Tesla to Add Ultra-Wideband Support for Android: Hands-Free Trunk Opening and Improved Phone Key

By Karan Singh
Maxim

After a truly long wait, it seems like Tesla is finally implementing Ultra-wideband (UWB) support for Android phones. Ultra-wideband allows for much more accurate phone tracking, leading to new features and a more reliable phone key. Tesla initially rolled out UWB Phone Key and app support for iOS users back with software update 2024.2.3 - which launched in February 2024.

Nearly a year later, we’re finally seeing signs of Tesla adding ultra-wideband support to Android devices. For Android users, this is exciting news, as it could add new features to your vehicle.

Android UWB Flag

A new flag related to ultra-wideband has been found in the latest Tesla app, version 4.41.0, thanks to a decompile by Tesla App iOS.

The new flag is labeled “MOBILE_APP_FEATURE_ANDROID_UWB_ENABLED,” which makes it pretty obvious that it’s related to Android UWB support.

Supported Devices

Most Android phones - especially flagship devices - already support and use UWB for other uses, but it’s not available on all phones. If you have a Google Pixel 6 or higher, Samsung Fold 2 or higher, Samsung S21+, or other recent Android phone, then your phone already supports ultra wideband.

However, since the advantage of UWB is the communication between the phone and the vehicle, your vehicle will need to support UWB as well.

Supported Models

Since ultra-wideband requires specific hardware, it can’t be added in a software update unless the hardware is already in the vehicle. Only some of the latest Tesla vehicles appear to support the new wireless protocol.

Here is the full list of supported Tesla models:

  • 2024 Model 3 (Highland) and later

  • 2021 Model S and later

  • 2021 Model X and later

  • Cybertruck

  • 2025 Model Y (Juniper) is expected to support UWB

The legacy Model S and Model X, as well as the first-gen Model 3 and current Model Y unfortunately do not support UWB.

More Reliable Phone Key

First up for UWB support is an improved phone key. The addition of UWB provides a low-power way for your vehicle to determine exactly where your device is in relation to your vehicle. That means the phone key will become more reliable - and more precise.

Hands-Free Trunk Opening

That precision is going to be useful for two specific features - Automatic Frunks and Automatic Trunks. Tesla introduced Hands-Free Frunk Opening back in 2024.32.3, and Hands-Free Trunk support came out in software update 2024.14.3.

All supported vehicles above will support hands-free trunk opening, while automatic frunk opening is only supported on the Model S, Model X and Cybertruck.

For the first time, Android users will be able to set hands-free options for their vehicles, making it possible to open the trunk simply by standing behind the vehicle for two seconds. Once the vehicle detects you haven’t moved, a beep will sound and the trunk will open.

NFC Prompt

This app update is also adding a new interesting flag called SHOW_NFC_PROMPT. It seems Tesla is going to be adding a prompt to the app that will help people get back into their vehicles when their phone key fails. A device’s NFC capability actually remains active even if the phone has turned off due to a low battery. also remains active if you’ve drained the battery of your phone - so you’ll still be able to get into your vehicle and plop your phone on the charger.

Since Android devices can be set up and used as NFC key cards, you’ll be able to enter your vehicle even if your battery is depleted. This feature flag could be used to display something on your phone when the phone key fails to open the vehicle. It could ask you to use the device’s NFC capabilities or show you where to tap your phone or key card.

Release Date

Unfortunately, there’s no way of telling when this feature will arrive for Android users. However, seeing references in the app at least meaning that Tesla is at least actively developing the feature. While it could arrive any day now via a server-side change, it could also take another month or two for Tesla to complete any required testing across a variety of devices.

World’s Largest Tesla Supercharger: 168 Stalls, 100% Off-Grid, Powered by Sun and Battery Storage

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

In just 8 months, Tesla has gone from breaking ground to delivering electrons at its most ambitious Supercharger project to date, just in time to be ready for the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend. Project Oasis, the world’s largest Supercharger site, is now partially open to customers for its first phase in Lost Hills, California.

What makes this remarkable is the speed of execution. In just eight months, Tesla has constructed a site that will eventually feature 168 stalls (84 stalls are now open), supported by 11 MW of solar power and 10 Megapacks of battery storage. That construction speed is pretty impressive, but what is even more impressive is how this new station operates and what it means for future Supercharging infrastructure.

Self-Sufficient Energy Oasis

Not a Tesla App

The first 84 stalls at Lost Hills are now open, and according to the Tesla Charging team, they are currently powered solely by the sun and operate off-grid.

This makes it more than just a new Supercharger site. It serves as a proof of concept for a new type of Supercharger. Unlike nearly every other charging site in the world, which draws power from local utilities, this station generates its own clean electricity from its massive solar array and stores it in its array of on-site Megapacks. 

Self-sufficient charging stations are something completely different than what we see today. They are highly resilient since they’re not reliant on the grid. That means that even if there is a local power outage, brownout, or blackout, one can always come to Lost Hills to Supercharge.

If you’ve got a Cybertruck, you could take advantage of the Cybertruck’s Powershare feature and charge up at Lost Hills to help keep your home powered during a blackout, utilizing the Cybertruck as a portable battery charger. Now that’s true independence and self-reliance.

The Future of Charging

Solar-powered Superchargers help avoid massive new loads on already stressed electrical grids, especially during peak afternoon and evening hours, when demand is the highest.

This is Tesla’s vision for the future of charging: a clean, fully closed-loop ecosystem that sustains itself. The sun’s energy is captured, stored, and delivered directly to vehicles on site at any time of day without relying on the electrical grid or fossil fuels.

Largest Supercharger in the World

This opening of 84 stalls is just the first phase of the project. Tesla says that the remaining stalls, as well as a new on-site lounge, are coming later this year. Once complete, the 168-stall site will be the largest Supercharger site in the world.

While the speed of building such a massive project in just eight months is a testament to Tesla’s execution, the true innovation is actually that self-sustainability. Let’s hope we see even more large, self-sufficient Supercharger sites across the world in the near future.

The future lounge
The future lounge
Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk Considers Solar Gigafactory in North America to Power AI Boom

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Elon Musk is once again seeking to expand Tesla’s vertical integration in the energy sector, this time focusing squarely on solar power. Following discussions on X that highlighted the massive gap in solar deployments between the US and China, Elon is now discussing the need for a Tesla Solar Gigafactory in the United States.

This potential move is driven by a specific catalyst: the exponential growth of AI is creating an insatiable demand for electricity. For Tesla and xAI, two of Elon’s companies betting their future on AI, building the power generation required is a strategic necessity.

A new factory wouldn’t just be about making panels; it would be about manufacturing the final missing piece in Tesla’s vertically integrated energy ecosystem.

Catching Up to China

The context for this renewed focus is pretty stark. In May, China reportedly added a staggering 93 gigawatts (GW) of solar power capacity. In contrast, the United States installed approximately 14 GW over the entire first quarter, roughly 20 times less than China.

The primary driver of this demand is the revolution in AI. Training ever-larger and smarter AI models involves operating vast data centers, which consume staggering amounts of power. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have turned to small-scale nuclear reactors, with Microsoft petitioning to reopen the infamous Three Mile Island for its AI operations.

For Elon’s companies, whose future products like FSD, Optimus, and Grok are built on a foundation of real-world AI, securing a massive and sustainable energy supply isn’t a side quest. It is part of the main mission, especially in conjunction with grid-scale storage, such as Megapacks and Powerwalls. You can’t power a world of autonomous robots without a world of abundant, clean energy.

The Tesla Ecosystem

A US solar gigafactory would be the final, logical step in completing Tesla’s energy hardware ecosystem. While Tesla already manufactures some solar panels and the Tesla solar roof, the scale is too minuscule to matter. 

By mass-producing its own panels, while also increasing Solar Roof production, Tesla would become a true one-stop shop for all things green energy. This would allow the company to supply its own large-scale projects, like the massive solar array for Project Oasis - the world’s largest Supercharger site.

It would also enable more complete residential packages, like the Giga-Small Haus concept home, combining Tesla-made panels and roofs with a Powerwall 3. This level of vertical integration would give Tesla complete control over the technology, cost, and supply of every major component in its energy ecosystem, from generation to storage to mobility.

Building a new Solar Gigafactory is about much more than just simply producing solar panels. It’s a requirement to power Tesla’s future products and make solar panels accessible to everyone.

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