# Beta software update question



## jdfphoto (Oct 20, 2020)

Our new 2020 M3 LR AWD is equipped with EAP which has Navigate on Autopilot (Beta), Auto Steer (Beta) and Trip Planner (Beta).

Will these become non-Beta as the firmware is updated?


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

Nobody knows. ALL of AP and it's assorted derivatives have been, and continue to be, ßeta ware since day 1.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

May be in a few years. They have to be proven reliable and jurisdictions have to approve them.


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## pjfw8 (Apr 28, 2016)

jdfphoto said:


> Our new 2020 M3 LR AWD is equipped with EAP which has Navigate on Autopilot (Beta), Auto Steer (Beta) and Trip Planner (Beta).
> 
> Will these become non-Beta as the firmware is updated?


They will when the lawyer retires.


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## M3OC Rules (Nov 18, 2016)

Beta is overused. Its beta if it fails but they have no problem charging for it. I would ignore the term and familiarize yourself with how well the features work and decide if they are good enough for you.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

M3OC Rules said:


> Beta is overused. Its beta if it fails but they have no problem charging for it. I would ignore the term and familiarize yourself with how well the features work and decide if they are good enough for you.


I believe that you are looking at it from the wrong direction.

Take a look at it from the legal perspective. While in Beta, YOU are the driver, not the car.


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## M3OC Rules (Nov 18, 2016)

Ed Woodrick said:


> I believe that you are looking at it from the wrong direction.
> 
> Take a look at it from the legal perspective. While in Beta, YOU are the driver, not the car.


The question was not relating to FSD so that doesn't apply here.

I would do a thought experiment and try to come up with a definition of beta that makes sense for all of Tesla's beta products. I think the use of beta would be more likely to provide legal protection if it was used sparingly but I'm not a lawyer. The idea you can put beta on all your software and absolve yourself off liability seems a little too easy.

Tesla takes it one step further. They say don't use this on city streets and then charge for features that only work on city streets. Good luck lawyers.

Maybe Tesla uses beta to mean we're still working on it. But that starts to lose meaning over time because when are you going to stop working on it. Gmail was beta for like 10 years. Tesla is similarly not expecting people to wait until they drop the beta label to use it. They are useful features but they aren't fool proof. You need to use them carefully until you experience what they do well and don't do well.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

M3OC Rules said:


> The question was not relating to FSD so that doesn't apply here.
> 
> I would do a thought experiment and try to come up with a definition of beta that makes sense for all of Tesla's beta products. I think the use of beta would be more likely to provide legal protection if it was used sparingly but I'm not a lawyer. The idea you can put beta on all your software and absolve yourself off liability seems a little too easy.
> 
> ...


Except that it does apply. It's one piece of software that changes periodically. It's the same vision and decision systems running everything.


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