Tesla has once again made a price adjustment, which may be an understatement. The once-standard yoke steering wheel, already a topic of much debate, has seen a dramatic price surge. Now pegged at $1,000 in the US, the yoke option has experienced a staggering 300% hike from its earlier price of $250. This increase isn't just limited to the US; similar surges have been reported in global markets, including Canada, China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Delving Into the Yoke's Origins
From its inception, Tesla's yoke steering wheel was a departure from the norm. Featured in the refreshed Model S and Model X, this design choice was met with enthusiasm for its futuristic appeal and criticism for its perceived impracticality. Elon Musk championed the yoke, highlighting its unobstructed dashboard view. However, the lived experiences of early adopters painted a different picture. Without a steer-by-wire system in place, many found the yoke's utility in regular traffic and tight maneuvers challenging.
However, the steer-by-wire system is not dead. Steer-by-wire technology eliminates the mechanical linkage between the steering and the vehicle's wheels. Instead, steering inputs from the driver are converted into electronic signals, which are then processed by the vehicle's computer system to control the wheels' direction. Tesla got a patent for the system in June. Perhaps it is ready to go, and the yoke will be a major piece of the new system.
Responding to the Users
Despite Elon Musk's initial proclamation that the yoke was here to stay without the possibility of a round steering wheel alternative, Tesla's adaptive approach shone through. Ceding to user feedback, the company introduced the round steering wheel. Initially, this wheel became the default choice. Those partial to the yoke design could opt for it without additional costs. But as time passed, Tesla began charging for the yoke, shifting from a standard to a premium accessory.
Tesla Price Rollercoaster
Just a few weeks ago, the Standard Range Model S and Model X debuted, only to be discontinued shortly after. But that wasn't the end of the shake-up. The automaker slashed prices on its flagship vehicles, with the Model S Long Range now priced at $74,990 USD, marking a 15% reduction, and the Model X Long Range at $79,990 USD, an 18.7% cut. It also made all the paint options free and cut the price of the Full Self-Driving software by three grand.
The rationale behind the yoke's recent price escalation remains speculative. Is Tesla positioning it as a luxury component? Are they trying to compensate for their recent slashes in other product prices? Or is there a more strategic motive behind this change? With ongoing quality concerns and anticipated software improvements, including a yet-to-be-released horn function, some believe Tesla might be nudging consumers away from the yoke. At the same time, it may also set the stage for introducing a steer-by-wire system.
The yoke steering wheel's journey from its inception to its current pricing dynamics underscores Tesla's willingness to adapt to feedback - good or bad.
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Tesla is set to introduce restricted driver profiles in an upcoming update, aiming to improve safety for teenage drivers. Tesla hacker @greentheonly, also known as Green, recently decompiled the 2024.14.3 update, revealing the change.
Restricted Driver Profiles
Over the years, many people have asked Tesla to bring in restricted driver profiles, similar to Tesla’s currently existing Valet Mode. Valet Mode already serves to restrict the car’s maximum speed, reduces acceleration, and disables the use of Autopilot and FSD. The new restricted profiles will let you apply certain restrictions to driver profiles without the full-fledged restrictions of Valet Mode which also limits HomeLink, GPS history and more.
What Restricted Profiles Could Do
From Green’s post on X, restricted driving profiles will display “training wheels” next to the profile, indicating their usage for new drivers. The ability to add a maximum speed and enforced chill mode are expected to be part of the feature package.
Other restrictions that could also be implemented could include disabling the use of Autopilot and FSD, or perhaps requiring certain features to remain disabled or enabled, like disabling “Joe Mode”, frunk or glove-box access, summon, and locking Sentry Mode to active.
Given how easy it is to swap profiles on a Tesla, Tesla would need to prevent a user from switching from a restricted profile to a regular profile. Tesla could do this in a variety of ways, such as tying driver profiles to a key card or mobile device and requiring a PIN code to exit the restricted profile, much in the same way they do it in Valet Mode.
Enhanced Safety Implementations
Additional safety measures could include alerts that notify parents or guardians when the vehicle reaches its destination or exceeds set speed limits. Given that a Tesla can automatically call emergency services in a crash, this could be an excellent feature for ensuring the safety and security of young drivers on their own for the first time.
Release Date
Elon Musk has previously mentioned that FSD V12.4 is being rolled out sometime shortly, and given that Green has found this 2024.14.3, it could be coming very soon. The latest Tesla update being rolled out now is 2024.14.6.
Tesla announced last month that its Spring Update, version 2024.14, would come with visual updates, but that they would be exclusive to the Model 3 and Model Y with Ryzen processors.
Tesla has slowly started rolling out update 2024.14, but until last night, it was only available to vehicles with the Ryzen processor.
We now have our first glimpse into update 2024.14 on vehicles that include the older Intel Atom processor.
Visual Updates
According to Tesla, none of the visual updates would be available on vehicles with Intel infotainment units, however, it looks like those vehicles will be receiving some of the features as well.
A new media player that has a better layout and includes more controls and a new minimized state.
Expandable Autopilot visualizations that are available to everyone include a smaller map in the top-right corner.
And a redesigned and more compact drive mode strip for vehicles for Auto Shift, which doesn't apply to Intel vehicles.
New Parked Visualization
This is probably the biggest feature just because it’s executed so beautifully. Unfortunately, it’s not available on vehicles with MCU 2 (Intel Atom)… at least not at this time.
It appears that Tesla may be using a higher-resolution 3D model or different shaders to create this new visualization. This could be the reason for its exclusivity to the faster AMD Ryzen processor. However, it could just take some time for Tesla to optimize it for Intel Atom processors or use a different model that is more suitable for the older processor.
The Model S and Model X are also not receiving this new parked visualization at this time. Although the Model S and Model X use the instrument cluster for visualizations, given the appeal of the new parked visualization, we wouldn't be surprised if it became available on the Model S/X in the future as well.
The Cybertruck already uses the new parked visualization, although it doesn't include an instrument cluster like the Model S/X.
New Media Player
Tesla's new media player on the Model 3/Y
The improved media player that exposes additional controls and has a new minimized state, is arriving on vehicles with Intel processors.
Tesla included the new audio player as part of the Visual Updates that would be exclusive to AMD Ryzen vehicles, but the new media player on Intel appears to look and function exactly like it does on AMD vehicles. If you haven’t seen the new media player, take a look at our in-depth look at Tesla’s new audio player.
Expandable Autopilot Visualizations
The new, expandable Autopilot visualizations are also available on Intel vehicles. Although users with FSD already had full-screen visualizations, Tesla is bringing over additional features. This includes everything we've seen on AMD vehicles, including the new media player, the 'Navigate to' module, and the map preview in the corner of the screen.
For owners without FSD, this will bring full-screen visualizations to Autopilot for the first time. The full-screen visualization will look and function much like it does in Europe. It includes all of the new controls, improved vehicle detection, and the ability to display turn signals, but it won't display everything FSD does, including curbs and drivable areas.
Update: It looks like if you have FSD then you’ll have the new full-screen visualizations, but a user is reporting that he didn’t receive them on his Intel vehicle without FSD.
Other Updates
While Intel-based vehicles aren’t receiving all of the visual updates as expected, they are receiving a lot of the other functionality in update 2024.14, including Audible, Sentry Mode Previews, Trip Progress Bar, Spotify improvements, Better Route Available and many more.
Final Thoughts
Although this update doesn't bring the most appealing part of the Spring Update to Intel vehicles, it brings more than was expected.
The new parked visualization is the most exciting, but arguably least useful aspect of the new update. While it's beautiful and fun to play with, the new media player that features quick access to the most used controls is a much more useful addition.
The improved full-screen driving visualizations being available to everyone with the map in the corner is also a nice addition.
While we're not seeing the new parked visualization available on older vehicles with this update, it may arrive later once Tesla has a chance to optimize it for the slower Intel processor.
If you haven’t checked out Tesla’s new Spring Update, take a look at some videos of the best features in Tesla’s 2024.14. update.
TeslaFi logs your drives and charging sessions, letting you keep a log of your vehice's activity. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. Visit their site and see everything they have to offer!
Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
The official Tesla app only notifies you if your car is broken into. By installing Sentry Pro on your phone, you will be notified for all Sentry Mode events. Stay connected and avoid potential surprises by receiving notifications. Stop constantly checking the cameras to ensure safety. Check only when necessary, save battery and get peace of mind. Get a 7 day free trial here!
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