Tesla appears to have started the rollout of FSD Beta V11.4.4. The release notes of the newly-released FSD Beta update have been shared online.
Last week, reports from members of Tesla’s FSD Beta tester fleet suggested that the electric vehicle maker was ramping the release of V11.4.3. Amidst reports from users of the advanced driver-assist system, CEO Elon Musk noted that FSD Beta V11.4.4 would be rolling out at the end of the week.
While FSD Beta V11.4.4 seems to be a point release from V11.4.3, the update came with different release notes. A number of interesting behaviors were highlighted in the V11.4.4 release notes, such as improvements in short-deadline lane changes, as well as improved handling of oncoming cars on narrow unmarked roads.
FSD Beta 11.4.4 starting to roll out! With new release notes! #FSDBeta
11.4.3 has been awesome for me, excited to try this out. https://t.co/N0zrLeOIh5
— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) June 19, 2023
Following are the release notes of Tesla’s FSD Beta V11.4.4 update, as shared in Tesla-Info.
- Improved short-deadline lane changes, to avoid going off-route, through better modeling of target lane vehicles to improve gap selection assertiveness.
- Improved offset consistency when controlling for static obstacles. Also improved smoothness when changing offset direction by adjusting speed more comfortably.
- Improved handling of oncoming cars on narrow unmarked roads by improving prediction of oncoming car’s trajectory and leaving enough room for them to pass before re-centering.
- Improved Occupancy Flow prediction from the Occupancy Network for arbitrary moving obstacles by 8%.
- Expanded usage of the new object ground truth autolabeler for the NonVRU detection model, improving distant vehicle recall and geometry precision for semi-trucks, trailers, and exotic vehicles.
- Improved VRU control by expanding planning scope to control gently for low-confidence detections that may interfere with ego’s path.
- Improved handling for VRUs near crosswalks by predicting their future intent more accurately. This was done by leveraging more kinematic data to improve association between crosswalks and VRUs.
- Improved ego’s behavior near VRUs by tuning their assumed kinematic properties and utilizing available semantic information to classify more accurately their probability of intersecting ego’s path.
- Improved Automatic Emergency Braking recall in response to cut-in vehicles and vehicles behind ego while reversing.
The progress of Tesla’s FSD Beta fleet has been substantial. Since launching in October 2020, the company’s testers have accumulated over 150 million miles of real-world driving as of the release of Tesla’s Q1 2023 Update Letter. With an ever-growing tester fleet, the cumulative miles of the FSD Beta program would likely see an even more substantial rise in the coming months.
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Elon Musk
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge.”
The Woodlands Township, Texas, has formally entered The Boring Company’s tunneling sweepstakes.
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” which offers up to one mile of tunnel construction at no cost to a selected community.
The Woodlands’ proposal, dubbed “The Current,” features two parallel 12-foot-diameter tunnels beneath the Town Center corridor near The Waterway. Teslas would shuttle passengers between Waterway Square, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Town Green Park and nearby hotels during concerts and large-scale events, as noted in a Chron report.
Township officials framed the tunnel as a solution for the township’s traffic congestion issues. The Pavilion alone hosts more than 60 shows each year and can accommodate crowds of up to 16,500, often straining Lake Robbins Drive and surrounding intersections.
“We know we have traffic impacts and pedestrian movement challenges, especially in the Town Center area,” Chris Nunes, chief operating officer of The Woodlands Township, stated during the meeting.
“The Current” mirrors the Loop system operating beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through underground tunnels between venues and resorts.
The Boring Company issued its request for proposals (RFP) in mid-January, inviting cities and districts to pitch local uses for its tunneling technology. The Woodlands must submit its application by Feb. 23, though no timeline has been provided for when a winning community will be announced.
Nunes confirmed that the board has authorized a submission for “The Current’s” proposal, though he emphasized that the project is still in its preliminary stages.
“The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has authorized staff to submit an application to The Boring Company, which has issued an RFP for communities interested in leveraging their technology to address community challenges,” he said in a statement.
“The Board believes that an underground tunnel would provide a safe and efficient means to transport people to and from various high-use community amenities in our Town Center.”
News
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.