Tesla adds multi-destination, waypoints navigation

By Nuno Cristovao

One of the recent most sought after features has been the ability to have multiple destinations set in your navigation.

Tesla adds waypoints navigation
Tesla adds waypoints navigation

This is particularly useful when taking a longer trip that will require you to stop to charge along the way. Considering how common it is, it's surprising that Tesla hasn't included it thus far.

Tesla uses a combination of their own tech and Google's to produce their navigation system. Tesla leverages Google's points of interest, traffic data, map tiles but Tesla determines the routing themselves.

It feels like the waypoints feature has been a long time coming. Elon Musk first mentioned on Twitter that Tesla would be adding waypoints navigation back in September, 2020.

Since then Elon has made several remarks on waypoints. Most recently Elon has said that waypoints was coming soon just a couple months ago.

Add Stop, as Tesla is calling it, is a part of the latest software update 2021.40.5.

Add Stop is a new feature introduced in 2021.40.5, but 2021.40 introduces new features such as Tidal music streaming, active noise reduction for redesigned Model S and Model X cars, traffic-aware cruise control and more.

The release notes for waypoints state:

Add Stop

Add a new stop to your route by tapping the "+" icon on the navigation search button and searching for a destination, or selecting a pin on the map.

We'll continue to provide updates on this story as we receive demos of waypoints in action. Stay tuned.

Tesla Robotaxi: A Breakdown of Its New FSD Abilities

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

With the launch of Tesla’s Robotaxi Network, we didn't just get a peek into the future of transportation—we got a detailed look at the next version of FSD.

Videos from early access riders revealed some additional capabilities over current public FSD builds, showing off how it handles emergency vehicles and more.

Safety First for First Responders

One of the biggest changes in FSD’s capabilities is its improved handling of emergency vehicles. During a ride in Austin, Robotaxi is seen identifying an approaching ambulance using a combination of visual and audio data, activating its turn signal, and smoothly pulling over to the side of the road to let the ambulance by (video below).

This is a driving task that requires more than simple awareness of laws. It requires reasoning skills to determine where to move the vehicle to create a safe path, as well as the ability to quickly identify an ambulance or another emergency service vehicle with its sirens and lights activated. Understanding the context and executing a safe and predictable maneuver is crucial, as a wrong maneuver could actually make matters worse.

For FSD and Robotaxi to gain both public trust and regulatory approval, this skill is non-negotiable, and Tesla demonstrated its advancements right here. It’s not surprising Tesla added this ability before Robotaxis made it to public roads.

This is a feature that Tesla previously mentioned would arrive as part of future updates to FSD V13, so expect it in future customer builds as well.

Automated Camera Cleaning

How does a fleet of Robotaxis keep its eyes clean without constant human intervention? Well, a clever new feature that Tesla has previously hinted at in their FSD release notes provides the answer. Robotaxi can now trigger a specific wiper and washer fluid sequence designed to clean the main front-facing cameras.

This might seem like a small detail, but it’s a brilliant solution to one of Tesla’s primary challenges - maintaining sensor clarity. While the vehicle could simply wipe the windshield multiple times, this is a clever solution to clean the most important area of the windshield as thoroughly as possible by focusing extra wiper fluid and wipes on that area.

Complex Maneuvers

Two areas where current builds of FSD V13.2.9 sometimes show hesitation are U-turns and navigating busy parking lots. The latest Robotaxi build appears to improve on both of these areas.

This first video shows a Robotaxi performing a flawless U-turn with no hesitation, and then smoothly switching lanes to take a turn.

Another video on X shows FSD’s updated confidence in navigating a complex parking lot for a precise drop-off. Today’s builds can sometimes struggle in parking lots, being slow and overly cautious when not needed, or too confident elsewhere. This appears to have been improved in these Robotaxi FSD builds with improved path planning and confidence.

We’re also likely to see FSD begin to handle more complex destination options, including parking garages and driveways, which have been promised features for almost a year. The Robotaxi FSD build has also gained the ability to safely pull over on a road, similar to the ambulance example above, but it uses this capability to drop off and pick up passengers. This is a feature that was mentioned in FSD v13.2’s Upcoming Improvements section.

Better Nighttime Performance

Driving at night presents additional challenges, including headlight glare and reduced visibility. The latest version of FSD appears to handle it with almost the same grace as it does during the day. Remember that Tesla’s Robotaxis are available up until midnight.  Early access riders mentioned that FSD is far smoother and is a step up from the behavior of current FSD builds.

Human Support

Now, what happens when a passenger feels unsafe or has a critical question? Tesla has placed two key buttons on the rear screen for just those purposes. Users are given control over the ability to Call Support, which almost instantly connects them with a real human agent at Tesla’s Robotaxi Operations Center via video call.

While it isn’t a fundamental driving feature, it does mean that Tesla’s team can provide support to Robotaxi vehicles remotely, like issuing directive commands to have a vehicle proceed straight, rather than attempting to turn through a gated community.

The other option, Pull Over, allows a rider to immediately request the vehicle to safely pull over, which it will do when it can find a safe and open location. At this point, you can either continue your trip or get out of the Robotaxi.

Both options prompt you with an “Are You Sure?” button before letting you continue, which means you won’t have your Robotaxi ride come to an abrupt stop if you tap the ‘Pull Over’ button by accident.

What This Means for Tesla Owners

These features are likely to be included in future FSD builds. This is essentially the new benchmark by which to judge FSD, at least once it begins rolling out to customer vehicles.

Many of the core driving improvements, such as the more confident maneuvering and emergency vehicle response, will make their way to the wider fleet in upcoming FSD updates.

Remember - Robotaxi isn’t just a service, it is also a preview of Tesla’s driverless FSD builds.

Tesla Autonomously Delivers Its First Vehicle to Customer — And It’s More Impressive Than Expected [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

In a world first, Tesla has successfully completed its first fully autonomous delivery of a new vehicle from Gigafactory Texas to a customer’s home. While Musk announced this was coming, some of the details make the achievement even more impressive.

Traveling on the Highway

A Tesla Model Y left the factory, navigating highways at speeds up to 72mph, a day ahead of Tesla’s previously announced schedule. Most critically, Elon also confirmed two key factors that make this achievement even more impressive than Tesla’s launch of the Robotaxi last week.

There were no Safety Monitors in the car, and no remote operators took control of the Model Y at any time, really making this an amazing achievement.

While the launch of the Robotaxi was an amazing step for Tesla, this one easily takes the cake.

No Safety Monitor, No Passengers, No Limits

The significance of this event lies in just how it differs from the current Robotaxi service operating in Austin.

First and most importantly, there was no Safety Monitor. Nobody was sitting up front, ready to tap one of the emergency stop buttons on the screen. The vehicle was empty, fresh from the factory. This is the unsupervised experience and future that we’ve been waiting for.

Max speed was 72 mph -- Ashok Elluswamy

Why There Was No Safety Monitor

However, there is an important distinction with this autonomous ride — that there were no passengers. This is the crucial regulatory distinction. By operating as a logistics trip rather than as a commercial ride-hailing service, Tesla was likely able to bypass many of the stringent rules governing passenger transport. 

This freedom is what enabled the other key difference: operating with fewer restrictions. That included a 72mph top speed on the highway, which is well outside the geofenced Robotaxi Network that’s currently available in Austin.

Ahead of Schedule

This event wasn’t a surprise - Elon had previously stated that Tesla expects the first fully autonomous delivery to happen on June 28th. He even worked some flex time into that, saying the timing could potentially slip into early July.

It turns out that additional time wasn’t needed, as Tesla ended up delivering its first vehicle a day early. It seems that Tesla is pulling data quickly from its fleet of slightly modified Model Ys cruising the streets of Austin, which likely enabled the confidence behind giving this the green light.

Video of the Drive

Tesla shared a video of the entire drive, from the vehicle leaving Giga Texas to it arriving at the customer’s home. The entire ride took 30 minutes, crossing parking lots and going on the highway.

While there are some disadvantages to autonomous deliveries, they could lower the cost of a vehicle significantly.

Challenging Uber Eats and Others

This successful delivery is another fantastic use case for FSD that could be another entire business in and of itself for Tesla. The ability to autonomously move vehicles, potentially with cargo inside them, has massive implications for both Tesla’s factory-to-customer logistics, as well as challenging other services like Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes down the road.

Additionally, logistics-focused autonomy may be easier to scale than the Robotaxi network. It sidesteps many of the complex safety, liability, and customer-facing service challenges that come with carrying human passengers. This could be a faster and clearer path for regulatory approval.

Fork in the Road

But it's more than just a new business.

Back in 2022, Elon commissioned an art piece that now stands outside Giga Texas. It is, quite literally, A Fork in the Road. Part of Elon’s greater goal is to ensure we pass Fermi’s Great Filters, and that means ensuring we generate green energy, electrify and automate transportation, and move towards sustainable abundance.

The point of the fork here is that Tesla’s first autonomous delivery isn’t just a publicity stunt. We’re finally here, at the fork in the road. We’ve hit it - true autonomous capabilities being demonstrated on public highways under a specific and challenging set of conditions. That’s a true Level 4 autonomous capability with no one in the car.

While Robotaxi is a fantastic step towards changing personal transport, this successful delivery proves that there are even more uses to FSD beyond what we’ve seen so far.

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