Tesla's Original Roadster Design and Engineering Is Now 'Fully Open Source'

November 23, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla open sources design and engineering information for the original Roadster

Alexandre Prévot

Tesla's incredible journey started by piecing together the Roadster, a painstaking ordeal that nearly caused the company to go bankrupt more than once. The piece-by-piece instruction manual to build the car that started an automotive revolution has been made public, fully open-sourced. CEO Elon Musk posted on X: "All design & engineering of the original @Tesla Roadster is now fully open source. Whatever we have, you now have."

Community Engagement and Possibilities

The open-source announcement has sparked enthusiasm and curiosity within the engineering community. A post from the World of Engineering (@engineers_feed) on X, asking, "Does this mean I can build my own roadster in my garage?" garnered a direct response from Musk: "* some assembly required."

Theoretically, if one can get their hands on the parts, they have some direction to build one of these historic vehicles. From a business side, this kind of information sharing with competitors is curious, although it does follow Tesla's mission statement to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. Although the information is 15 years old, it could provide some useful information.

Understanding the Open-Source Details

Tesla has clarified the nature of the information released, stating it's a resource for Roadster enthusiasts derived from the car's R&D phase. The details are not intended for manufacturing, repair, or maintenance and may not align with final production models. Users leveraging this information are reminded of their responsibility to adhere to legal and safety protocols, as Tesla offers no warranties for work done using these details. This open-source initiative encourages innovation but stresses the importance of safety and legal compliance.

The Roadster's History and the Future

Launched in 2008, the original Roadster was the first legal electric vehicle on highways to utilize lithium-ion batteries and achieve over 200 miles per charge. It bankrolled the next phase of Tesla, the Model S, and set a benchmark for future EVs.

While this open-source initiative revisits Tesla's past, it also shifts the focus back to the next-generation Roadster. Initially unveiled in 2017, its production has been delayed, and there is no timeline for when the new sportscars will be manufactured. Moreover, Tesla's focus on the Cybertruck and a more affordable $25,000 EV indicates a strategic balance between innovation and mass EV adoption.

Tesla's decision to make the original Roadster's design and engineering open source should not be too surprising. Musk has said, "I don't care about patents. Patents are for the weak. They don't actually help advance things. They just stop others from following you." Perhaps the biggest surprise is how long it took for Musk to open-source the Roadster blueprint.

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.