Tesla released the beta testing version of its new Full Self-Driving suite last week, and it has already started pulling a lot of data from the vehicles using the feature. The company mentioned that the data used from this beta testing will be used for improving the neural networks for the self-driving features. The amount of data they got is so high, that they are already planning an update to the test version.
Tesla Is Collecting Huge Amount of Data Through FSD Testing
Connectivity – Tesla’s Way Forward
Connectivity has always been Tesla’s forte, with all vehicles connected to the Mothership server of the company. They always use data from different vehicles to strengthen their software. This means that the software inside your car already has an idea about the surroundings of an area, even if you are going there for the first time. Through the use of this connectivity, Tesla can improve the features, mainly the Autopilot.
Tesla began asking customers permission to use data recorded by the sensors and cameras in 2017 when Autopilot was updated. This opened the floodgates for the company’s data gathering. A lot of data can be collected by the sensors in the vehicles, and it is important to use it efficiently. The connectivity of every Tesla vehicle to the Mothership server helps the company build algorithms for your car through the experiences of other vehicles.
While this data gathering is voluntary, most customers do not mind allowing them to use this data, as it is only going to help the software get better. Through this data collection process, Tesla is able to detect various actions taken by the driver. This includes times when the driver had to intervene while the car was being self-driven. That data helps Tesla understand when the driver feels that the technology might not work, and improve the software accordingly.
Collecting Relevant Data
Tesla customers can get an idea of the amount of data that the company is pulling by monitoring their WiFi connection. Of course, the number of beta testers right now is quite small, but that number is set to increase. Tesla has already announced that they are hoping for a wider release by the end of the year. And even if they don’t, they are already pulling a lot of data from the existing users.
One of the beta testers went on Twitter to state that his car uploaded close to 4 GB of data after a day of full self-driving. He also mentioned that his car uploaded the data at an upload speed of 22 MBPS as well.
Just got home after a solid day of beta FSD driving and the car is uploading like mad! 22.8 Mbps upload rate right now with 3.9GB already uploaded back to the Tesla mothership. ?
— James Locke (@arctechinc) October 24, 2020
That is a huge amount of data being pulled from one vehicle. It seems like Tesla is working really hard on making this FSD suite work as well as possible. The company is already pushing for improvements less than a week after the release of the beta version. That is definitely a good sign. Of course, what part of this data is actually relevant to the updates is unknown at the time. Tesla will also have to make use of this data properly, and decide how they want to feed the data into the neural networks.
Currently, things seem to be going well for the Californian automaker. They are already making improvements, and are ready to launch an update to the beta version. Collecting data is good, but collecting relevant data, like when the driver has to intervene, is important. Let’s see what Tesla comes up with now and whether they stick to their announcement of having a wider release by end of the year.
