Tesla Releases FSD v12.4: New Vision Attention Monitoring, Improved Strike System With Update 2024.9.5 (2024)

Tesla has just rolled out its latest FSD software, v12.4 to employees. Elon Musk announced that this update would be available to employees this past weekend, with plans to release it to the public in small numbers later this week.

Surprisingly, the new update is version 2024.9.5, which is likely based on the earlier 2024.8 branch and not Tesla's latest 2024.14. The spring update (2024.14) brings various new features such as a new media player, a new parked visualization, Audible support, and a Preview of Sentry Mode events, among others.

However, FSD v12.4 brings itsownexcitement with two new major changes.

Vision-Based Attention Monitoring

The release notes show a new Vision-Based Attention Monitoring feature that replaces the steering wheel nag as Musk previously mentioned.

However, as we predicted, Tesla will still leverage the steering wheel to detect attentiveness when the cabin camera is inconclusive.

The car can only rely on the vehicle's cabin camera, and therefore remove the steering wheel nag under certain conditions:

• the camera is not occluded

• there is sufficient lighting

• the driver is looking forward

• the driver is not wearing sunglasses

• the driver is not wearing a low-brim hat or another object that covers their eyes

If any of these situations occur, or if the vehicle doesn't have a cabin camera, then the vehicle will continue to use the steering wheel to determine driver attention.

Tesla is careful to state that images and video from the cabin camera are not saved or transmitted unless you enable data sharing.

Updated Strike System

With FSD v12.4, Tesla has also updated its Autopilot Suspension feature which is designed to enforce the responsible use of FSD.

The current system lets the driver receive up to five strikes (three strikes for vehicles without a cabin camera)before Autopilot and FSD become unavailable. If that happens, then FSD is unavailable for one week. Strikes are only removed once the driver has accrued five strikes, or when Tesla wipes out strikes for everyone, which happens about twice a year.

The new system is more gracious about removing strikes. The vehicle will continue to issue strikes whenever the driver isn't paying attention, however, now the vehicle will gradually remove strikes for the driver after a certainperiod of time.

Tesla states that one strike will be removed foreach 7-day periodthe driver goes without receiving a strike. So if FSD gets disabled due to strikes, the driver will still go one week without FSD, although now strikes are removed on an ongoing basis. This new strike system is expected to apply tovehicleswith and without a cabin camera.

Other New Features

Other new features areexpected in FSD 12.4 as well, which we outlined in our look at Tesla's FSD v12.4 article.

They include a focus on improved driver comfort by reducing the amount of hard braking, automatically seeking a parking spot when arriving at a destinationandmore. Driver interventions are also expected to be drastically reduced with Musk stating that Tesla expects to see a 5-10x improvementin interventions.

Eligibility

Unfortunately, due to FSD v12.4 being on branch 2024.9, it's expected to only be available to owners on update 2024.8 and below, which includes everyone currently on update 2024.3.25.

If no major issues are found with FSD v12.4, we could see it start to roll out to the public later this week.

Tesla recently cut Model Y output in China, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), Tesla’s production of the Model Y in China experienced a decline of approximately 18% in March, and 33% in April, versus the same time last year.

Output Cuts

These output cuts can be attributed to Tesla’s recent decision to reduce production of the Model Y at Giga Shanghai by at least 20% from March to June 2024. This was attributed to an unnamed Spokesperson by Reuters last week.

This decision could be multifaceted – the primary reason being an economic slowdown in China as price wars continue to be waged between EV manufacturers, including Tesla. On the flipside, Tesla has continued its production of the updated 2024 Model 3, colloquially referred to as the Highland, with an increase of 10%.

Project Juniper?

The second reason for this slowdown could be the incoming arrival of the Model Y refresh – also known as Project Juniper. Tesla China has already introduced an updated Model Y with a unique cloth dash with similar ambient lighting as the Model 3.

The Model 3 Highland was also introduced in China before its introduction to other markets, including North America and Europe.

Juniper Upgrade Speculation

Not much has been seen about Project Juniper at this time, but we can expect a similar suite of upgrades that match the updated 2024 Model 3 Highland – including a new front fascia design, updated doors and dynamics, steering updates, improved control arms, ambient lighting, new seats, and improved range.

There is a continued expectation that Tesla is pushing back its Model Y refresh – its best-selling vehicle – to make a bigger splash. This could include newer features – like the Cybertruck’s Steer-by-Wire, front camera, or other upgrades and changes – like the lack of stalks on the rest of the Tesla line-up.

Tesla previously confirmed we’re not seeing the Juniper Y this year, this could be the time needed to retool and upgrade lines to prepare for its introduction sometime next year.

Every Tesla update comes filled with smaller improvements that go unlisted in the official release notes. Tesla update 2024.14 was a huge update that brought several new designs such as the new parked visualization and an improved media player, but it also brought a record of 22 changes that went undocumented.

If you love following Tesla software and the changes in each update, you’ll enjoy this list.

Entertainment Apps UI

Tesla Theater, Toybox and Arcade were all part of the "Entertainment" app, even though there were separate icons for each of these services.

With this update, the tabs at the top that let you quickly jump from Arcade to Toybox and Theater have been removed across the three entertainment apps to provide a more streamlined look.

Tesla Theater UI

Tesla Theater app icons have been updated to be much larger. At the top it now says Tesla Theater in large letters to clarify which app you’re in. The icons are now at the bottom of the screen and the app names below the icons have also been removed.

Navigation Path

When using the navigation system, the route's path will now turn gray for areas that your vehicle has already completed.

If your vehicle has Premium Connectivity, the path's color ahead of your vehicle will continue to be based on traffic density. If you're not subscribed to Premium Connectivity, then the path will remain blue, while the path behind your vehicle will turn gray.

This is a nice to have improvement which makes it easier to navigate areas where the paths cross.

Driver Profile

When adding a new Driver profile, Tesla now displays a graphic that encourages users to add a driver profile through the Tesla app, which makes it a cloud-based Tesla Profile. A cloud profile is stored on Tesla's servers and lets you sync and use your profile across your other Tesla vehicles, loaner vehicles or Tesla rentals.

You can still create a local profile that is limited to the vehicle that it's created on.

Cybertruck New Feature Icon

The blue icon that highlights new or improved features after a Tesla update has been updated for the Cybertruck. It's now a simple square that matches the Cybertruck's design.

FSD Version in App

With Tesla car update 2024.14 or higher, the app will now display the FSD version at the bottom of the app.

Tesla has slowly been adding more software version information to the app. It now displays:

V12 - The vehicle's software version, which is only incremented with large user interface changes. Think of this like Windows 11

2024.14.6 - The vehicle's specific update version, much like one of Windows major updates

FSD 12.3.6 - FSD version number. This could be thought of as the version of Chrome that your vehicle is using.

Vehicle Visualization

When you're parked and rotate the vehicle in the visualization, there are now dots that you can touch that reveal buttons to access various parts of the vehicle such as the frunk, trunk or charge port.

Vehicles with Intel processors also get the new buttons in this visualization.

Nav App

There's a new icon for the navigation app. The app is available in the All Apps menu and can be pinned to the dock at the bottom of the screen.

Instead of having to minimize apps by swiping down, or tapping the icon for the app that's open, users can now simply tap the Nav icon to go back to Tesla's navigation screen.

Climate Icon

In the All Apps menu, there is now a Climate icon that you can add to your vehicle's dock. Tapping the button brings up the vehicle's climate menu and is an alternative to tapping the climate temperature.

This may be a new default icon that is placed in the vehicle to make it more obvious to new owners how to access the climate controls.

Explicit Apple Music Content

The Explicit Content setting under Audio Settings > Options now also applies to Apple Music in addition to “Streaming” and Apple Podcasts. This is a nice addition for those with young kids.

Pedals & Steering Menu Updated

The Pedals & Steering Menu is now called Dynamics- which lets you set your acceleration and regeneration levels, stopping mode and more.

Steering Mode has been renamed 'Steering Weight,' and the choices are now Light, Standard and Heavy instead of the previous, Comfort, Standard and Sport. The functionality remains the same.

Quick Controls Updated

The Controls menu has been updated to make it easier to find and select various options. The glovebox option has been moved down to make the buttons for Fold Mirrors, Child Lock and Window Lock larger.

The wiper controls now have Off and Auto next to each other instead of at opposite corners. Car Wash Mode has been added to the list of options for the Model 3 and Model Y.

Search Menus

The search box in settings has been moved to the top of the menu instead of being the first section.

This creates some additional space and makes the search box persistent since you can now scroll through the sections, which have included WiFi and Bluetooth since update 2024.8.

Sentry Mode Video

When a Sentry Mode event is detected, it will now create a one-minute event video file called event.mp4 on your USB drive.

This one-minute video is in addition to the other video files that are already created when there's a Sentry Mode event. It's also the same video that is available in the Tesla app when a Sentry Mode event occurs.

New Media Player

There’s a new media player that’s larger and easier to use. By increasing the size of the media player, Tesla is now able to fit additional options that were hidden previously, such as EQ and audio settings, the search button and shuffle and repeat options.

The new media player appears while the vehicle is parked, driving or while the visualizations are in full-screen mode.

The media player can be minimized as before, but it now remains in the visualization area as a small strip incase of going down into the dock.

Status Bar Icons

The status bar icons have been rearranged when parked so that the driver profile, WiFi and Sentry Mode icons are closer to the driver and the time and temperature readings are further to the right.

New Auto Shift User Interface

The Auto Shift user interface has been updated to be more compact so that it doesn't take up the entire left side of the screen.

It now leaves room above for the gear indicator and doesn't go all the way down to allow for a larger media player.

Charging Display

While your vehicle is charging, the screen will now display additional information about the vehicle's charging status.

It includes the charge limit, current power, total energy added, number of phases, and the current amperage and voltage.

There is also a new animation on the left side where the new power meter appears while driving. This vertical line mimics the vertical green lights on Tesla's Wall Connector that scroll up and down while the vehicle is charging.

Pause Trunk Opening

In the vehicle's new visualization, after you tap Open Trunk, you'll now be given the option to "Pause" the trunk opening so that it remains open to the current height.

This could be useful when opening the trunk where there may not be enough overhead space.

You can always set the maximum height for the trunk to open, limiting how far the trunk lid goes up whenever you're at that specific location.

This feature is also available on vehicles with Intel processors as long as the vehicle contains a powered trunk.

Larger Speedometer

The font size of the speedometer has been increased, making it easier to see.

Regen Meter

The power/regeneration bar in the Model 3 and Model Y is now placed vertically along the left side of the screen instead of horizontally on top.

Improved Autopilot Visualizations

Autopilot visualizations have been improved while in the standard view or full-screen. The vehicle will now detect and display more vehicles as well as showing when a vehicle's turn signals or brake lights are on.

Improved visualizations are available on Intel and AMD vehicles.

Videos

You can also check out videos of the best Tesla features in update 2024.14, including a look at the improved wiper controls in this update.

We also have a closer look at the changes to Auto Shift for the new Model 3 and an in-depth look at the changes to the improved media player.