As part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update, Tesla hacker Greentheonly, has once again uncovered features that are coming in a future software update. Green regularly decompiles Tesla’s software updates and is able to see features that have yet to see the light of day. These features are in production code, but sometimes have only been partially developed or are being tested or waiting to be turned on remotely. Either way, it gives us an early look at features that are likely to be released in the coming months.
Recently Green spotted two new features, Trailer Profiles and new navigation routing options.
Update: Trailer Profiles are currently available for the Cybertruck, while the navigation routing options are currently available in China.
Trailer Profiles
According to Green, the new Trailer Profiles feature is expected to let you record your trailer mileage and select whether it’s an open or closed trailer. You’ll have the ability to keep track of up to 20 trailer profiles, letting you use various trailers without resetting your settings. This should let the vehicle give you more accurate range estimates, as the vehicle will be able to track your previous energy consumption when you used your trailer previously.
By creating multiple profiles, you can even account for different load types, such as transporting a car, boat, or lumbar.
This feature is expected to be available to all vehicles equipped with a tow hitch. Tow hitches are included on the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck and as an option for the Model Y and some Model 3s.
Trailers normally have no way to record mileage, so this could be an extremely useful tool for owners to be able to see how much a trailer has been used. This could help indicate when new tires, new trailer brakes, or other relevant service may be required.
Prioritize Highways / Avoid Highways?
Navigation routing is expected to receive two additional preferences. The first one is “Prioritize Highways” - which, like its name, will likely prioritize the usage of highways whenever possible.
This is an interesting feature, as most people have been asking for the opposite - Avoid Highways, which Elon previously promised would make its way to Tesla vehicles soon. It’s not clear whether this is Tesla’s interpretation of an Avoid Highways option, where disabling this feature will try to avoid highways and prioritize backroad use.
Prioritize Time
The second feature is “Prioritize Time”. This one is interesting, as it likely will provide the option for drivers to have an optimized route for charging/efficiency, and a route that is more focused on spending less time on the road at the cost of using more energy.
While Tesla leverages Google’s API for features such as Points of Interest, reviews, photos, map tiles and satellite imagery, Tesla determines the vehicle’s route themselves. This lets them prioritize efficiency and calculate charging stops.
Alongside the arrival of FSD’s new Hurry Mode, this is going to give users more flexibility when driving.
When Do They Arrive?
These features aren’t available just yet, but their inclusion in production code likely points to them launching soon. However, the features could be in varying degrees of completion, from active development to dev complete and simply awaiting for Tesla to enable them remotely.
It’s possible we’ll see one or more of these features activated in the next couple of months.
