Tesla Director of Autopilot Software Ashok Elluswamy gave credit to the electric vehicle maker’s AI team for meeting its ambitious FSD release goals for September 2024. The executive also shared an update for the upcoming rollout of FSD’s end-to-end highway driving for Tesla’s greater fleet.
Tesla’s tendency to miss its self-imposed release targets for its products and features have become so commonplace that when the Tesla AI team published its roadmap for FSD features earlier this month, many were skeptical. While it would be great if Tesla could release FSD for the Cybertruck by the end of the month, it would not be surprising at all if the advanced driver-assist system was released in Q4 instead.
But as it turns out, the Tesla AI team forecasted the release schedule for the Cybertruck’s FSD quite accurately. As per the roadmap published by the team, the company would release FSD v12.5.2, Actually Smart Summon, Cybertruck Autopark, eye-tracking with sunglasses, end-to-end network on highway, and Cybertruck FSD this September. As of this weekend, all of these items have been crossed off the list.
Great job by the @Tesla_AI team on meeting the goals laid out for September?
End-to-end on the highway is first shipping to Cybertrucks. We are close to an early release build for remaining platforms and will release to internal employees in the next week or so.— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) September 30, 2024
Elluswamy shared his update amidst news that Tesla has started rolling out FSD to its first batch of Cybertruck owners. “Great job by the Tesla AI team on meeting the goals laid out for September. End-to-end on the highway is first shipping to Cybertrucks. We are close to an early release build for remaining platforms and will release to internal employees in the next week or so,” Elluswamy wrote.
Super proud of the @Tesla_AI team, these releases are the result of hardcore engineering and major innovations in both training and inference stack.
Happy to see positive reception on all the features from the customers, this will only get better from here!
Eventful September,… https://t.co/VIhcFIy8XS— Srihari Sampathkumar (@srihari__) September 30, 2024
While the release of FSD for the Cybertruck seemed like a long shot earlier this month, updates on social media from several company employees suggested that the Tesla AI team was working extra hard to ensure that the advanced driver-assist system gets released for the all-electric pickup truck on time. Just recently, a lighthearted post from the official Tesla Cybertruck account received a humorous GIF response from Elluswamy, as well as a comment from Lead Engineer Wes Morrill suggesting that testing was underway for the Cybertruck’s FSD.
pic.twitter.com/MFYDKKLUPk— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) September 23, 2024
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
News
Tesla made Full Self-Driving more seamless with this little-known feature
“Brake Confirm for the Start Self-Driving button is now defaulted off. When disabled, Start Self-Driving will not require you to press and release the brake to confirm engagement.”
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite seems to get better with every single release. However, it is also making it more seamless and easier than ever to use for passenger travel, thanks to a recent feature that has flown under the radar.
Tesla started rolling out its v14 iteration of the Full Self-Driving suite a few weeks ago to Early Access Program (EAP) members, and it finally started making its way to the public for the first time earlier this week.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.1 first impressions: Robotaxi-like features arrive
The wide rollout of Tesla v14.1.3 was long-awaited, as its capabilities were flexed by the handful of people lucky to have it. However, those sitting with v13.2.9 were still eager to get to their hands on the new FSD version, especially considering it came with a lot of cool upgrades.
One of which is flying under the radar and not getting as much attention as it should. Although it is a minor feature change from v13, Tesla has made FSD more seamless than ever with a simple fix that it started utilizing with v14.
With v14.1.1, Tesla started rolling out the removal of the “Brake Confirm” feature, which required drivers to touch the brake to activate Full Self-Driving. This is now an optional feature, as it now is defaulted to the off position by the car.
The release notes for the feature state:
“Brake Confirm for the Start Self-Driving button is now defaulted off. When disabled, Start Self-Driving will not require you to press and release the brake to confirm engagement.
You can enable Brake Confirm in Autopilot > Brake Confirm.”
https://t.co/Hpz2VP7aLS pic.twitter.com/SBsjGRmsyd
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 24, 2025
Simply put, you no longer need to touch the brake to confirm your intention to use Full Self-Driving, which is a small but very effective fix.
It makes your car much more active in terms of overall activation, and it is definitely a quicker and more streamlined departure from your current location than ever before.
Here’s a good look at how quick it is:
@teslarati With Tesla Full Self-Driving v14, there is no delay when you start FSD. Press “Start Self-Driving” and you’re on your way #fyp #viral #tesla #teslafsd #fsdv14 ♬ original sound – TESLARATI
The feature is small, but it is very noticeable with your first uses of FSD v14. Eventually, it will become even more streamlined as Tesla solves self-driving and autonomy, as it will require zero human intervention to get started, which means the “Start Self-Driving” button will also be removed.
News
Tesla rival’s ex-CEO makes shock prediction about Elon Musk’s future
A Tesla rival’s ex-CEO has made a shock prediction about CEO Elon Musk, stating that he believes he will abandon the production and manufacturing of electric vehicles altogether, eventually deciding to focus on robotics, SpaceX, or Artificial Intelligence.
Ex-Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in an interview recently that he believes Musk will see no future for Tesla’s EVs, and will eventually bail on the development of them altogether (via Detroit News):
“We can’t rule out that at some point, he’ll decide to leave the automotive industry to refocus on humanoid robots, SpaceX, or artificial intelligence. Elon Musk will have left the automotive industry.”
Musk is no stranger to crazy moves or even speaking his mind. However, a prediction of this magnitude does not seem entirely accurate, especially considering that one of Tesla’s biggest priorities currently is that of self-driving cars, something the company has devoted and invested billions of dollars and endless time to.
Despite that, Tavares still believes Tesla will eventually phase out of the automotive industry altogether and will be beaten by BYD. He also criticized Tesla’s valuation on the stock market, saying it was “simply stratospheric.”
The comments came as Tavares was promoting a new self-memoir. He finished with a shock claim that Tesla won’t even be around in ten years:
“Tesla’s stock market value loss will be colossal because this valuation is simply stratospheric. I’m not sure that Tesla will still exist in 10 years. It’s an innovative group, but they’ll be beaten by BYD’s efficiency.”
Musk saw the story shared on X and said that Tavares “has no clue,” effectively dispeling the mentality that he could simply abandon such a crucial part of the company’s product line and forget about the millions of people who have already bought the company’s cars and invested into gathering data for its Full Self-Driving tech.
He has absolutely no clue
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 24, 2025
Musk is set to commit to Tesla for many more years in early November, as Tesla shareholders are set to vote on a $1 trillion proposed pay package from the company’s Board. It is likely the pay package will pass, as the previous two votes on a separate package were overwhelmingly approved.
However, Musk’s true concern is having enough influence with ownership to handle and manage the company’s fleet of Optimus robots.
News
Tesla ‘Mad Max’ gets its first bit of regulatory attention
Tesla “Mad Max” mode has gotten its first bit of regulatory attention, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has asked for additional information on the Speed Profile.
A few weeks ago, Tesla officially launched a new Speed Profile for Full Self-Driving (Supervised) known as “Mad Max,” which overtook the “Hurry” mode for the fastest setting FSD offers.
Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet
It launched with Full Self-Driving v14.1.2, and it was no secret that the company was looking for a new mode that would cater to more aggressive driving styles.
The release notes showed the description of the Speed Profile as:
“Introduced new speed profile MAD MAX, which comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.”
It certainly lived up to its description. In our testing, it was aggressive, fast, and drove similarly to some of the more challenging traffic patterns I’ve come across.
In normal highway driving, it was one of the quicker cars on the road, while other applications saw it be a suitable version for navigating things like rush-hour traffic.
Here’s what my experience with it was:
🚨 Tesla “Mad Max” testing on FSD v14.1.2
It drives like a human being! Consistent lane changes, keeps up with quicker traffic, very refined
Well done Tesla Team pic.twitter.com/wzTucDhczA
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 19, 2025
While Tesla owners have certainly enjoyed the feature and the behaviors of Mad Max, the NHTSA said it is in contact with Tesla about it, looking to gather additional information. Additionally, it said:
“The human behind the wheel is fully responsible for driving the vehicle and complying with all traffic safety laws.”
The important thing to note with Mad Max mode, along with the other Speed Profiles, is that the driver can choose whichever one they’d like, and they all cater to different driving styles.
While Mad Max is more aggressive, modes like “Sloth” and “Standard” are significantly more conservative and can be more suitable for those who are not comfortable with the faster, more spirited versions.
-
Elon Musk1 week agoSpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
-
Elon Musk1 week agoTesla Full Self-Driving gets an offer to be insured for ‘almost free’
-
News7 days agoElon Musk confirms Tesla FSD V14.2 will see widespread rollout
-
News1 week agoTesla is adding an interesting feature to its centerscreen in a coming update
-
News1 week agoTesla launches new interior option for Model Y
-
News1 week agoTesla widens rollout of new Full Self-Driving suite to more owners
-
Elon Musk1 week agoTesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm
-
News6 days agoTesla might be doing away with a long-included feature with its vehicles

