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Tesla changes Full Self-Driving’s unreleased features from ‘later this year’ to ‘coming soon’

Tesla changed the FSD Suite's language from "Later this year," to "Coming Soon." (Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla has changed the language on its website to reflect a more accurate representation of when the unreleased features of the Full Self-Driving suite will be released. For several years, Tesla has stated that new features would be released “later this year.” However, this language was never changed after the features went unreleased in 2020.

The only feature that FSD currently is not capable of is Autosteer on City Streets. While Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, FSD Computer, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control are all active with the $10,000 FSD Suite, Autosteer on City Streets is the only functionality that has not yet been added, which would make the suite “feature complete,” as Elon Musk would say.

Tesla changed the FSD Suite’s language from “Later this year,” to “Coming Soon.” (Credit: Tesla)

Some owners of the FSD Suite have been critical of Tesla’s inability to meet timeframes with the FSD features. For example, in 2019, Tesla has also listed some features as if they were set for release “later this year.” However, the automaker failed to roll out these functions before the end of 2019 or 2020, and the language was never changed, until now. The FSD suite’s complexity has resulted in the expansion of some timeframes.

The change of the language evidently reveals that Tesla still has plenty of refinements to make with the FSD suite before it is completed. While plenty of strides have been made this year, including the expansion of the FSD Beta group and the rollout of the FSD Beta Button, Tesla’s FSD Suite is still not where the company would prefer it to be. A recent release of the FSD Beta was one that Musk was not necessarily impressed with, although later releases proved to be more robust and accurate.

Tesla Full Self-Driving nears ‘feature-complete’ as 2019 comes to a close

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It seems to be a good move in legal terms to help Tesla avoid any potential litigation from distressed owners. Earlier this year, Tesla was subjected to a lawsuit from two brothers from Santa Barbara, California, who claimed that the company’s Autopilot suite was falsely advertised. According to the lawsuit, the Filippini brothers stated that they would like to work on their commute to the office, and that Tesla salespeople did “not discourage that intention,” stating that employees at their local showroom “confirmed and encouraged plaintiffs’ expectations that the vehicle would be suitable for that purpose, sharing stories of driving 55 miles without having to touch any controls more than once or twice.”

Tesla has never stated that its vehicles are fully autonomous and a disclaimer under the FSD purchase option also indicates that drivers are responsible for paying attention at all times:

“The currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous. The activation and use of these features are dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions. As these self-driving features evolve, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates.”

Don’t hesitate to contact us with tips! Email us at tips@teslarati.com, or you can email me directly at joey@teslarati.com.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk breaks silence on OpenAI trial decision

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Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk broke his silence regarding the jury decision to throw out the case against OpenAI and Sam Altman. The Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI frontman has already indicated that an appeal will be filed regarding the decision, which went against him yesterday.

A Federal jury dismissed this high-profile lawsuit after less than two hours of deliberation due to a statute-of-limitations issue.

In a strongly worded post on X on May 18, Musk addressed the federal jury’s dismissal of his high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI, vowing to appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision, according to Musk, was centered not on the substantive claims but on a statute-of-limitations technicality.

Musk’s lawsuit, filed in 2024, accused OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman of breaching the organization’s original nonprofit mission. OpenAI was established in 2015 as a non-profit dedicated to developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of all humanity, with Musk as a key early donor and co-founder before departing in 2018.

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Musk alleged that Altman and Brockman improperly shifted the company toward a for-profit model, enriched themselves through massive valuations and partnerships (including with Microsoft), and betrayed founding agreements.

In his post, Musk emphasized that the judge and jury “never actually ruled on the merits of the case, just on a calendar technicality.” He stated unequivocally: “There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity. The only question is WHEN they did it!”

Musk argued that allowing such actions to stand without review sets a dangerous precedent. “I will be filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit, because creating a precedent to loot charities is incredibly destructive to charitable giving in America,” he wrote. He reiterated OpenAI’s founding purpose: “OpenAI was founded to benefit all of humanity.”

The jury’s unanimous advisory verdict found that Musk’s claims of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment were filed outside California’s three-year statute of limitations. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers adopted the finding and dismissed the case. OpenAI hailed the outcome as vindication, while Musk’s legal team immediately signaled plans to appeal.

The trial, which featured testimony from Musk, Altman, Brockman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and others, exposed deep rifts in Silicon Valley over AI’s direction.

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Musk has long warned that profit-driven AI development, especially with closed models and powerful corporate ties, risks endangering humanity—contrasting it with OpenAI’s original open, safety-focused charter. OpenAI countered that the suit stemmed from business rivalry and that Musk himself had explored for-profit paths earlier.

Musk’s appeal could prolong the saga, potentially affecting OpenAI’s valuation (reportedly over $800 billion) and IPO ambitions. Supporters view his stance as defending nonprofit integrity, while critics see it as sour grapes from a competitor whose own xAI is racing in the AI arena.

Regardless of the legal outcome, the case has spotlighted critical questions about trust, governance, and mission drift in the rapidly evolving AI industry. Musk’s willingness to fight on suggests this chapter is far from closed, with broader implications for how charitable organizations—and the tech giants born from them—operate in the future.

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NASA updated Artemis III and SpaceX’s role just got more complicated

SpaceX’s Starship is the key to NASA’s Moon plan and the timeline is already slipping.

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SpaceX has been at the center of NASA’s Moon ambitions for five years, and the updated Artemis III plan recently released by NASA makes that relationship more visible than ever. In April 2021, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.89 billion contract to develop the Starship Human Landing System, selecting it as the sole provider to land astronauts on the Moon under Artemis III. Blue Origin filed legal protests, lost, and eventually received its own contract, but SpaceX was always the program’s primary lander contractor.

The original plan called for Starship to land two astronauts on the lunar south pole. That mission slipped as Starship development ran behind schedule, and in February 2026, NASA officially revised the Artemis III architecture entirely. The mission will now remain in low Earth orbit and serve as a crewed rendezvous and docking test between the Orion spacecraft and both the SpaceX Starship HLS pathfinder and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 pathfinder, with the actual Moon landing pushed to Artemis IV in 2028.

What makes SpaceX’s position particularly significant is the direct line between this week’s Starship V3 launch and the Artemis timeline. The Starship HLS is essentially a modified version of the V3 upper stage, meaning SpaceX cannot realistically prepare a lander for a 2027 docking test until it has demonstrated that the base vehicle flies reliably at scale. Flight 12, targeting this week, is the first data point in that sequence.

SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk

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NASA has spent nearly $7 billion on Human Landing System development since awarding contracts to SpaceX and Blue Origin in 2021 and 2023, and NASA administrator Jared Isaacman has indicated a desire to drive down costs going forward. As Teslarati reported, before Starship HLS can put anyone on the Moon it has to solve a problem no rocket has demonstrated at scale, which is refueling in orbit, requiring approximately ten tanker launches worth of propellant loaded into a depot before the lander has enough fuel to reach the lunar surface.

The Artemis III mission described by NASA is essentially a stress test for every system that needs to work before any of that happens.

SpaceX has gone from a launch contractor to the single most critical hardware provider in America’s return-to-the-Moon program. With an IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation and Elon Musk’s compensation tied directly to Mars colonization, the pressure on every Starship milestone between now and 2028 has never been higher.

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Tesla is making sweeping improvements to Robotaxi

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is continuing to refine and improve its Robotaxi program from A to Z, and it is now going to make some sweeping changes to the smartphone app portion of the suite.

The company is aiming to make some sweeping changes with the release of Robotaxi app version 26.4.5, which was recently decompiled by Tesla App Updates on X. The update reveals significant new code, focused on remote operations, safety protocols, and seamless autonomous ride-hailing.

These improvements evidently signal Tesla’s preparations for scaling unsupervised Cybercab deployments, particularly the steering wheel-less variants spotted in production. The enhancements emphasize providing a reliable experience that gives passengers support when needed, along with operational efficiency.

Remote Operator Voice Calls

One standout addition is support for remote operator voice calls. The app now includes a dedicated native voice-communication system linking passengers directly to Tesla teleoperators via the vehicle’s cabin microphone and speakers.

This feature allows real-time assistance during rides, addressing issues like navigation questions or comfort adjustments without disrupting the autonomous journey. It builds on existing support protocols, making human intervention more accessible and intuitive.

Proactive Remote Assistance

The update introduces proactive remote assistance capabilities. Rather than waiting for passenger-initiated requests, the system can anticipate and offer help based on monitored conditions.

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This might include something like suggesting route changes, climate adjustments, or addressing potential delays. By integrating AI-driven monitoring with human oversight, Tesla aims to deliver a smoother, more attentive experience that exceeds traditional ride-sharing services.

Manual Override and Remote Start for Steering Wheel-less Cybercabs

A key highlight for the wheel-less Cybercab fleet is manual override plus remote start functionality. Fleet operators and technicians can now temporarily take control or remotely start vehicles lacking steering wheels. This is crucial for lower-speed maneuvers, such as getting vehicles from tight parking situations or even performing maintenance.

Controls are strictly limited for safety–typically to speeds under 2 MPH–ensuring these interventions remain emergency measures only.

Tesla is adding a secure “Enable Manual Drive” mode that will allow those fleet operators or others to take control temporarily.

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Additionally, a Remote Start feature, which authorizes an empty vehicle to begin a driverless ride alone.

Ride-Hailing and Dispatch Features

Ride dispatch has been enhanced with soft-matching and multi-stop support. The app can intelligently pair riders with available Cybercabs while accommodating multiple destinations in a single trip.

This optimizes fleet utilization, reduces wait times, and improves efficiency for shared rides. Soft-matching likely considers factors like proximity, rider preferences, and vehicle availability for better user satisfaction.

Rider-Cabin Sync, Real-Time Routing

New synchronization tools allow the rider’s app to mirror and control cabin settings like seating, climate, and entertainment directly from their phone. Real-time routing updates adapt dynamically to traffic or road conditions, while dynamic safety monitoring continuously assesses the environment.

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The app can now push updates directly to the main screen, enabling Center Display Control. Additionally, there is a dedicated navigation protocol sharing the exact coordinates of road closures and construction, which could prevent the car from getting stuck and needing manual override.

These features create a cohesive, responsive experience where the vehicle and app work in harmony.

Kill Switch

A high-security command lets Tesla completely freeze a vehicle’s ability to drive. This would take the vehicle out of the Robotaxi fleet for any reason Tesla sees fit, and would not allow it to be put into gear even with the correct equipment, like valid keys.

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