla’s habit of treating early users as collaborators rather than mere customers. The company has long refined vehicles through software updates and hardware changes informed by real-world use across its passenger cars.

Collecting structured opinions so soon after commercial service started shows the same mindset applied to a purpose-built autonomous taxi. The questions themselves reveal an openness to cabin changes even after the first vehicles reached public streets, which is no surprise.

Tesla has always hoped to cater a great experience to anyone in its vehicles, which is why so many fan-requested features have made it into its vehicles.

Replies already circulating online favor reclining seats, tray tables, wireless charging, improved audio, and extra room when seats fold back.

Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash

Those preferences point toward comfort upgrades that Tesla can implement in later production batches or through cabin revisions. Because the Cybercab is designed around software first principles, many requested amenities can arrive faster than in traditional automakers.

Tesla’s willingness to survey riders immediately after launch therefore makes near-term cabin and experience improvements likely as the team reviews responses and iterates toward a more refined robotaxi people will choose daily.

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Cybertruck

Tesla Cybertruck engineer reveals new changes in ‘constantly evolving’ pickup

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | YouTube

Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill revealed the company has made several changes to the all-electric pickup, which he calls a “living thing, constantly evolving and improving.”

Cybertruck is manufactured at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas just outside of Austin, and over the past few years, Tesla has continued to make small changes to the pickup to improve everything from cost, reliability, serviceablility, and manufacturability.

“The finish line isn’t getting to production. A product is a living thing, constantly evolving and improving,” Morrill added.

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Some of those changes are yet to be revealed, but perhaps the most notable one was the change Tesla made to the aero shield that sits underneath the truck. In the past, it was aluminum, but now the Cybertruck is using a self-reinforcing polypropylene.

Morrill said that the polypropylene is “stretched into fibers and then laminated into the form,” and is much more durable, much lighter, and significantly cheaper than aluminum when it is manufactured this way.

It also enabled some improvements in the geometry of the Cybertruck, improving the manufacturing around the bolts and edges, in addition to minor form changes. These all benefitted the Cybertruck in more ways than one: specifically with durability and improved drag.

Typically, Teslas are not necessarily identified by model year because these changes are fluid and occur when the company sees fit to implement them. It is not like other automotive companies, which usually make sweeping manufacturing changes when building a new model year.

Instead, Teslas are recognized by their “generation” or “era.” For example, those with a newer Model Y might refer to their car as a “Juniper.” This is the same with Model 3, as many refer to the new body style as the “Highland.”

Tesla’s manufacturing changes are proof of the company’s constant need to improve its products and move things forward with its vehicles. There is no need to drag one’s feet and wait until next year if the product can be made better right now, and that’s precisely what Tesla did with the Cybertruck.

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