News
Tesla owner’s manuals outside North America hint at FSD beta rollout
Tesla has begun including Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta information in some of its newer owner’s manuals across Europe, China and Australia, further suggesting that the automaker may be inching toward a release of the system beyond North America.
The FSD beta was spotted being tested in Australia and Europe by just a few vehicles earlier this year, and Tesla has been ramping up hiring for the system in China in the past few months. In addition, China debuted a smart expressway for self-driving last month, designed for the use of up to Level 4 driving automation.
On Saturday, Tesla software observer Teslascope pointed out that the automaker has been hinting at the deployment of its FSD beta beyond North America, as details about the software can now be found in newer vehicle manuals from the company in Europe, China, Australia and elsewhere.
Although Tesla has been testing the software outside of North America for years, Teslascope notes that the FSD beta will still require regulatory approval in many countries, even as U.S. officials continue to navigate how to create a regulatory framework around self-driving software.
As a reminder with today’s “hinting” to Full Self-Driving (Beta) outside of North America within Owner’s Manuals, Tesla has been testing their autonomous suite for 2+ years now.
Many countries will require regulator approval, however, we remain confident in expansion soon. https://t.co/tyOkA5jDvN
— Teslascope (@teslascope) November 18, 2023
Credit: Tesla | Model 3 Owner’s Manual in Europe
It’s still not clear when Tesla will be rolling the FSD beta out publicly in these regions, though the addition of the system to its owner’s manuals is definitely not a bad thing.
Other sources have also claimed that Tesla’s FSD beta is set to enter the Chinese market, adding that the company is just waiting to announce the news.
https://twitter.com/bentv_sh/status/1725906555361808877
In each of the owner’s manuals, Tesla notes that “Depending on market region, vehicle configuration, options purchased, and software version, your vehicle may not be equipped with Full Self Driving (Beta) (also referred to as Autosteer on City Streets), or the feature may not operate exactly as described.”
The automaker also details plans to roll the feature out to customers beyond North America gradually, as can be seen below from the manuals.
“As Full Self-Driving (Beta) deployment expands, Tesla will gradually make it available to eligible customers in select countries outside of the United States and Canada,” the automaker writes.
“Because every country contains unique infrastructure, driving behaviors, and traffic patterns that Full Self-Driving (Beta) must adapt to over time, it is essential for drivers using Full Self-Driving (Beta) in newly eligible countries to be extra attentive and overly cautious. You must be ready to take over safely at any time.”
The company also notes that its FSD beta is a “hands-on feature that requires you to pay attention to the road at all times,” rather than offering higher levels of automation that would allow the driver to stop monitoring road conditions.
Last month, Tesla’s FSD beta program reached half a billion cumulative miles driven, ahead of the company’s release of the system’s version 12 in North America, which reportedly will no longer be a beta, according to CEO Elon Musk. It’s not clear exactly when the release will take place, though it’s expected to come soon.
In what seemed to be a joke tinged with self-awareness around Tesla’s failure to stick to rollout deadlines and his many prior claims that software would be released in just two weeks, Musk last week said customers might be able to try out FSD version 12 in “about 2 weeks.”
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
