Tesla's Q3 Earnings Call: Listen to Replay of Event

October 17, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla lowers lease prices on the Model 3 and Model Y

Joe Tegtmeyer

Tesla's third-quarter earnings call is tomorrow, October 18th at 5:30 pm ET, and it may be one for the books. While there will be talk about the quarter that was, the focus will be on the future. Most notable the Cybertruck and the Model 3 Highland.

This call will also mark a changing of the guard or Master of Coin. Zachary Kirkhorn stepped down as CFO in August, and Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla's Chief Accounting Officer, was promoted.

As always, Tesla opened the questions up to investors and encouraged others to vote the question up or down. These pressing inquiries offer a glimpse into retail and institutional investors' collective concerns and curiosities.

Cybertruck Deliveries: Not surprisingly, the number one topic is the long-awaited Cybertruck. The question of how many deliveries Tesla anticipates for 2024 underscores the importance of the vehicle in Tesla's future strategy and the electric truck market. Also, a fleet of Cybertrucks has gathered outside GigaTexas, as we expect a delivery event date to be announced soon.

Model 3 Highland's US Availability: The refreshed Model 3 is on the showroom floor across the ocean, but no word when the Highland will appear in North America. This is a big deal for investors and buyers. It is believed many buyers are waiting on the latest Tesla, and if so, the floodgates will overflow with sales.

The 4680 Battery Cell Update: Tesla's Battery Day left many in awe, with the 4680 cell being the crown jewel of the event. The progress towards its performance enhancements and cost savings could be a game-changer for Tesla's energy storage and electric vehicle range capabilities. Shareholders are eager for an update on this groundbreaking technology.

Expansion Plans and Factory Updates: Tesla's international growth, particularly in Europe, is a focal point for many. Investors seek clarity on capacity expansion at Tesla's Berlin and Austin factories. Furthermore, the timeline for opening the much-discussed Gigafactory in Mexico is also in the spotlight.

Pricing Decisions on FSD: Full Self-Driving (FSD) is seen as a pivotal aspect of Tesla's future. With the recent price drop, despite improvements, investors are curious about the rationale behind this decision and its implications for the company's autonomous driving strategy.

Legal Liability on FSD: Mercedes has recently started accepting legal responsibility when their Level 3 Drive Pilot system is engaged. This move raises the question: will Tesla follow suit with its FSD? This question is paramount, given the public's scrutiny of autonomous driving safety.

Growth Expectations for 2024: Last but not least, growth projections for 2024 have emerged as a critical topic. The consensus anticipates Tesla will deliver approximately 2.3 million vehicles, marking a 28% growth from 2023. Investors are intrigued by whether this can be achieved without a significant mass-market launch and how this aligns with Tesla's long-term Compound Annual Growth Rate targets.

While the numbers from the earnings report will undoubtedly be critical, these seven questions underline the strategic moves and decisions that will shape Tesla's future. The upcoming call promises to be enlightening, shedding light on Tesla's vision and the electric vehicle market's trajectory.

Listen Live

You can listen to Tesla's earnings call above live at 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET / 9:30 pm UTC.

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

May 17, 2024

By Not a Tesla App Staff

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.

Tesla FSD V12.4 - Features and Release Date

May 16, 2024

By Not a Tesla App Staff

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.