Tesla Adds New Ambient Lighting Options in Update 2024.26.1

July 23, 2024

By Karan Singh

Greggertruck/X

Tesla recently added ambient accent lighting to several of its vehicles, including the 2024 Model 3 Highland Refresh and the Cybertruck. Additionally, the Model Y in China also received ambient lighting, but this hasn’t come to other regions yet.

The Model S and Model X are also supposed to eventually receive this ambient lighting feature, alongside a rumoured front camera.

New Options for Ambient Lighting

As part of update 2024.26.1, Tesla is adding on to the already great ambient lighting feature. In update 2024.14 Tesla added the ability for the ambient lights to turn red when you enter Service Mode, which is a nice touch.

Now, they’re taking it a step further with update 2024.26.1. You’ll now be able to control the brightness of the ambient lights in the Cybertruck and the 2024 Model 3. Previously, you could adjust the color to whatever you liked, but not how bright they were. The brightness of the lights was directly linked to the brightness of the vehicle display.

Tesla has also added a new “Night Only” option, which turns on the accent lights when conditions outside get dim. This is a nice addition, as while the strips are visible during daytime, in direct-light they’re not very noticeable. While LEDs do last for a considerable amount of time, this could help reduce the wear on the accent lights and let them last longer.

If you want to adjust the brightness or enable the new Night Only mode, you can navigate to Controls, and then look under Lights > Accent Lights. Since this is now uncoupled from the vehicle display brightness, you won’t have to worry about having your display too bright at night.

We’re not quite sure yet whether this applies to the Chinese Model Y with accent lighting, but it should.

We’re happy to see Tesla updating the accent light controls with the ability to adjust the brightness. Next up, we’re hoping to see Tesla change the color of the lights for certain features, such as when there’s a vehicle in your blind spot and perhaps even fun things such as syncing to the music being played.

Tesla 'We, Robot' Robotaxi Event: How and Where to Watch [Updated]

October 10, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s Robotaxi event is coming up later today, and there’s lots of hype. It’s absolutely going to be a must-see event, so we’ve outlined how you can watch it tonight.

We’re even running a Robotaxi Event Prediction Contest – so go sign up to win some prizes from our fantastic sponsors.

If you weren’t one of the lucky lottery winners who managed to snag a ticket, there are a few ways to watch the Robotaxi event.

When

Tesla says the event will start at 10 PM EST or 7 PM PST. However, expect it to start fashionably late as usual. The agenda Tesla has provided is below.

Watch Live

The event is expected to be available on X, YouTube, and Tesla’s website. The links for X and YouTube are below. We’ll update this as the day goes along and Tesla adds additional sources.

Watch the Robotaxi event live on X.
Watch on YouTube (below)

Agenda

This is the agenda Tesla has provided. All times are PST.

3:00 PM: Parking Lot Opens

5:00 PM: Doors Open

5:30 PM: Check-In Begins

7:00 PM: Remarks

Watch in Tesla Showrooms

Tesla is also running events at its local showrooms worldwide. Many of these pop-up events have been organized by the Tesla showrooms or in conjunction with local Tesla Owner’s Club groups.

You can go to Tesla’s Events Page here and see if there are any showrooms open in your region. These events are in-person, and a good way to hang out with local Tesla fans and owners to watch one of the biggest events in Tesla’s history. If you don’t see an event listed, try calling your local Tesla showroom or contacting your local Owner’s Club. Other events may be running locally that you could attend.

Location

Warner Brothers Studios

3499 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 90068

New Tesla Charging Visualizations Expected in the Future

October 10, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s Alex Guichet, Mobile App Engineer and Designer, posted on X that they are hiring a new C++ UI Engineer. According to Alex, this position will be focused on building the charging UI in Tesla vehicles.

While the charging UI received some basic updates back with the big Spring Update, it hasn’t really seen major changes in a long time. So, let’s take a look at what this position is exactly, and dig into what we’d like to see in the future.

Senior Software Engineer

The position that Tesla is hiring for is a Senior Software Engineer, Vehicle User Interface Charging – working out of Tesla’s Global Engineering Headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The position will be specifically responsible for the look and feel of the user charging experience, focusing on Tesla’s in-vehicle Infotainment UI.

Tesla expects the position to also work alongside business, product, engineering, and design teams to build simple, intuitive, and fluid user experiences.

That’s a broad job description, but Tesla pays well for what it offers – with the position starting at $120,000 a year, up to $210,000 a year. If you’re interested in the position, you can read more and apply here.

Charging Visualizations

Tesla’s current charging visualizations are fairly simple and to the point, both in the app and in the vehicle. Adding some flare to both visualizations would certainly be nice. If Tesla’s new parked visualization in AMD vehicles is any indication, we’re in for a treat with these upcoming visuals. Tesla could even add different visualizations depending on whether you’re charging with a Supercharger, Wall Connector, Mobile Charger, or a third-party charger.

Imagine if Tesla implements some of these visualizations directly into the vehicle’s visuals. You could pull up to a Supercharger and see them rendered directly on the screen and maybe even see how much each vehicle is charged, so you have a better idea of which stall will be available first.

We’d also love to see better and improved integration for Charge on Solar and PowerShare. There’s certainly a lot Tesla can do.

We’re excited to see the future of the charging UI but don’t expect these changes anytime soon since Tesla just started hiring for the position. However, it’s great to know where Tesla is headed and what they’re planning.