Ten months after its premiere, the Tesla Cybertruck finally gains fully autonomous driving capabilities

A select few Tesla Cybertruck owners have taken to forums to boast that their vehicles have finally achieved full autonomous driving (FSD) capabilities – technology that was promised with the much-delayed truck at launch, but has since been awaiting delivery it took ten months.

Posting on cybertruckownersclub.com, one user uploaded a short video of the Cybertruck seemingly driving around the city at night with its hands on the steering wheel for over a minute.

The owner then wrote: “Boys and girls, the wait is finally over! This is really happening! It’s already here! And it’s spectacular!” next to the clip.

However, many customers were dissatisfied with the long wait they had to wait for the technology, which was sold as part of the limited edition Foundation Series vehicles.

Earlier this month, Tesla said the Cybertruck would also gain an automatic parking feature, but many models still lack the most basic Auto Pilot-assisted cruise control, as well as the flashier True Smart Summoning (ASS) features that some influential owners have gained access to Model 3 by the beginning of this month.

(Image source: Wiki)

However, the company has bided its time, implementing the latest version of its FSD software to ensure it works seamlessly with the Cybertruck – overall, a much larger and more complex vehicle than any other vehicle in Tesla’s stable.

After all, Tesla’s Autopilot features and various levels of “supervised” autonomous driving modes have come under fire in recent years, with U.S. auto safety regulators claiming to have identified at least 13 fatal crashes in which the Autopilot feature was involved since the conclusion of their investigations. According to The Guardian, the premiere is scheduled for 2021.

Even though it runs on the latest version of FSD 12.5.5 (most Teslas run FSD 12.5.4), there is a caveat that this remains an “early access” version of the software, which means not all owners will receive it and that it may there may be some bugs that still need to be fixed. As a result, it mainly targets Tesla employees and early access testers, according to NotaTeslaApp, a prominent Tesla software tracking website.

There is no information on a wider rollout of the update, only that it is expected to arrive in the coming weeks for remaining Foundation Series Cybertruck owners who received the Full Self-Driving feature as part of the Limited Edition package.

In the future, this technology will likely become an optional extra, as it currently does when designing and specifying other models in the Tesla lineup.

Patience is a virtue… when you own a Tesla

(Photo: Tesla)

Tesla is unique in that many of its customers eagerly await the arrival of features promised at launch. Worse still, the company appears to be prioritizing, often making software updates available first to VIPs and other influential owners.

But it’s not just the software that requires a great deal of patience and restraint from owners, as the Cybertruck also ships without hubcaps, with many customers still waiting to receive them.

Similarly, with the range extender battery, many customers have paid a non-refundable deposit and signed up to the waiting list, but production has been pushed back to early 2025, so the wait could be over a year.

Again, the Lightbar off-road accessory, which mounts to the top of the windshield and must be installed by a Tesla service center, has been promised several times but still hasn’t shipped to many customers.

While many early adopters are happy to wait, feeling part of Tesla’s exclusive club, the same is rarely true for the wider public. Overpromising and underdelivering are rarely considered strong sales tactics.