All the Undocumented Changes in Tesla Update 2024.2

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Tesla now makes it easier to unlock a vehicle when someone is inside the car
Tesla now makes it easier to unlock a vehicle when someone is inside the car
Not a Tesla App

Like every other Tesla owner, we look forward to the latest Tesla update every month, which is hopefully filled with improvements and new features. However, the release notes only cover the biggest changes, so every month we go through an update and receive countless tips from readers that highlight all of the smaller changes Tesla has made in the latest update.

Here we’ll go through all of the undocumented changes in Tesla update 2024.2.

Unlock Car and Trunk Buttons

To make it easier to unlock the vehicle for others, Tesla has added a contextual unlock button that appears in certain situations.

If the vehicle is locked and there is someone inside the vehicle, an 'Unlock Vehicle' or ‘Unlock Trunk’ button will now appear if someone tries to open the vehicle from the outside.

Trips Menu Redesign

Tesla updated the Trips menu to be easier to read and take up less space
Tesla updated the Trips menu to be easier to read and take up less space
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has redesigned the Trips menu under Controls > Trips. The new design features 'Reset' buttons directly next to the trip meter instead of all the way at the bottom.

The 'Show in Trips Card' is now aligned right on the same row, allowing all trip meters to fit on the screen without having to scroll.

Each trip meter is now easier to read at a glance as well. The details for each trip meter are now grouped in a darker gray color.

Supercharging Tips

Tesla now points out that steam coming out of your vehicle while Supercharging is normal
Tesla now points out that steam coming out of your vehicle while Supercharging is normal
Not a Tesla App

In the Charging menu, Tesla provides various tips when Supercharging such as not taking up adjacent stalls since some Superchargers share power between neighboring stalls.

Another tip has been added for vehicles with a heat pump. Tesla states that water vapor coming out of the car while Supercharging in cold conditions is normal. Recently some owners have been confusing the steam that is emitted from the vehicle for smoke.

Supercharging Tips can be accessed by going to Controls > Charging and tapping on Supercharging Tips.

PIN to Drive

The PIN to drive menu adds another layer of security
The PIN to drive menu adds another layer of security
Not a Tesla App

The PIN to Drive keypad that appears when you enter the car received some minor design changes.

All Apps Menu

All apps are now displayed in the 'All Apps' menu
All apps are now displayed in the 'All Apps' menu
Not a Tesla App

The All Apps menu [...] will now display all apps available, even if they're docked at the bottom of the display. Previously, the menu would only display apps that weren't pinned as favorites.

Additional Vehicle Info

Additional Vehicle Information now contains, well, additional information...
Additional Vehicle Information now contains, well, additional information...
Not a Tesla App

The Additional Vehicle Information menu under Controls > Software will now display if your vehicle is capable of 3rd-party NACS DC charging.

It sounds like not all vehicles may be capable of charging at all future 3rd party NACS DC chargers.

Software Version in App

Additional details are now shown about the vehicle's current software version
Additional details are now shown about the vehicle's current software version
Not a Tesla App

With this update, the vehicle's software version displayed in the app will also display additional information.

Tesla recently added the software version hash to the software version at the bottom of the app, and with this update, they're also displaying the vehicle's software version number, such as v11.1 as part of the version field.

Undocumented Changes on Update 2024.8

We publish undocumented changes throughout the lifetime of a release. There have already been six undocumented changes related to Tesla’s latest software update, version 2024.8. If you haven’t seen them yet, head on over to the release notes page.

If you discover any additional undocumented changes in a Tesla update, please let us know on our contact us page.

Tesla's 2024 Impact Report Shares Updated Timelines for Cybercab, Affordable Model and Semi

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has finally released their 2024 Impact Report, and it's filled with impressive new data on the company’s environmental and safety progress. However, the biggest news is the clear and concrete roadmap it provides for the next generation of Tesla products.

For the first time, the report provides specific timelines for Tesla to begin volume production of the purpose-built Cybercab and the ramp-up of the Semi factory. This year’s report shifts from documenting past achievements to defining Tesla’s next phase, with a focus on autonomy and industrial transport.

Upcoming Vehicles

The most significant new items in the report are timelines for Tesla’s anticipated future vehicles.

First up is the Cybercab, who Tesla says will begin volume production in 2026. Tesla will be using their revolutionary unboxed production process to build it, which will help reduce costs and complexity. Cybercab will be heavily reliant on the approval of unified autonomy regulations that will enable vehicles to be deployed that do not have driver controls.

Next, Tesla is ramping up production of the Semi, following the completion of limited production runs used for testing. This development is closely tied to the ongoing construction of the new Semi Factory, which is nearing completion. Tesla expects this to be one of its largest markets going forward and one of the most impactful. Industrial trucks doing the last 200 miles of delivery account for 16.4% of US vehicle emissions, despite making up only 1.1% of vehicles on the road.

In terms of the Affordable Model, Tesla has mentioned that they intend to launch more affordable products in 2025 and address a key segment of the market. They did not elaborate on this further and seem to have missed the previously provided self-imposed deadline for the first half of 2025. 

At this point, we’re unsure whether Tesla will actually launch a distinct and more affordable model or whether it will introduce cut-down versions of the Model Y, as rumored.

Safety

The report supports Tesla’s future plans with some impressive new data points that demonstrate the impact their technology is having.

First, Autopilot (and FSD) has achieved a safety record nearly 10 times higher than the US national average in terms of miles per incident. The data shows one accident for every 6.77 million miles driven with Autopilot (or FSD) engaged, compared to the national average of one accident per 0.70 million miles.

The report also highlighted the Cybertruck’s recent 5-Star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, marking it one of the safest vehicles on the market, especially for a truck. The best part is that Cybertruck holds the lowest overall probability of injury and the lowest rollover risk of any pickup truck ever tested by the agency. Skeptics have always complained about lacking crumple zones, but the results prove otherwise, with Tesla building crumple zones as part of the gigacast.

Sustainability

In terms of sustainability, Tesla’s growing fleet helped to increase the amount of reduced and avoided emissions by 60% year over year, to 32 million metric tons of CO2e. While that’s a small number when you compare it to a full country, it is still a significant impact, especially in cities where pollutants have already decreased due to the ownership of EVs.

Tesla also mentioned that 99% of their recalls reported in 2024 were resolved using OTA updates, saving owners a trip to the Service Center or a trip by the Tesla Mobile Rangers, all in the name of sustainability and reduced costs.

Impactful Report

Tesla’s 2024 Impact Report is actually one of the most forward-looking publications to date. It puts a clear roadmap of Tesla’s future goals, while also tying them into the sustainability and safety goals achieved last year.

We can’t wait till 2025’s report - because it’ll be even better with this year’s deployment of Robotaxi. You can read all 200+ pages of the impact report here.

Tesla Begins Virtual Supercharger Queue Testing, Public Test Next

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla has officially begun internal testing of its awaited virtual queueing system for Superchargers. The news was shared by Tesla’s Director of Charging, Max de Zegher on X.

The Tesla Charging team has begun pressure testing the new feature and is planning for public pilots as their next step. While most users won’t experience heavy congestion at Superchargers, for those who do, it could be a real pain point. Virtual queues are designed to make it easier to charge at congested Superchargers by having a digital queue, rather than relying on owners to remain in line with their vehicles.

Virtual Queues

When we originally delved into Tesla’s plans to introduce a virtual queue system, it seemed obvious that the virtual queue would replace the current “Wild West” first-come, first-served system of vehicles trying to get pulled into a stall. This process will likely have two key integrations.

First up is integration directly into the vehicle software for Tesla vehicles. This means that when you’re navigating to a Supercharger that’s busy and virtual queuing is enabled, you will be automatically placed into the virtual queue upon arrival. 

Then, your position in line is displayed on-screen and provides an estimated wait time, allowing you to relax, eat, or take a bathroom break without worrying about your place in line. Finally, once a stall becomes available and it’s your turn, you will receive a notification on your vehicle’s screen, as well as on the Tesla app, directing you to the open stall that will presumably only allow your vehicle to charge. We imagine that there will be a grace period for owners to pull up with their car. If that doesn’t happen within a certain period, the next car will likely be offered the charger.

Similar to the Supercharger live activity that Tesla recently added, we imagine Tesla will also include a live activity for Virtual Queues, allowing users to monitor their place in line on their lock screen.

The second integration is in the Tesla app for non-Tesla drivers. As Tesla continues to install Magic Docks and open Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs, more and more traffic comes to the world’s most reliable fast charging network. That means that Tesla also needs to manage expectations and queue times for non-Tesla vehicles, likely through a similar process, but done over the Tesla app instead.

The Devil’s in the Details

A simple “first-in, first-out” queue sounds great, but Max noted that it is easy to exploit things with bad actors. What prevents a driver from joining a queue remotely to reserve a spot, ignoring a notification, or trying to hop into an unreserved spot?

Well, Tesla should be able to manage these fairly easily, but they still require technical effort to implement. That means GPS geofencing for those attempting to join a queue, a short countdown timer for those late to take their spot, and a lockout for those who try to skip the queue are all needed.

What’s Next?

As Tesla has just started internal testing of this feature, it likely means that public-facing user interfaces and flows aren’t quite ready yet, but the underlying functionality is. It also means that Tesla is working to refine the little details to make the process as smooth and as easily accessible as possible. 

While no pilot locations have been announced yet, it seems likely that Tesla will launch the pilot at some of the most notoriously busy Supercharger sites to gather testing data in the near future, once internal testing is complete. That means holiday travel routes or major highways, likely in California first, before rolling out elsewhere.

Virtual Queuing is a fantastic tech-first solution for the Supercharger network that helps transform that experience into a more calm and orderly process. Additionally, establishing a fair system that allows both Tesla and non-Tesla EVs to access will likely improve the overall experience. Along with the pilot program for dynamic Supercharger pricing that incentivizes people to use less-congested Superchargers, these changes should improve the Supercharger experience.

While Max mentioned it was designed for “those rare cases with a wait”, that tends to be the experience in larger cities further North, especially in New York, Michigan, or within Canada, where the few smaller Supercharger sites in big cities tend to be heavily congested. These queues will make the experience smoother for everyone involved, so we’re looking forward to seeing this come to fruition.

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