Videos and Images of the Best Features in Tesla’s 2023 Holiday Update (2023.44.30.4)

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.

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Tesla Is Now Offering Cybertruck Test Drives [List of Locations]

@brandonhd

Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.

Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.

It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.

Advisor-led Demo

This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.

Once FSD V12.5 comes to the Cybertruck, we’re sure they’ll be demoing its capabilities FSD capabilities as well.

Locations

The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.

• Manhasset, New York

• West Covina, California

• Los Angeles, California

• Houston, Texas

• Orlando, Florida

• Westmont, Illinois

• Tucson, Arizona

• Phoenix, Arizona

• Delaware

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Musk Confirms 'Actually Smart Summon' is Coming in a Revision of FSD V12.5

Not a Tesla App

Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.

We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.

Vision-based Improvements

ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.

Just recently, Tesla returned the Model X’s self-presenting doors, using Tesla Vision. Vision has seen some fantastic improvements, and many people are waiting for ASS to bring forth these improvements to Smart Summon.

Smart Summon Today

Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.

I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.

Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.

Actually Smart Summon

ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.

We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.

We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.

Park Seek and Banish Autopark

When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10^th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.

A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.

While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.

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