How Tesla Should Handle Nag Removal Concern From NHTSA and Transport Canada

NHTSA and Transport Canada are concerned about Tesla's removal of the Autopilot 'nag' screen

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On the day that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released information about roadway fatalities, reporters were more interested in anything Tesla-related. Reuters stated the acting head of the NHTSA, Ann Carlson, made “comments to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Washington.” Those sideline comments were regarding the government’s review of crashes involving Teslas and the possibility of removing the steer wheel “nag” for Autopilot.

By the way, the NHTSA reported that fatalities due to car crashes in the United States appear to be leveling off after dramatic increases over the last two years. But back to Tesla.

Carlson told reporters that the government agency is investing a lot of resources in the Autopilot investigation that started in August of 2021. The acting head told Reuters, “The resources require a lot of technical expertise, actually some legal novelty, and so we're moving as quickly as we can, but we also want to be careful and make sure we have all the information we need."

Autopilot Changes are Coming

Part of the review is also said to investigate if drivers are paying attention when operating Tesla vehicles in Autopilot. The onboard alert system that assesses driver awareness has been activated in several crashes that the agency is investigating, which is why Carlson took particular interest in Elon Musk's recent tweet.

As we reported, Musk responded to a tweet from @WholeMarsBlog asking users with more than 10,000 FSD miles driven could have the option to disable the “tedious steering wheel nag.” Musk responded, "Agreed, update coming in Jan."

Carlson told reporters, “A very extensive investigation ongoing... We are in conversations with Tesla about this latest communication."

Removing the Nag

Musk also recently tweeted that a significant Full Self Driving update was coming in two weeks, including many major improvements. Given the timeline, this change to the steer wheel tension could be part of the FSD Beta V11.3 update. Therefore, it makes sense that the NHTSA has been in contact with Tesla. The results of its investigation could significantly impact the future of the autonomous vehicle vision that Musk has been working toward for years.

According to a recent tweet from DirtyTesla, he states a source told him that Transport Canada is already considering disallowing FSD Beta in Canada and that the removal of the steering wheel 'nag' could be the deciding factor.

DirtyTesla shared the message on Twitter:

"Transport Canada has been close to recommending they pull the plug on Beta in Canada because they don’t feel testing beta software with road users is safe. If the nag is removed they will most likely recommend it be pulled."

What Tesla Should Do

Tesla's reliance on detecting force being applied to the steering wheel was never a great solution. It doesn't provide continuous monitoring and it doesn't always properly detect resistance on the wheel, causing a lot of "not paying attention" prompts.

It sounds like Tesla is already in talks with the NHTSA, so we are hopeful that they're reaching an agreement they both feel good about. Other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as BlueCruise already have hands-free driving on select highways. BlueCruise only monitors driver behavior through a camera similar to Tesla's in-cabin camera.

Instead of Tesla phrasing this as the 'removal of the steering wheel nag,' they should state that they'll be transitioning to better driver monitoring by leveraging their cabin camera and machine learning. Tesla launched vison-based driver monitoring two years ago. There have undoubtedly been improvements and they should state that they're now ready to transition to a system that allows improved monitoring while also reducing the need to 'nag' drivers at specific intervals.

Over the past seven years, the NHTSA has conducted nearly 40 special investigations where authorities suspected Autopilot was in use so their concern is understood, however, Tesla could do better to put them at ease.

Tesla Improves Wrap Services: Switches to Vinyl, Cuts Prices Drastically, Adds New Colors and Expands Availability

Not a Tesla App

After canceling the in-house wrap program for the Cybertruck last month, Tesla has reintroduced the program with a lot of changes. Let’s take a look at the original program, then we’ll dive into what’s changed.

Tesla began the wrap program for the Model 3 and Model Y in the fall of 2023. With the arrival of the Cybertruck, Tesla launched Matte Black and Satin White options for the Cybertruck and later added 11 more colors.

Tesla initially offered high-quality PPF (Paint Protection Film) wraps, which protect the paint in addition to changing the color of the vehicle. PPF is thicker than traditional vinyl wraps, but the material costs more and is more time-consuming to apply.

Tesla’s updated program switches away from PPF wraps and now offers traditional vinyl wraps at a cheaper price. This makes Tesla’s wrap service more comparable to third-party installers.

Correction: We initially reported that the new wrap program offered PPF rather than vinyl and that the program was only available for new deliveries.

New Wrap Prices

First things first - the price of the wraps has dropped considerably, mostly due to the change away from PPF. While these prices are still a little more expensive than what you could find at a third-party location, you have the advantage of getting it directly from Tesla.

Tesla initially offered 11 wrap colors, but that selection has now been reduced to eight per vehicle. Interestingly, the color options vary by model—Model 3 and Model Y owners have their own distinct palette. The Cybertruck also boasts its own unique set of colors, though unfortunately, the popular Satin White option is absent from its catalog.

Of course, the ever-popular Matte Black is still available, along with a fairly unique set of other vivid colors.

New Locations

Not a Tesla App

When the wrap program launched, it was limited to just three locations in California and one location in Texas. That meant that unless you were taking delivery at West Covina, Oceanside, Costa Mesa, or Santa Clara, you’d be unable to get a first-party wrap done by Tesla.

Under the new program, Tesla is offering wraps out of all the original locations and adding Seattle, Washington. What initially seemed like Tesla scaling back its wrap service has turned out to be them making it more affordable and efficient. While the switch to vinyl may disappoint some owners, in reality, a lot of owners probably didn’t know the difference between PPF and vinyl, making Tesla’s service seem disproportionally more expensive.

No Longer New Purchases Only

While the original wrap program was constrained to new vehicle purchases—you can now have Tesla wrap a vehicle that’s already been delivered. Paint damage and scuffs can impact the installation of wraps and require additional time to smooth out the vehicle surface, and most third-party installers charge additional fees to prepare the surface.

Tesla doesn’t appear to be charging any additional surface prep fees at this time and is able to install on any Model 3, Model Y, or Cybertruck that’s been delivered after 2023.

Either way, with cheaper wrap options, Tesla is now directly competing against third-party wrap shops. While it’s still a bit more expensive than you’d find elsewhere, it also comes with a level of care and precision from technicians intimately familiar with your vehicle.

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

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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.

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