Tesla made significant improvements to its voice command system in China
Not a Tesla App
Tesla's voice recognition and voice commands are an area that could use some improvements. But it looks like Tesla's aware of it as a recent software update has provided notable improvements in China.
With update 2023.26, Tesla made several improvements that were exclusive to China. They included improved voice recognition, smarter voice commands, and improvements to online routing, along with a refresh to the Chinese app, Himalaya app.
Enhanced Online Routing
Part of the update improvements to online routing that adapts to traffic and road condition fluctuations in real-time. By activating the 'Online Routing' option, users gain access to more efficient routing and foresight into the road ahead. This enhancement is exclusive to China, although it's not clear how it differs from the online routing with traffic considerations that is already available in the U.S. and other countries. In the release notes Tesla describes the features as:
Online Routing now reflects real-time changes in traffic and road conditions. So Navigation provides better routes and responds faster to changes on your route.
To get the most current route conditions, Navigation >
Online Routing must be turned on.
Context-Based Voice Commands
Tesla is changing the game with a revamped voice command feature that seamlessly understands the context of a user's request without the prerequisite of specific command words. This means that uttering a destination name will automatically initiate navigation to that destination, instead of having to say 'Navigate to... ".
The vehicle will also be able to understand what you're saying based on previous commands. For example, if you set the climate temperature to 70°, you'll be able to adjust it afterward by simply saying, "lower."
Voice commands are enhanced to better understand your requests. For example, you can directly say"故宫博物院" to start navigation, or say "有点吵" to decrease the volume. You can use "空调22" to set the temperature, and then say “再低点儿" to continue adjusting.
To initiate a voice command, press the voice recognition button on the steering wheel and begin speaking after the tone.
Other Regions
While it's not clear whether the online routing updates in China are Tesla bringing China up to speed, or if they're improving Tesla's routing experience, the voice commands are a clear improvement.
With context-based voice commands, Tesla greatly improved their voice command system, although it still lags behind a true voice assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant. Tesla is known for introducing new features in limited regions before rolling them out more widely. This is hopefully one of those cases, and we'll soon see these improvements rolled out in other parts of the world as well.
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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