Tesla's 2023 Holiday (Christmas) Update: Top Features

December 20, 2023

By Not a Tesla App Staff

Tesla's holiday update is going out to the entire fleet

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s 2023 holiday update has rolled out to about half of Tesla’s fleet and if you haven’t received it yet, then you’ll likely receive it in the next couple of days.

While not every vehicle will get every feature, in this article we’ll run through images and video of the biggest features packed into this update.

Alternate Routes

Tesla released alternate routes in 2022, which lets you view two to three routes to your destination at the start of your trip.

Now they're enhancing the feature by letting you view alternate routes at any point.

Unlike Google Maps, Tesla doesn't show how each turn can affect your time of arrival. Instead, you can tap the next turn button at the top of the navigation display to display alternate routes from your current location.

The map will zoom out and display up to three routes from your current location to your destination. You can either continue with your current route, which is selected in blue or pick an alternate route to continue on your way.

Park Assist Upgrade

We've already seen a few videos demonstrating the most exciting feature of the holiday update, the new high-fidelity park assist.

Not only does the new park assist reconstruct your surroundings in 3D on the display - letting you pan and zoom in on them on the display, but it also displays parking spot lines, making it easier to center and park your vehicle. In addition, your vehicle now displays reverse target lines when backing up, similar to what is shown on the reverse camera screen.

Funny how owners of cars with ultrasonics were boasting that theirs were better than vision-only Teslas, and today, they are praying to whiskey for the software update that deemed vision-only Teslas decisively better than USS cars. That, is Tesla. pic.twitter.com/JpNwXBL4tQ
— Yaman Tasdivar (@ValueAnalyst1) December 17, 2023

Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts, the default app on iPhones to listen to podcasts has now been added to your Tesla. Using this new app doesn't require an Apple Music subscription, however, it does require you to have an Apple account. Non-Apple users can create an Apple account and sign in, as an iPhone is not required.

If you do already use the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone then it will automatically load your settings, the podcasts you subscribe to, and even your progress of episode.

If you're a fan of podcasts, you may want to consider using it since it may be the easiest way to keep tabs on your favorite podcasts and easily resume any episode during a future drive.

Controller Rumble Support & Game Updates

I don't see a lot of people talking about the Tesla Arcade Updates feature. Maybe it gets lost in the shuffle, but Tesla has now added rumble support for PS4, PS5 and Xbox controllers in select games.

In addition to that, several Tesla Arcade games have received some significant upgrades, including Beach Buggy Racing, which now lets you drive with the Cybertruck, among a list of other Teslas.

There are also updates to Polytopia and Vampire Survivors, as well as the addition of Castle Doombad. The last two require an infotainment system powered with the Ryzen chip (MCU 3).

I didn’t notice the new font size. Too busy with Beach Buggy Racing 2! pic.twitter.com/OEOj6ZhXPC
— Norm! 🇨🇦 (@TankyBashem) December 17, 2023

Speed Cameras and Traffic Light icons

Tesla is catching up to the likes of Apple and Google Maps by adding the ability to view traffic lights and stop signs on the map. Technically traffic lights were already there, but you had to zoom in extremely close to be able to see them. However, Tesla isn't stopping there.

Various types of speed cameras are now also displayed on the map, but similar to stop signs and traffic lights, they'll only be displayed along your vehicle's route, so you'll need to have a destination set.

This new feature does require a subscription to Tesla’s premium connectivity package, which leads us to believe that Tesla is sourcing this data from an existing provider.

You can now view stop signs, traffic lights and speed camera locations along your route

DirtyTesla / TeslaRedThunder

More Cameras in your app

You can now view additional live cameras from the Tesla app. In fact, with this update, you can now practically view any camera. The only cameras not accessible are the alternative front-facing cameras such as the narrow beam and the wide angle lens, however, those would be of limited value.

With this update, you can view the B-pillar cameras in addition to the fender (repeater) cameras.

Keep in mind that this addition is only for the live view feature from the Tesla app. Sentry Mode and the Dashcam feature will not record these additional camera views.

Multiple Light Shows on a Single USB Drive

In the 2023 holiday update, Tesla continues to refine and update its Light Show feature. The Light Show feature started exclusively for the Model X as an easter egg, and it wasn't customizable, although it was a crowd-attracting feature as the Model X flapped its falcon-wing doors up and down to the sound of music.

Last year, Tesla added the Light Show to all their vehicles and allowed owners to create their own shows. However, if you wanted to experiment with multiple light shows, you'd quickly frown at the process that had you unpluging your USB drive, replacing the light show with a new one, and plugging it back into your vehicle.

Thankfully, with this update you can now load multiple light shows onto a single USB drive and then select your preferred light show from a menu in the car.

To do so, simply create a folder named "LightShow" and add your individual light shows to this directory.

Automatic Blind Spot

Automatic Blind Spot is another enhancement to some of Tesla's existing features. If you use the blind spot camera feed, the side of the camera feed will be shaded red, bringing more attention that a vehicle is in your blind spot.

Tesla's updated blind spot monitor

MERICATHEDREAM

Custom Lock Sounds

This addition adds the ability to change your vehicle's lock sound from the standard horn to any custom sound. To accomplish this, the car plays a sound through its external speaker which is normally used for the pedestrian warning system, which is normally used to play a light sound when your vehicle is traveling at low speeds.

You can pick from one of the preset lock sounds or upload your own to the car's external USB drive that's usually located in the glove box. You can use the same USB drive that you already use for Sentry Mode or the Dashcam.

You'll need to find or download a sound file in Wave (.wav) format and name it "LockChime.wav". Simply add it to the root (top level) directory of the USB drive.

With the @Tesla Holiday Update rollout in full swing, one of the fun features is the ability to set custom lock sounds. Have you already thought about what custom lock sounds you are going to pick? Here is my choice which I think shows my age a bit haha 😅 🔒🔉 pic.twitter.com/Gj6ABrb5hg
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) December 17, 2023

Although this year's holiday update may not be as exciting as some previous updates that overhauled the user interface, it still brings several enhancements that will be useful in day-to-day driving.

Park Assist will continue to improve and will roll out additional vehicles in the future. We also expect Tesla to continue to develop the feature and use it for future visualizations and to support Summon and AutoPark for vehicles without ultrasonic sensors in the future.

World’s Largest Tesla Supercharger: 168 Stalls, 100% Off-Grid, Powered by Sun and Battery Storage

July 7, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

In just 8 months, Tesla has gone from breaking ground to delivering electrons at its most ambitious Supercharger project to date, just in time to be ready for the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend. Project Oasis, the world’s largest Supercharger site, is now partially open to customers for its first phase in Lost Hills, California.

What makes this remarkable is the speed of execution. In just eight months, Tesla has constructed a site that will eventually feature 168 stalls (84 stalls are now open), supported by 11 MW of solar power and 10 Megapacks of battery storage. That construction speed is pretty impressive, but what is even more impressive is how this new station operates and what it means for future Supercharging infrastructure.

Self-Sufficient Energy Oasis

Not a Tesla App

The first 84 stalls at Lost Hills are now open, and according to the Tesla Charging team, they are currently powered solely by the sun and operate off-grid.

This makes it more than just a new Supercharger site. It serves as a proof of concept for a new type of Supercharger. Unlike nearly every other charging site in the world, which draws power from local utilities, this station generates its own clean electricity from its massive solar array and stores it in its array of on-site Megapacks.

Self-sufficient charging stations are something completely different than what we see today. They are highly resilient since they’re not reliant on the grid. That means that even if there is a local power outage, brownout, or blackout, one can always come to Lost Hills to Supercharge.

If you’ve got a Cybertruck, you could take advantage of the Cybertruck’s Powershare feature and charge up at Lost Hills to help keep your home powered during a blackout, utilizing the Cybertruck as a portable battery charger. Now that’s true independence and self-reliance.

The Future of Charging

Solar-powered Superchargers help avoid massive new loads on already stressed electrical grids, especially during peak afternoon and evening hours, when demand is the highest.

This is Tesla’s vision for the future of charging: a clean, fully closed-loop ecosystem that sustains itself. The sun’s energy is captured, stored, and delivered directly to vehicles on site at any time of day without relying on the electrical grid or fossil fuels.

Largest Supercharger in the World

This opening of 84 stalls is just the first phase of the project. Tesla says that the remaining stalls, as well as a new on-site lounge, are coming later this year. Once complete, the 168-stall site will be the largest Supercharger site in the world.

While the speed of building such a massive project in just eight months is a testament to Tesla’s execution, the true innovation is actually that self-sustainability. Let’s hope we see even more large, self-sufficient Supercharger sites across the world in the near future.

The future lounge

Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk Considers Solar Gigafactory in North America to Power AI Boom

July 7, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk is once again seeking to expand Tesla’s vertical integration in the energy sector, this time focusing squarely on solar power. Following discussions on X that highlighted the massive gap in solar deployments between the US and China, Elon is now discussing the need for a Tesla Solar Gigafactory in the United States.

This potential move is driven by a specific catalyst: the exponential growth of AI is creating an insatiable demand for electricity. For Tesla and xAI, two of Elon’s companies betting their future on AI, building the power generation required is a strategic necessity.

A new factory wouldn’t just be about making panels; it would be about manufacturing the final missing piece in Tesla’s vertically integrated energy ecosystem.

Maybe there should be a solar Gigafactory in America
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2025

Catching Up to China

The context for this renewed focus is pretty stark. In May, China reportedly added a staggering 93 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity. In contrast, the United States installed approximately 14 GW over the entire first quarter, roughly 20 times less than China.

The primary driver of this demand is the revolution in AI. Training ever-larger and smarter AI models involves operating vast data centers, which consume staggering amounts of power. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have turned to small-scale nuclear reactors, with Microsoft petitioning to reopen the infamous Three Mile Island for its AI operations.

For Elon’s companies, whose future products like FSD, Optimus, and Grok are built on a foundation of real-world AI, securing a massive and sustainable energy supply isn’t a side quest. It is part of the main mission, especially in conjunction with grid-scale storage, such as Megapacks and Powerwalls. You can’t power a world of autonomous robots without a world of abundant, clean energy.

The Tesla Ecosystem

A US solar gigafactory would be the final, logical step in completing Tesla’s energy hardware ecosystem. While Tesla already manufactures some solar panels and the Tesla solar roof, the scale is too minuscule to matter.

By mass-producing its own panels, while also increasing Solar Roof production, Tesla would become a true one-stop shop for all things green energy. This would allow the company to supply its own large-scale projects, like the massive solar array for Project Oasis - the world’s largest Supercharger site.

It would also enable more complete residential packages, like the Giga-Small Haus concept home, combining Tesla-made panels and roofs with a Powerwall 3. This level of vertical integration would give Tesla complete control over the technology, cost, and supply of every major component in its energy ecosystem, from generation to storage to mobility.

Building a new Solar Gigafactory is about much more than just simply producing solar panels. It’s a requirement to power Tesla’s future products and make solar panels accessible to everyone.