Twitter user observation sparks investigation by Euro NCAP

Euro NCAP investigating Tesla for potentially modified testing software

Euro NCAP

Tesla hacker Greentheonly recently discovered Tesla added various testing agencies’ names into some of its development software, sparking an investigation by Euro NCAP, Europe’s government-supported organization that thoroughly tests vehicles for safety.

Tesla just added ANCAP support in their code. This is in addition to already existing "I VISTA" (Chinese testing grounds), Euro NCAP and Korea NCAP

One wonders why do it (they also give testing houses one-off builds with the testing house in the name (with tweaked settings?) )

— green (@greentheonly) September 10, 2022

Green found Tesla recently added ANCAP, Australasia’s testing agency, to its software. I VISTA, which is China’s testing grounds, Euro NCAP, and Korea NCAP were already mentioned in the vehicle's code. The addition of ANCAP into the software aligns with Tesla beginning sales of the Model Y in Australasia.

Although Green was able to find these references in Tesla's software, he wasn't able to determine what they're being used for since they're run on Tesla's FSD hardware, which has limited access.

No Evidence of Any Attempt to Cheat

After Green's tweet, Euro NCAP took a closer look at Tesla’s software and their testing results and found no evidence that Tesla attempted to cheat in any of the agencies' tests.

“The integrity of its star-rating scheme is of utmost importance to Euro NCAP and we will continue to do all we can to ensure the rating reflects the safety which consumers can expect from their vehicles,” Aled Williams, Euro NCAP’s program director, told CNN Business. “So far, Euro NCAP’s investigations have not revealed any evidence of an attempt to ‘cheat’ the tests by Tesla.”

Euro NCAP Testing

Tesla does use geofencing to enable and disable its Full Self-Driving software. Notably, the company does this in Toronto, and owners are anticipating Tesla to remove the geofence in version 10.69.3.

“It is possible that GPS location is used to identify that the car is at a specific test track,” Williams added. “It’s one of the possibilities we put to Tesla and they absolutely deny that this is done.”

Others are speculating that adding agencies’ names to the code is likely for Tesla to contain the data at these testing sites. Tesla could gather test data so they can make improvements to both the hardware and software of their fleet.

It's important to note that the vehicle's software could not impact any of Tesla's safety crash tests done by these agencies as all vehicle sensors are covered before crash tests are performed.

The only testing that relies on the vehicle's software is software-assisted tests such as automatic emergency braking, pedestrian avoidance, lane departure, etc.

Tesla would be putting too much at risk by trying to cheat during any of these tests. Their vehicles are already some of the safest vehicles on the road, and they continue to improve their safety by making improvements to seat belt tensioning systems and improving the vehicle's hazard lights.

Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

Not a Tesla App

For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.

Price Increase

The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.

The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series. 

The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.

Free Lifetime Supercharging

For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.

There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.

We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.

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Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.

Optimus is Blind

Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer. 

Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.

Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips. 

What’s Next?

Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.

Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.

There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.

We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.

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