Teslas will now more accurately predict energy usage and reduce range anxiety

May 26, 2022

By Kevin Armstrong

Update 2022.16 brings better energy usage predictions

gregsramblings.com

Tesla's latest update, version 2022.16.0.2, makes calculating energy consumption on your next trip even more precise.

When navigating to your destination, your Tesla will already show you the estimated energy available upon arrival.

However, with update 2022.16, Tesla's 'Navigation Energy Prediction' will become even more accurate.

Before the update, Tesla's routing system estimated energy usage by distance, elevation changes, and some additional information such as your vehicle type and its wheel configuration.

The new Navigation Energy Prediction makes this projection even more definitive by forecasting wind conditions, assessing if you will be driving into a headwind or crosswind, determining the humidity, and gauging the ambient temperature.

Since Tesla is relying on additional weather information for these predictions, your vehicle will need to have an active cellular connection, but Premium Connectivity is not required.

All Teslas in supported regions (US included) will have access to this information except for older Teslas (2015 and older) that only supported 3G cellular networks which have recently gone offline in the US. Tesla offers an upgrade for those owners affected.

This latest update may not be the most significant factor for short trips; it could be a meaningful upgrade for those who use their Tesla for long-distance traveling when every acceleration and regenerative braking matters.

Also, for those who live in regions with a wide range of inclement weather conditions. One of the biggest rebuffs about Tesla, and all EVs, is that they are not as efficient in extremely cold conditions. Certainly, using the heater will use more energy.

Those concerned about traveling in the winter months now have access to even more detailed information about consumption and can better plan for stops along their way to the chilly destination.

Tesla first included environmental factors in a 2018 update, and the wind calculations have been showing up in the code since March 2022, but it's now available in the production build of 2022.16.

Although these changes are completely invisible to the owner they will help reduce range anxiety on long trips and increase our confidence in the vehicle's predictions.

These changes will also improve the accuracy of your suggested wait time at a Supercharger before you're able to move on to your next stop or destination.

Energy App

A great way to track your energy usage on a long trip is by using the graph in the Energy app.

The energy app will also use these new predictions and will now more accurately display the predicted energy curve.

The energy graph displays two graphs. Your predicted energy usage and your actual energy usage. You may sometimes see your vehicle performing worse or better than the prediction. With 2022.16, these graphs should be even more similar, as the predictions have become more accurate.

Before 2022.16, if you were driving against a headwind, it was possible to use significantly more energy than anticipated, but those instances should be far reduced now.

The energy graphs are still a great way to keep tabs on your energy usage on a long trip and a reliable way to see how your car is performing compared to its prediction.

The Energy app is available on all Teslas, except the new Model S and Model X. Tesla appears to still be tweaking the app to work on the larger display, but there is a little workaround to get it to work.

If you have a new Model S or Model X, you can access the Energy app by using the voice command 'Open Energy'.

Increasing Range

There are several ways to increase the range of your Tesla's energy consumption with or without the Navigation Energy Prediction enhancements.

These include driving in Chill Mode and using Speed Assist to monitor bursts of speed. Tesla also encourages users to understand how to control the accelerator pedal to slow down instead of using the brake pedal.

Then, of course, regenerative braking slows the car and puts energy back into the battery. Drivers can also reduce the use of creature comforts such as heat, air conditioning, driver assistance, and even the Toy Box.

However, Caraoke is a must for long trips, so you may want to better plan your route by using the Energy app.

This action ensures you can sing all the tunes you want to entertain, or annoy, your passengers.

Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

December 14, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

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’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

December 13, 2024

By Karan Singh

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

Not a Tesla App

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.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

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.