Tesla Dominates EV Award Show, Clinches Top Honors in Innovation, Efficiency, and Three Additional Categories

November 27, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla wins several awards at the Fully Charged show

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Tesla emerged as the biggest winner, capturing five prestigious trophies at the inaugural Fully Charged AWARDS. The event, celebrating the pioneers of green technology, was organized in conjunction with the Fully Charged LIVE Europe event.

The Fully Charged SHOW, a leading voice in the sustainable technology space, spearheaded the nomination process through a comprehensive survey of its audience. The final candidates were then shortlisted by a dedicated team and an expert panel comprising 15 specialists in energy and transportation. The awards drew considerable attention, with several thousand electric vehicle drivers participating in the voting process.

Win for the Model 3/Y, Model S Falls Short

Dominance Across Price Segments: Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 won in their respective price categories, showcasing the company's ability to deliver outstanding electric vehicles across different market segments. However, it also showed that it has work to do as the Porsche Taycan stole the award for the higher price model that should've gone to the Model S or X. While the lower price vehicle MG4, showing that Tesla's next-gen, $25,000 car has some competition.

Best Charging Network

Award for Best EV Charging Network: Tesla's Supercharger Network, known for its widespread and efficient infrastructure, emerged as a critical enabler in the global adoption of electric vehicles. Tesla has built over 50,000 Superchargers worldwide and convinced most automotive industry to use its charging technology through the North American Charging Standard.

Tesla Wins Most Innovative & Efficient

Innovative EV Manufacturer: This one seems a little obvious because this award show would likely not even exist without Tesla. The Best Innovative EV Manufacturer award from Tesla reflects its continuous strive for excellence and innovation in the EV space. This accolade recognizes Tesla's cutting-edge advancements and their transformative impact on the automotive industry.

Energy Efficiency in Focus: The Tesla Model 3 Long Range, acclaimed for its superior range and energy efficiency, was honored as the Best Energy Efficient EV. This distinction highlights Tesla's dedication to merging sustainability with high performance in electric vehicles.

Tesla: Leading the Charge in EV Innovation

These accolades at the Fully Charged AWARDS are not merely symbols of recognition; they represent Tesla's pivotal role in steering the future of transportation and energy. The company's sweeping success at the awards ceremony reinforces its vision and the increasing consumer trust in its products and innovations. As Tesla continues to break new ground in the EV and clean energy arenas, its influence extends beyond these awards, propelling the world towards a greener and more sustainable future.

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.