Tesla's FSD Beta 9 Is Here And Testers Are Mostly Impressed

Tesla Inc TSLA is working towards fully autonomous cars. The company says every car it sells today comes with the hardware necessary for full self-driving; the software just needs to catch up to the task.

Tesla says an optional software package called "Full Self Driving" for $10,000 that allows the vehicles to make more advanced moves on the road.

Tesla has rolled its FSDBeta program out to a small set of testers who have been sharing their thoughts and experiences across social media. The software has recently been updated to FSD Beta Version 9, which removes the use of radar and relies solely on the car's eight exterior cameras.

Tesla updated the visuals on the in-car display, and people are enjoying the new look. The car can display people, cars, trucks, bikes and even dogs.

#TeslaVision can indeed see dogs! @elonmusk #FSDBeta #FSDBeta9 pic.twitter.com/6bCd22J0GL

— Dave Mac (@CGDaveMac) July 10, 2021

Testers are describing the experience as smoother and more confident, noting that the cars, which still aren't fully autonomous, have become better at decision making in many instances.

More confident. Smoother. Fewer disengagement’s. Amazing new UI graphics. Needs an update or two before wide release. I have zero doubt that @elonmusk and @karpathy will reach FSD #FSDBeta V9 pic.twitter.com/wkGJIoygOx

On YouTube, videos are showing the V9 update in action. A video from YouTube channel Dirty Tesla shows the software successfully navigate a dirt road in the dark of night, successfully completing a left turn.

Another video from James Locke shows a drive from Santa Clarita to Northridge California. The car is able to handle most of the drive on its own, with the driver present monitoring the car and correcting few mistakes.

"Overall FSD Beta v9 did VERY well. It wasn't a perfect drive but we both were super impressed with the behavior and performance of the current FSD beta," James wrote in the description of the video.

But Tesla's FSD Beta V9 is not great for everyone. A video by channel HyperChange shows the Tesla trying to drive into a large concrete pillar around the 17-minute mark in the video. But the driver is doing their job, and stops the car from making the incorrect move.

Benzinga's Take: Overall, Tesla's Version 9 update of FSD Beta seems to be impressing drivers, while showing it's still not quite ready for wide release. Elon Musk said on Twitter that if this release goes well, a wider release for the general public could commence in about a month or so.