Tesla recently released update 2024.32 to employees, and it comes with several new features that we’re sure everyone will be happy to see in their vehicles in the future.
Keep in mind that some features may be region-specific such as there construction on your route update. There may also be additional features available for other models or regions. The Cybertruck is expected to receive AutoPark soon, which may also be included in this update.
Construction on Your Route
If you’ve got Premium Connectivity, and have Online Routing enabled (Settings > Navigation), maps will display construction that is on your route with an icon on the screen. Tesla added map icons to the screen with the 2023 holiday update and they continue to support additional features in more regions.
Tesla already considers construction when navigating to a location, but it’ll now display the location of the construction on the screen, giving you a better idea of the area to avoid, or a better understanding of the route the navigation system picked. For those in urban areas that see lots of heavy construction, this will be a fantastic addition.
Not a Tesla App
Predictive Text for Navigation Searches
Alongside construction on the route, Navigation Searches will now have predictive text to try and suggest search terms as you type. The predictive text will be helpful to quickly complete searches – but you’ll need to have a solid internet connection for predictive text to function. Premium Connectivity won’t be required.
Search This Area
As part of more updates for Navigation Search, you’ll now be able to “Search this Area” when you’re searching for something specific if you drag the map to a different location. This is similar to the “Search this Area” feature that’s on Google Maps and is a good update for when the navigation likes showing you locations in a different town.
Mobile App Notifications – Tire Service
As part of a previous update, your vehicle can now inform you when it's in need of a tire change or tire rotation. You’ll need to set your own schedule based on distance under Service > Tire Service Mileage. You can set a mileage-based reminder when you want to rotate your tires. With this update, you will also be notified on the Tesla mobile app when your vehicle reaches the set mileage. You’ll also need to be on mobile app version 4.35 or later.
When Is It Coming?
This update is still being tested with wave 1 employees, but it’s expected to become available to the first set of consumers very soon. However, like most updates, it’ll take weeks before it becomes available to most users.
If you’re subscribed to FSD or own it outright, don’t expect this update any time soon. The FSD branch is always at least several weeks behind the main code branch. With Tesla recently updating its FSD branch to 2024.26, it may be another month before it gets updated again.
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For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.
Price Increase
The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.
The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series.
The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.
Free Lifetime Supercharging
For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.
There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.
We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.
Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.
Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.
Optimus is Blind
Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer.
Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.
Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips.
What’s Next?
Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.
Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.
There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.
We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.
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