Elon Musk’s Tesla has been in the news regularly and every time it gets featured, it is generally for stepping up the benchmark for other car manufacturers. Tesla has the best electric cars coming out of its factory and every time, they try to raise the standards even higher to deliver a stunning experience to their users.
The latest set of updates by Tesla is one of the largest update collections ever released by the company for its cars. Focussing mostly on the software aspect, this set of updates comprises a host of new and amazing features and UI improvements. From the hardware perspective, there is the inclusion of new technology. These updates include features such as car wash mode, Disney+, range display, mirror auto-dim, Wi-Fi hotspot, etc. Targeting the improvement in both ownership and in-car experience for buyers, let us discuss and understand each update in detail.
Tesla Car Wash Mode
Earlier there was a problem with the automatic car wash mode where users complained that if the windshield wipers were not disabled manually, they would get activated automatically along with the charging port, which can be opened with only touch and hence in danger of getting damaged.
In the new Car Wash Mode, Tesla has grouped the entire set of cleaning functions by adding “Screen Clean Mode” as an option. This keeps the car user from unintentionally triggering options while cleaning the car. If the user wants to reactivate it, they just need to press the button for three seconds.
Another option is for folding the mirrors so that the user does not have to navigate to another configuration menu for the same. This is because Tesla models do not come with physical buttons on the console for mirror configuration. This has to be managed from the screen.
Finally, the mode also gives the user information on how to enable the “free roll” feature for an automatic car wash. This is done by pressing the brake and releasing “D”. It will shift the car into neutral gear and prevent the automatic engaging of the parking brake if the driver chooses to exit the car.
Disney+
The company has an in-car app by the name of Tesla Theatre that allows users to stream content from Netflix and Youtube. Now the users can also avail Disney+’s streaming service in addition to what is already present.
Tesla Range Display
The battery range display was a problematic issue for Tesla users as they had to get into system preferences if they wanted to change the view from how much battery percentage is remaining in the vehicle to the approximate kilometer range remaining on current battery power, or vice versa.
With the latest update, users can simply tap on the screen to choose either the percentage or the kilometer range value and it will display the selected value on the console. Clicking on the battery icon will also allow the user to access all charging options available.
The minor issue with this update is that the numbers and icons are too close to each other which might cause the user to press the battery icon instead of the value.
Mirror Auto Dim
Mirror Auto Dim is a feature where the vehicle software performs automatic calculation to avoid the Troxler effect – when the lights of the vehicle behind ours dazzle us if we look into the rearview mirror. This is done by taking three aspects into consideration:
- Analyzing the time of the day and the vehicle’s GPS position, in addition to some more metrics
- If the auto-dim setting was in automatic mode, it would get activated as soon as it got dark and the headlights of the vehicle behind ours got switched on
- If the vehicle is in gear and both the aforementioned conditions are met, mirror auto dim would get activated
The Troxler effect is an irritation to drivers while driving at night and the previous version of the auto-dim feature was a danger during night driving for many users. To make night driving safer, Tesla’s latest update will now allow users to deactivate the auto-dim feature.
Wi-Fi Hotspot
Before the rollout of the update, Tesla users not having the premium connectivity subscription had to connect their car to the Wi-Fi hotspot of their mobile phone. The problem with this feature was that the connection got terminated automatically whenever they started driving, thus requiring them to reconnect to the mobile hotspot. This problem was compounded by the fact that if you stopped your vehicle while reconnecting the Wi-Fi hotspot and then put the vehicle in gear, it would again get disconnected.
Fortunately for Tesla owners, this problem has now been resolved.
Dashcam Improvements
Previously, to save an event, drivers had to manually press the dashcam icon. The latest update will allow the integrated dashcam of Tesla cars to automatically start recording.
Since these improvements are too technical and complicated to understand, Tesla did not explain these changes in detail. Though, it means that there are certain improvements in terms of surveillance cams, although it is possible that the features exposed might already be in use in previous versions.
Tesla has also reaffirmed to its users that the recordings are stored locally inside the vehicle and there is no way that the company can access the recordings. This ensures that user privacy is maintained.
Addition of New Languages
Since Tesla is aggressively expanding into other international markets, three new languages have been added to the user interface – Russian, Romanian, and Hungarian.
Full Self Driving (FSD) Beta 10.2
With this latest self-driving software update, Tesla cars can now virtually drive themselves on both city streets and highways by just entering a destination location in the car’s navigation system. This doesn’t mean that manual supervision is not required. In fact, the update is still considered a level-2 driver assist and requires the driver to have their hands on the steering wheel at all times, ready to take control if required.
Tesla has really upped the ante with this latest update release as some major problems have been resolved while some new features have also been offered to the users. This has caused other car manufacturers to go into a frenzy as they have to be quick on their heels if they want to compete with Tesla in the electric vehicle segment.
Elon Musk is changing the future of driving with his Tesla brand and with the hyper-aggressive expansion of its operations, Tesla has become a global player in the consumer car segment, competing with top global brands.
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