Tesla Confirms Semi Event, How to Get Invited

Tesla will be holding a delivery event for the Tesla Semi

Tesla

Verified Tesla stock owners are now part of a random draw to attend an event that will change the world. On December 1, Elon Musk will deliver the first Tesla Semis to Pepsi Co. This event will mark the day the trucking industry got shaken up, and the day the transportation business got electrified. Tesla shareholders can be there.

Martin Viecha, Tesla's Head of Investor Relations, tweeted: If you want to attend the Semi delivery event as a retail shareholder, please make sure you have a verified shareholder status on our IR website (unverified manual submissions are eligible if the paperwork is correct). We'll be doing a random draw where 1 share = 1 entry. He also shared the tweet from Tesla announcing the Shareholder Platform, which enables retail traders to verify their Tesla stock in minutes.

Return of the Tesla Event

The event itself is one thing; it also signifies the return of the Tesla experience. Musk and his team have held parties for years to show off some of their new ideas to enthusiasts and fans. Many people responded to Viecha's tweet, hoping to be invited and looking forward to Tesla's latest launch event. Of course, the company would not be holding an event if Musk handed the Tesla keycards to some Pepsi delivery truck drivers. The event could serve as a relaunch. It's been five years since the CEO rolled onto the stage in this massive vehicle he referred to as a beast. Therefore we may require a refresher, and it would be an opportunity for Musk to reiterate all the details of the Semi and how they match or exceed what he promised in 2017.

What We Know About the Semi

Here's a quick recap of what Musk has said the Semi would be able to do. Firstly, it will reach 60 miles per hour in five seconds, 20 seconds at the fully loaded maximum 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. It has a 500-mile range at maximum load weight and highway speeds. Megachargers (already installed at Pepsi in California) take an empty Semi to 70% in 30 minutes; that will be enough for 350 miles and last about six hours of driving.

Musk guaranteed the Semi would not break down for a million miles. He made the promise because of the vehicle's independent drivetrains, should one shut down, the others would take over. It also has thermal nuclear glass, a big deal because windshields are regularly replaced on trucks for safety concerns. That downtime won't impact Tesla's Semi.

These are just a few highlights. More about the Semi can be found in our story, Everything We Know About the Semi. Or you could be one of the lucky shareholders invited to the event on December 1 and find out for yourself.

Rivian to Add Google Cast and Native YouTube App, Will Tesla Respond?

Coming to Rivian vehicles over a software update is Google Cast and YouTube support, which will allow for seamless, high-quality content streaming to Rivian vehicles.

This is a big step forward for Rivian’s software integration, especially compared to Tesla, which has yet to integrate native apps or release the long-rumored Tesla native app store.

Google Cast

Google Cast is Google’s version of Apple AirPlay which is supported in a variety of audio and video streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and more. By using a supported app, a user will be able to cast content directly to Rivian’s main 15.6” center screen.

Like Casting to a TV or Smart Device at home, this will allow you to play, pause, or skip back and forth using the vehicle’s touchscreen. Google Casting automatically pauses when the vehicle shifts into Drive.

Native YouTube App

Alongside Google Cast, Rivian is also bringing a native YouTube app to vehicles, enabling users to access YouTube’s video and music library from anywhere with a data connection. These features will be integrated right into Rivian’s vehicle operating system, which means they will receive regular software updates, and not be reliant on browser-based capabilities.

Similar to casting content, YouTube content will also automatically pause when the vehicle is shifted into Drive.

Tesla Equivalents

For the time being, there is no way to AirPlay or Cast video from a phone or tablet to Tesla’s front or rear screens. However, for some apps such as YouTube, you can send the video URL to the vehicle and have it open the YouTube app to that video.

To do this, open the YouTube app and find a video. Once you’d like to share it with the vehicle you can tap on share. You’ll then need to share it with the Tesla app which will then send it to your vehicle. On iPhones this requires you to scroll to the right and tap on More, which brings up the native sharing screen and has the Tesla app.

However, this is far more limited than including AirPlay or Google Cast support which will work for practically and video, even personal videos in your photo library.

Elon Musk mentioned back in 2016 that Tesla would add mirroring of phone apps to the center screen, but that has yet to materialize. More recently Musk mentioned a native X App coming to Tesla vehicles.

Tesla Theater

Tesla Theater allows users to stream videos from various platforms, including YouTube, but these are web-based applications, with no native applications available. This leaves some marked limitations on usability.

Tesla most recently announced in their 2024.14 update that the browser will be able to be expanded to full-screen mode when parked, enabling more access to streaming services on the web. Meanwhile, Google Cast and Apple Airplay continue to remain highly requested features.

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Tesla FSD V12.4 - Features and Release Date

The greatly anticipated FSD v12.4 is around the corner, with Elon Musk mentioning that it will be going to employees this weekend, with limited external testers next week.

Several significant improvements are coming with V12.4, which is being compared to the leap in performance that was previously seen between V12 and V11.

Improved Comfort and Reduced Interventions

There are quite a few improvements expected with V12.4, which Musk has said will be focused on user comfort by reducing hard accelerations and sudden braking. According to Musk, FSD v12.4 is also expected to have a 5-10x improvement in time between user interventions, which means that Tesla is rapidly approaching its goal for the Robotaxi announcement on August 8, 2024.

Steering Wheel Nag Removal

FSD V12.4 is expected to eliminate the steering wheel nag, as Musk confirmed its removal last week. The camera-based driver monitoring system will be taking over, providing a hands-free experience. These improvements will most likely benefit owners who have cabin cameras with infrared lights the most, while Tesla may continue to use steering wheel nag as a fallback mechanism.

Driverless Autopark

The second key feature that may be included in v12.4 will be Banish Autopark, previously known as Reverse Summon, allowing you to choose a parking spot, exit the vehicle and have the car park itself. Whether this feature makes it in v12.4 is yet to be seen, but Musk has mentioned that parking without a driver is coming soon.

Automatically Seek Parking Spot at Destination

Finally, your Tesla will now traverse a parking lot and automatically enter Autopark mode when arriving at a destination, according to a post from Musk.

Eligibility and Branch

Tesla recently added FSD v12.3.6 to the 2024.14 branch with updates 2024.14.5 and 2024.14.6. This makes it very likely that Tesla’s next FSD version will also be based on 2024.14, meaning that it will be available to any vehicle on 2024.14.x.

For users on update 2024.3.25, this means that they’ll receive all of the features included in updates 2024.8 and 2024.14, which should make it a massive update.

Release Date

Musk has mentioned that FSD V12.4 is going out to employee vehicles for internal testing this weekend, with external testing starting next week. The rollouts typically go slower than predicted but looks like we may see this begin shipping to customers by the end of the month.

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