Tesla has now reportedly rebuilt parts of their in-car audio player using HTML, Javascript and CSS, but what exactly does that mean? Could this change mean more music streaming services coming down the pipeline? If so, we may see Amazon Music, Pandora, and other audio streaming services added to Tesla’s vehicles in an upcoming software update.
Tesla launched Apple Music integration in their vehicles with the 2022 holiday update and according to Tesla hacker Greentheonly, parts of the music player have been rebuilt using web technologies.
Apple Music appears to be the only music service utilizing the new player at this moment, but it appears that Tesla is transitioning Spotify to their web-based player as well. The HTML-based audio player interface is almost identical to the native audio player in terms of design and behavior except for some small design changes.
While Apple Music is the only audio service leveraging Chromium for its interface, we believe Tesla will move all their music services to leverage this new player.
Why Use a HTML Player?
So the question is why move to an HTML-based player when Tesla already has a working audio player and there are downsides to web-based apps, such as reduced performance?
The answer is development time and ease of updating. While web apps aren't a good choice for intensive tasks, a simple audio player could be.
Developing web software is usually much quicker and easier when compared to developing in a native language such as C or C++. The user interface is quicker to build and changes can also be implemented faster.
Since most streaming services like YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM and many others already offer web-based players, adapting these to work in Tesla's web player is a much easier process than porting the music service to work in another language. The APIs, streaming protocols and all the details needed are already available in these web apps and Tesla just needs to adapt the application to work with their user interface.
Web applications also have the advantage of downloading new data when a user connects, so it’s much easier to roll out new features, updates and bug fixes. A web-based solution doesn’t require the end user to download a software update either, so Tesla can fix any issues on the fly.
Video Streaming
When Tesla rolled out their video streaming services in Tesla Theater, they took the web route and loaded the streaming service’s website in a Chromeless browser, creating almost zero development for the Tesla team. They leveraged what each streaming service already provides on the web and made it available in the car.
For audio, it's a similar concept, except Tesla wants to provide a consistent user interface regardless if you're listening to TuneIn, SiriusXM or Spotify. To do this Tesla still needs an additional layer that connects the audio controls to their UI, but the effort required is greatly reduced.
This change to leveraging the vehicle's browser to render more parts of the Tesla interface could be the reason why we've seen so many performance improvements to Tesla's Chromium-based browser.
New Music Services
With this upgrade and transition already taking place, I'd be surprised if we didn't start to see the addition of many music streaming services integrated with Tesla’s vehicles in the near future.
This could mean that we may see additional music services such as YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and even a streaming version of SiriusXM in the near future.
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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.
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.
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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