Tesla Update Will Offer Waze-like Features, Displaying Accidents, Road Closures and Toll-Free Option
Tesla's navigation system is set to receive some additional capabilities, including some Waze-like features such as displaying accidents on the road. The information, courtesy of our favorite Tesla hacker, Green, details some of his findings when digging into some of the code for software update 2024.2.6. Tesla is not only expanding its map coverage and introducing a new dialect in select regions but also adding accident, and road closure information, as well as a new routing option.
Real-Time Updates: Accident and Road Closure Icons
According to code found in Tesla’s latest update, Tesla will add "accident" and "closed road" icons to its maps. These icons are expected to give drivers near real-time updates on road conditions, allowing them to make informed decisions and avoid delays. This feature, in addition to the previously added icons such as stop signs, traffic lights, and red light speed cameras helps Tesla maps compete with mobile apps that have this information such as Google Maps and Waze.
While Green found references to these new icons in the 2024.2 update, these features are not yet active but are expected to be added in the near future.
Accident and road closure information needs to be timely to be useful so it’s unlikely that Tesla is gathering this data themselves and instead leveraging an existing data provider that already supplies this information to other services. Waze relies on crowd-sourced data, and while possible, it's unlikely that Tesla will rely on driver input to display this information.
Much like stop signs and traffic lights icons, when Tesla introduces these new features they’re expected to require a subscription to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity. While drivers can get some premium connectivity features by using their phone’s hotspot feature, accident and road closure data will likely not be one of them. Similar to traffic data, Tesla will need to pay data providers for this information, which is part of what the premium connectivity fee helps pay for.
More Navigation Options: From Fastest Route to No Tolls
Tesla is also expected to introduce a new route option to its navigation system. Thanks to alternate routes, when adding a destination to the nav system, drivers can now pick from “shortest” and “fastest” routes. However, it appears Tesla is going to expand these options by offering a “no tolls” option in certain situations. Drivers can already force the navigation system to use toll-free roads, but it requires going into settings by tapping Controls > Navigation and choosing avoid tolls. This new option will allow owners to directly compare a toll-free option to the fastest and shortest route options.
While some owners have been looking to have a way to avoid highways, it does not appear that this will be introduced at the same time.
Expanded Maps and Languages: Latin America in Focus
Tesla breaks up its maps into various regions around the world to make them smaller in size. A map region includes detailed maps, routing and language options. With the recent expansion into Chile and Colombia, Tesla will soon introduce a new map region for Latin America. This addition will support Latin American Spanish, offering a local experience for users in the region. The new Latin American Spanish language will likely remain specific to this region and will not be available in other regions such as North America.
Requirements and Availability
While some of these features will require a subscription to Tesla's Premium Connectivity service, priced at $10/month in the US, they will also require drivers to enable Online Routing to view the additional data.
Accident and road closure data and toll options are also expected to be available in limited regions, likely dependent on where Tesla can gather the data.
Interestingly, map and navigation enhancements were on our Holiday Update Wish List, including several items Tesla owners hoped would be part of the big December update. We are more than happy to keep receiving gifts even after the holiday season.
