Tesla upgrades suspension, rear seats and rear doors emergency release

The Tesla Model Y will feature an improved rear seat

Chris Zheng/Twitter

Tesla is now manufacturing non-performance Model Y and Model 3 vehicles with an upgraded suspension, alongside other improvements for 2023.

CEO Elon Musk responded to Twitter user @rhensing’s comment about the Model Y’s suspension being “stiffly sprung and handles more like a car than an SUV.”

“Standard (non-performance) 3 & Y suspension in production now has improved comfort, without affecting handling,” Musk says.

The Model 3 and Model Y’s suspension is arguably not one of the most comfortable, so these upgrades are very much welcomed. My 2021 long-range Model 3’s suspension is not what I expect from a $60,000 vehicle. I feel every rock, pebble, and crack while driving it.

Tesla is also rolling out additional changes for their 2023 model year starting at their Fremont and Shanghai factories.

Back Seat

The 2023 Model Y contains two improvements, among others. According to Chris Zheng, the back seat will now extend out 30mm (1.2 inches) for the left and right passengers, while the middle seat will remain at the same depth. This change appears to be starting in Shanghai with other factories coming later.

Rear Doors Emergency Release

Tesla improved the rear doors emergency release

Tesla

Tesla has also updated the emergency rear door release for the Model Y. Unfortunately, the emergency release is still not readily accessible like the front doors, however, it is now more easily reached.

Getting to the new emergency release requires removing the rubber mat from the rear door pockets and lifting a flap. This will reveal a cable with a handle that when pulled will mechanically unlatch the door.

This change is now in place for the Model Ys produced in Fremont and Shanghai, while other factories are expected to follow suit soon.

It's expected that these two changes will eventually carry over to the Model 3 as well.

Tesla continues to make safety improvements across their models.

Tesla recently announced that it will be pushing an OTA software update to implement Emergency Safety Solutions’ HELP functionality, which stands for Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol. Tesla will be the first automaker to implement the HELP system into their vehicles.

Tesla Builds Cybertruck Tunnel While Production Lines Pause [VIDEO]

Not a Tesla App

Tesla previously told its employees on the Cybertruck production line that work would be halted for three business days and that they would not be required to show up to Giga Texas for any other work. Work was halted on the Cybertruck line from December 3rd until December 6th.

Many speculated that Tesla had hit a demand mark with the Cybertruck or run into other production-related difficulties. However, pausing production for such a short period is a fairly normal business operation, as Tesla continuously retools and upgrades its production lines.

Halts for business demand tend to look more similar to Ford’s F-150 Lightning production halt - where they halted production from November 18, 2024, until January 6, 2025. Ford also announced that this production halt was due to reduced demand for its electric truck in the face of stiffer competition.

Cybertunnel

In this case, part of the reason for the halt could potentially have been due to upgrades to the underground tunnel that is used to move Cybertrucks fresh from the production line to the holding lot at Giga Texas. Tesla has been working on improving the production flow rate for its vehicle - and rather than encountering issues with production, they’ve previously mentioned they’ve had issues with getting vehicles out of their outbound parking lots and off their assembly lines - and into customers’ hands fast enough.

The Cybertunnel moves trucks from inside Giga Texas to the holding lot just outside the factory. At that holding lot, they’re either loaded into trains or trucks to be transported across North America. The tunnel passes underneath Texas Highway 130, helping to ensure that Tesla isn’t clogging up traffic crossing the highway with brand-new trucks.

More Shut Downs?

It’s likely we’ll see even more shutdowns at Giga Texas in the coming months. Tesla has shown that it intends to continue increasing production rates at Giga Texas, which means it will need time to upgrade its assembly lines and processes. In addition, the Model Y is also produced at Giga Texas—and once the Model Y Juniper arrives, there will need to be shutdowns to accommodate re-tooling.

So, no need to stress - it's just regular operations. And we get to see a cool Cyber-themed tunnel too. In the meantime, check out Joe Tegtmeyer’s drone video of Giga Texas below.

Giga Texas on this cold 6 December 2024 morning! Big news with the @boringcompany paving & tunnel covering structure on W side, new mystery construction on W side of GA, continued work on SW corner for tunnel alternate exit & production of both @cybertruck & Model Y today,… pic.twitter.com/94a894ix1I

— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) December 6, 2024

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Tesla to Introduce New Parking Options for FSD: Garages, Driveways, Parking Spots, and Pulling Over

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s FSD V13 introduced a host of new features, including the ability to Unpark itself, travel in reverse, and Park at its destination. While FSD can now navigate itself out of a parking spot or garage, there are limited options when arriving at your destination, but that’s about to change.

Garage Support

Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI, confirmed on X that a future revision of FSD V13 will introduce a variety of parking options, including parking in garages, driveways, parking spots, or simply pulling over on the side of the road. Drivers will presumably be able to pick when choosing a location, or maybe the vehicle will offer suggestions based on the location.

This will be a big addition, as today, FSD doesn’t understand how to park in a garage or driveway. Some owners trick FSD into parking in their driveway by using tape or road paint to outline parking spots.

Soon, that may not be necessary, and instead, FSD will simply back itself into your garage. This feature will probably work best in larger garages—extremely tight garages may not work, given the reduced precision of vision at extremely close distances.

We hope that if Tesla introduces this feature, they’ll sell printable guides you can stick on the garage walls or floor to help ensure your vehicle is in the perfect spot every time. Many commenters mentioned that they park in urban/suburban garages with only inches to spare around their vehicles, so this will be an interesting challenge for Tesla to address.

Parking Garages

Parking garages offer their own unique problem set. For the most part, FSD can already navigate its way out of a parking garage, assuming that there aren’t any special gates or sequenced/signaled signage.

It is also able to find a parking spot in multi-level garages and navigate its way out. More support for multi-level parking garages is coming, as FSD seems to stick to the garage walls until it can find the exit itself. It seems that Tesla’s data gathering and vehicle-to-fleet communication could aid Tesla in figuring out parking garages in terms of knowing the entrances and exits.

FSD 13.2 enters a parking garage. I then park it on the second floor and it escapes the parking garage. I then park it on the snow covered roof and... pic.twitter.com/GxfsldfkUz

— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) December 4, 2024

Other Destination Options

In the Upcoming Improvements section of FSD V13, Tesla mentions that more destination options will be supported, including pulling over (at the side of the road) and parking in a spot, driveway, or garage.

These other destination options are going to be important soon - because one of the biggest FSD features we’re all still waiting for is Banish AutoPark. Once your vehicle can pull over at the entrance of a location and then go park itself, we’re going to be super close to Unsupervised FSD becoming a reality.

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