Tesla Adds New 'Rider Quality Score' and 'Guest Mode' to API, Hinting at a Robotaxi Future

Not a Tesla App

Tesla provides a robust set of fleet-manager and user-level APIs for its vehicles, each with distinctly useful features. If you’ve ever wondered what other unique things your Tesla is capable of, here is some additional insight.

One of the coolest things we’ve seen are some updated APIs that expose additional data that could provide hints for Tesla’s 8/8 Robotaxi announcement. Read on to find out!

Vehicle Data

Tesla recently added a new property in the API that leverages the cabin camera to find out if there’s anyone inside the car. It doesn’t identify who or where they’re seated or give Tesla access to the camera, but it does let you know whether there’s anyone inside the camera.

The data in the API is usually to be leveraged by the Tesla app, but the detection Tesla is doing here could be used for things like automatically enabling cabin overheat protection if someone was left inside the car.

"is_user_present": true,

Guest Mode

Tesla has outlined a new Guest Mode in their API, potentially pointing to a Robotaxi tie-in. According to Tesla’s API documentation, Guest Mode restricts user functionality in the vehicle. Similar to Tesla’s Valet Mode, Guest Mode requires PIN to Drive or to open the Glovebox. It also limits the vehicle’s speed, prevents the addition or removal of keys and more. This is quite similar to the functionality that’s used by Hertz for its fleet-level management, but there have been some additional updates to this entire API. This Guest Mode endpoint is only accessible on vehicles on update 2024.14 – The Spring Update.

Rider Quality Score

Whole Mars Catalog recently shared a screenshot of a new API property called “Rider Quality Score” on X. The property appears to give the user a score, presumably from 0 to 5 (or 10) based on some characteristics, although Tesla may be simply testing the feature and the values don’t provide any real guidance yet.

“rider_quality_score”: 5

A quality score could be assigned to riders for ride-hailing and could be a part of Tesla’s upcoming August 8th Robotaxi announcement. This one was buried under the User API, which also provides a user’s name, email, and profile photo. You may be able to configure your future Robotaxi or current Tesla to only accept riders with a certain quality level – thereby enabling you to keep your car clean and fit for duty and reducing risks.

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Tesla Has Now Exported Its 1 Millionth Vehicle from China

Not a Tesla App

After a post on X, Tesla has confirmed that it recently exported its 1 millionth car from Giga Shanghai. That’s a massive number of vehicles from a factory that only opened in December 2019.

Since Q3 2021, Giga Shanghai has been responsible for producing over 50% of global EV production – with the single exception of Q2 2022 – where production fell to about 40% while the factory was retooling. That’s a jaw-dropping figure for a single factory.

1 Million Exports

Giga Shanghai produces Teslas for practically the entire world, including the European, Australian, Chinese, and other Southeast Asian markets. For now, it also produces cars for Canada; however, an upcoming tariff could change this.

Giga Shanghai also celebrated the shipping of 100,000 vehicles to Australia with the 1 million vehicles exported mark. While the majority of vehicles end up in Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia are still massive markets for Tesla.

Going forward, Giga Shanghai, with its continued expansions, will be at or above 1 million vehicles produced per year. A good chunk of these vehicles stay within China, while the rest are exported. Tesla sells on average 40 to 80,000 cars per month in China, depending on the season, with an average of 90,000 cars produced per month in 2024 so far.

Automated Production

This is all thanks to Giga Shanghai’s 95% automated production line. Giga Shanghai is likely one of the most automated and advanced factories in the world, a testament to Tesla’s manufacturing and engineering expertise. Giga Shanghai produces one vehicle every 40 seconds.

We’re looking forward to seeing how Tesla’s expansions and factory innovations continue in the coming months and years.

Giga Shanghai operates a 95% automated production line, enabling a cycle time of less than 40 seconds!
From taking 2.5 years for the first million cars to be produced, the second million was done in just 12 months 🚘🪄 pic.twitter.com/IF1w27AFPr

— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) January 5, 2024

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Tesla Adds 'Critical Alerts' to App That Bypass Mute Switch For Emergencies

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s last app update, version 4.37.1, introduces support for critical alerts on the iPhone. These alerts are designed for emergency situations and will override standard notification settings, including the mute switch, Focus modes, and Do Not Disturb. This ensures that owners are notified when immediate action is required, even if their phone is set to silent.

How to Enable Critical Alerts

1. Activate Dog Mode: Open the Tesla app and turn on Dog Mode.

2. Main App Screen: After activating Dog Mode, go back to the main section of the app.

3. Enable Critical Alerts: A new option called Critical Alerts will appear under Live Camera and the quick action icons (Tip: You can add up to 5 quick actions). It’ll state, “Grant permissions to receive critical notifications.” Tap it, and you’ll see a system dialog asking for permission to allow critical alerts for the Tesla app.

4. Confirm Permission: Choose to allow the Tesla app to send critical notifications, which will grant the app special privileges for sending urgent alerts.

This new feature is likely intended for situations where Dog Mode needs to be turned off unexpectedly. For example, if the vehicle’s battery drops below 20% or if the temperature inside the cabin rises or falls drastically outside of your set temperature, the Tesla app is expected to send a critical alert to the owner, ensuring they are informed right away.

What Are Critical Alerts?

Critical Alerts are a type of iOS notification available only to approved apps, which must meet specific criteria set by Apple. These alerts are designed to be used in emergencies and bypass all standard notification restrictions. This means that regardless of whether your phone is silenced or in Do Not Disturb mode, the alert will play a sound and appear prominently.

By adding support for Critical Alerts, Tesla is prioritizing the safety of pets who may be left inside the vehicle with the expectation that Dog Mode will keep conditions safe. This change makes the app more reliable for alerting owners when immediate attention is needed, ensuring they are always kept informed—even when their phone’s settings would typically prevent other notifications from coming through.

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