Tesla has consistently demonstrated a commitment to high-quality audio hardware in its vehicles. The sound engineers go through a thorough design process - including integrating the subwoofer’s sound flow through the Cybertruck’s hollow body sections. Tesla offers, by and far, one of the best OEM audio experiences in its price range.
However, physical components and engineering magic aside, the current software that drives Tesla’s audio experience is sub-par when compared to higher-end audio systems on the market. It falls short of delivering truly spatial, three-dimensional audio that many audiophiles and even discerning casual listeners have come to appreciate from the likes of $100 earbuds with spatial audio support from their cell phones.
This really feels like a missed opportunity, especially when Tesla used to offer “Dolby Surround” in the past.
Immersive Sound… Kind Of
Tesla’s proprietary Immersive Sound option widens the sound stage by creating a surround-sound-like effect within the vehicle. It has evolved over the years from a simple “Off/Standard/High” to include slightly more granular control, as well as an Auto mode that intelligently adjusts the level of immersion based on the content being played.
For many, including myself, the experience often feels more like an improved stereo field rather than a genuine multi-dimensional soundscape. Even when set to High and paired with Hi-Fi downloaded music from sources like TIDAL, Immersive Sound struggles to open up the sound stage. The sense of height and precise placement of individual sound sources - hallmarks of spatial audio - are missing, leading to an audio presentation that, while clear and powerful, ultimately feels a little flat.
In reality, Immersive Sound often just turns on the A-pillar speakers and uses them for a wider set of sounds than they are normally used for, which really feels rather disappointing.
A good example is Imagine Dragons’ song Believer. Try listening to it with Immersive Sound on, and then off. If you’ve got headphones with Spatial Sound / Dolby Atmos support, try listening to the same song there. You’ll find a world of difference.
The Gold Standard: Dolby Atmos
Technology like Dolby Atmos has become the gold standard for listening to spatial audio - and represents a substantial step above traditional “Surround Sound” and Tesla’s current Immersive Sound. Dolby Atmos does a lot to achieve that truly three-dimensional audio experience.
They use object-based audio, where sounds are treated as individual objects that can be placed and moved precisely in a 3D space rather than being confined to specific channels, like with 5.1 or 7.1 Surround Sound. They also include a vertical dimension, making the sound feel like it’s coming from above, below, or all around. This is done through dedicated processing (and sometimes dedicated down-facing speakers) to render the sound in a fully 3D space.
All that, alongside the ability to render complex mixes like 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound with exceptional clarity, means that individual instruments and vocal layers maintain their distinction.
The overall result is a refined listening experience that is genuine, more engaging, and compelling. It isn’t just better for music too - it makes video content consumption better with spatial sound matching what’s being displayed on-screen.
Amazing Hardware Deserves Amazing Software
Tesla’s investment in custom-engineered audio systems is commendable. The 17 speakers in the Cybertruck represent one of the best OEM-designed speaker arrays capable of producing detailed and dynamic sound.
However, this amazing hardware is being asked to perform an orchestra with one hand tied behind its back. Without the extra spatial rendering capabilities of an industry standard like Dolby Atmos, we may as well only have five speakers. Tesla isn’t taking full advantage of the great hardware in these vehicles by letting the software lag behind.
Implementation
The barrier to entry for true surround sound may not be as high as some imagine; for perspective, a consumer license for Dolby Atmos on a PC is remarkably affordable - only $14.99. While commercial automotive licensing is on a different scale, this illustrates that access to the core technology isn't inherently prohibitive, suggesting it's more a matter of prioritization for Tesla.
Some might perceive the engineering effort to implement and tune true spatial audio as immense, but it's worth noting that advancements in calibration are constantly being made. For example, in a controlled home environment, initial spatial sound system tuning can sometimes be accomplished in as little as an hour.
Naturally, the acoustic complexity and variability of a car interior demand a more involved process, but for a company with Tesla's engineering prowess, creating an exceptional in-car spatial audio experience is well within reach and arguably less of a monumental task than many might think.
This isn’t just about satisfying those with a particular ear for sound - a truly exceptional spatial sound system like Atmos, or at least a functional in-house one that genuinely matches its capabilities, would be a huge bonus for Tesla’s flagship vehicles. It would help to elevate the experience, especially as Tesla continues to narrow the premium feel between their flagship vehicles and their everyday vehicles.
Tesla builds vehicles with some of the most impressive audio hardware on the market, so there’s no reason not to match this with the most impressive audio software. Let’s bring back Dolby surround sound support.
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Tesla recently announced plans to onshore Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery production to the United States, and those plans are starting to come together in light of a new patent on LFP chemistries. The newly published patent, WO2024/229047 A1, reveals that Tesla, along with a team including renowned battery researcher Jeff Dahn from Dalhousie University (who has made significant contributions to advancing lithium-ion battery technology, including LFP for Tesla), is developing an improved LFP-based cathode material. This “boosted” LFP will likely be the foundation for future US-made Tesla vehicles.
LFP batteries are already a part of Tesla’s strategy for its Standard Range vehicles and energy storage products. They are prized for their lower cost (by avoiding expensive nickel and cobalt), long cycle life, and ability to charge to 100% without damaging the battery. By bringing LFP production to the US, Tesla could tap into domestic incentives and avoid potential tariffs. This new patent suggests that Tesla isn’t just planning on bringing LFP production to the U.S., but that it’s also looking to improve it.
LFP with a Pinch of Nickel
The core of the patent describes a “blended cathode active material.” This involves taking a standard iron phosphate-based material, like LiFePO4 or LFP, and potentially Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate, LMFP, which forms the vast majority of the cathode - about 90-99% by weight. Then, adding in a small, carefully controlled amount of nickel oxide-based active material, such as NMC or NCA, typically between 0.1-15% or as lean as 0.1-3% by weight.
The approach isn’t just a simple mix; the patent details crucial pre-processing steps for the nickel-based component. This includes surface area processing like milling to increase its surface area and heating it to temperatures between 650°C and 800°C. These steps are designed to reduce lithium-containing impurities (like LiOH and Li2CO3) in the nickel material, which can be detrimental to battery performance.
Why Blended?
The goal of this LFP-Nickel blend is to increase LFP battery performance. In particular, the patent is targeting improved capacity retention and increased lifetime cycles. The extensive data presented in the patent shows that cells made with this blended cathode exhibit several key advantages over standard LFP cells.
Improved Capacity Retention: The blended cathodes demonstrated a better ability to hold charge over many cycles with tests showing blended cells retaining over 90% capacity after 7,000 hours of cycling at 40°C in some configurations.
Improved Cycle Lifetime: The batteries could endure more charge and discharge cycles while maintaining output voltage, which is key for vehicle lifespans.
Better High-Temperature Performance: Testing at higher temperatures, including up to 70°C showed superior stability and capacity retention.
Reduced Degradation: A fascinating finding highlighted in the patent is that the blend appears to reduce the dissolution of iron from the LFP material, which can then deposit on the anode and hinder long-term performance. The blended cells showed less iron deposition on the anode after extensive cycling.
Lower Internal Resistance Growth: Finally, these new cathodes showed more stable internal resistance over time compared to pure LFP cells, especially at higher temperatures.
By incorporating just a small fraction of the higher-energy nickel material, Tesla hopes to improve LFP battery longevity and improve charge rates without increasing the cost of these batteries, which is one of their most appealing qualities.
Impact on Charging Performance
The patent doesn't explicitly focus on achieving dramatically faster charging speeds as its primary outcome, with most cycling tests conducted at moderate C-rates like C/3*. However, the findings offer strong indicators that charging performance would also be improved.
While the patent doesn't claim a new "fast charge" LFP chemistry outright, the inherent improvements in material stability and resistance characteristics suggest that these blended LFP cells could offer more robust and reliable charging performance.
* C-rates are a measure of how quickly a battery can charge. 1C means the battery can be fully charged in an hour, while C/3 means 33% per hour.
Domestic LFP
This patented technology could be the key to Tesla's US LFP production. It offers a pathway to manufacturing LFP cells that are not only domestically sourced but also offer a tangible performance improvement over conventional LFP chemistries. This could give Tesla a competitive edge, allowing them to offer LFP-powered vehicles and energy products with better longevity, durability, and potentially even slightly better performance characteristics in demanding conditions.
This is especially important today, as Tesla no longer sells vehicles with LFP batteries in the United States and North America due to tariffs. The only LFP battery items they sell within North America are Megapack and Powerwall, which are both excluded from tariffs (and incentives) due to their nature as stationary energy products.
As Tesla continues to innovate across the battery spectrum, from raw materials processing to cell design and manufacturing, innovations like this blended cathode could play an important role in the next generation of more affordable and durable electric vehicles and energy storage solutions.
Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot is back in the spotlight, and this time it's showing off some impressive new footwork. In a pair of videos shared on X this week, Optimus demonstrated a surprising level of agility and coordination while dancing. The first demonstration had a precautionary safety cable, but the second demo was impressive without support.
Tesla has been making some astounding advances in Optimus’ unique FSD model, particularly through simulation and reinforcement learning. Optimus has come a long way since tripping over its own feet.
This first glimpse showed Optimus performing a simple series of dance-like movements. While there was a safety cable visible, indicating the relatively early nature of the test, the fluidity of the movements was noteworthy. Check out those feet—maintaining balance on two legs may be easy for humans, but it’s much harder for a robot as it shifts its center of gravity.
Milan Kovac, a member of the Optimus AI team, provided some additional context on this initial video. He mentioned that more was coming shortly, and the team has been hard at work. What’s key here is that he emphasized that the routine was entirely trained in simulation with reinforcement learning. He also mentioned that there are many optimizations and fixes already put in place for the sim-to-real training code. Finally, regarding the cable, he mentioned it's there in case of a fall and that it is not actually holding Optimus up directly.
Dance Baby, Dance
True to Kovac’s promise, the Tesla Optimus X account followed up with a second, more impressive video, declaring that it was just “getting warmed up.”
This time, Optimus engaged in a far more dynamic EDM-style dance, and crucially, without a safety cable or restraint. Optimus put on a good show of its balance, quicker movements, and an even greater range of dynamic motion, all untethered.
Murtaza Dalal, another Optimus AI team member, commented on this cable-free performance, stating, "As promised, the team is crazy fast :)" He pointed to the core methodology enabling such rapid progress: "Sim2real RL is the key to getting next level agile, dynamic motions. It’s also the key to precision and robustness."
Sim-to-Real Learning
The recurring theme from the Optimus team is the power of sim-to-real transfer using reinforcement learning. This approach involves training the AI model extensively in a simulated virtual environment, where it can learn complex behaviors (like walking, balancing, and now dancing) through trial and error at an accelerated pace. The best part is that it can all be done without risking damage to the physical hardware and done across multiple nodes of Tesla hardware. Imagine thousands of Optimus bots learning to dance all at once - except virtually.
Once the AI masters these skills in the simulation, the challenge lies in transferring that learning effectively to the real-world robot - which is the sim-to-real step.
These latest dance demonstrations suggest Tesla is making some fairly substantial strides in bridging that gap, allowing Optimus to translate simulated learning into real-world physical competence.
Rapid Development
While dancing may seem like a novelty, it serves as a compelling visual demonstration of Optimus’ advanced capabilities in balance, coordination, and dynamic movement - all essential for performing useful tasks in real-world environments. This progress builds on previous milestones, like Optimus learning to walk.
The "crazy fast" development pace lauded by Dalal indicates that Tesla is treating Optimus with the same iterative intensity it applies to its vehicles and FSD software. Each new demonstration, from sorting objects to walking and now dancing, offers a glimpse into a future where humanoid robots could play an important role in manufacturing, logistics, and eventually daily life.
The ability to quickly iterate and improve in simulation and then successfully deploy those improvements to the physical robot is crucial. While Optimus might not be ready for household chores just yet, its new dance moves are a clear sign that FSD is learning and evolving at an impressive rate.
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