Tesla's Newest Safety Enhancement: Predictive, Vision-Based Seat Belt Tensioning

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla makes their cars even safer with seat belt pretensioning
Tesla makes their cars even safer with seat belt pretensioning
Tesla

Elon Musk used Tesla's quarter two earnings call to highlight several accomplishments made by his company in recent months, including one that may have gone under the radar.

In the 2022.20 update, Tesla introduced a Seat Belt System Enhancement. Musk expanded on the upgrade and its importance to the auto industry.

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"Our safety team also introduced a feature that tension seat belts if the vision system detects an imminent collision, which has never been done before," said the CEO as he described the predictive, vision-based seat belt tensioning program.

While the seatbelt is considered the single most effective safety technology in the history of the automobile, it has a fundamental flaw as it only provides tension when there is an impact.

However, Tesla's advanced camera system has made seat belts safer. "The car has got to be crunching to trigger the seatbelt tensioner, but because we have the vision, we can actually see that a collision is about to occur with 100% probability before it actually happens."

Tesla's Q2 document shows a chart that displays the seat belt tension performance in three different scenarios, belted, belted with a pre-tensioner and belted with the vision system. The vision system mirrors the vehicle's deceleration closest and shaves off milliseconds to better restrain the occupants.

Tesla compares seat belt occupant accerlation using various systems
Tesla compares seat belt occupant accerlation using various systems
Tesla

"This is a fundamental safety advantage that Teslas are now able to offer. And there is also an over-the-air update, so this is something that will be in place in all cars that have at least AP3 hardware," said Musk. This latest update further enhances its outstanding safety features; it provides a pretension to the seat belt and can adjust the airbag deployment faster.

The Seat Belt System Enhancement is available in update 2022.20 and higher and the feature is available for all newer Teslas, which includes the new Model S and Model X, all Model Ys, and newer Model 3s.

Tesla prides itself on developing the safest vehicles on earth. The Model S, Model X and Model 3 scored the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by the U.S. government's New Car Assessment Program. The NHTSA has assessed Teslas with a 5-star safety rating. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given Teslas the top safety pick numerous times. Most recently, calling the Model 3 the Top Safety Pick of 2022, IIHS gave high marks in every category, including superior scores for front crash prevention.

This latest safety improvement, yet another trailblazing moment for the automotive industry, will surely draw more kudos and, hopefully, save more lives.

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Tesla Rolls Out Innovative Towing Solutions for Cybertruck and Supercharger Network

By Kevin Armstrong
Pull through supercharging added to UI
Pull through supercharging added to UI

Tesla’s latest update includes a special feature for Cybertruck that may eventually be rolled out to the rest of the lineup. It appears Tesla is getting ready for the summer road trip season early by focusing on enhanced security for drivers who tow trailers and improving accessibility to its Supercharger network for such vehicles.

Cybertruck's New Trailer Alarm Feature

A standout feature in the latest update is introducing a trailer alarm system for the Cybertruck. This innovative feature extends the vehicle's alarm system to monitor the connection status of a trailer hitched to the vehicle. In practical terms, this means the vehicle's alarm will now also protect the trailer, ensuring an added layer of security for owners' valuable cargo.

Activating or deactivating alongside the vehicle's alarm system, this feature can be conveniently managed through the vehicle's settings under the "Towing and Hauling" section, where the "Trailer Alarm" option is located. Owners who prefer not to use this feature can disable it, tailoring the vehicle's security settings to their preferences. At this point, we only have confirmation of the feature in Cybertruck, but it would make sense to add it to the other models that haul trailers as well.

Enhanced Supercharger Network Accessibility

Tesla is also improving the Supercharging experience for drivers with trailers. Recognizing owners' difficulties when charging vehicles while towing, Tesla has been progressively introducing pull-through stalls at Supercharger stations. These stalls are designed to accommodate vehicles with trailers, eliminating the need to detach trailers before charging – a significant improvement over the traditional back-in stalls that dominate the network.

Wes Morrill, a Cybertruck engineer who has become more vocal on X, posted that the “Supercharger team is always looking for opportunities to install these at new locations. Will show trailer friendly stalls on the in-vehicle UI to make it easier when road tripping with a trailer.”

Amid rising gas prices, Tesla's updates offer a cost-effective solution for summer road trips. The new trailer alarm and UI improvements for finding Supercharger stations address towing challenges, enhancing the Tesla experience. This initiative showcases Tesla's commitment to innovation and sustainable travel, enabling owners to bypass the impact of fuel costs and enjoy their adventures.

Tesla Expected to Release 'Actually Smart Summon' and 'Tap to Park' Updates Next Month

By Not a Tesla App Staff
Smart summon in April update
Smart summon in April update

Elon Musk announced that Tesla will finally reintroduce Smart Summon and Autopark to its vehicles. According to the CEO, these features are scheduled for release in April. Tesla removed ultrasonic sensors (USS) from their vehicles in 2022, and with it removed several features, including Autopark, Smart Summon and Park Assist. However, since then, they’ve added High Fidelity Park Assist, a feature that recreates the surrounding environment in 3D. Although, it’s currently only available to vehicles without USS, that’s expected to change in the near future, and could also come bundled in with the new Autopark feature.

This update in April is not only expected bring these features back to vehicles without ultrasonic sensors, but Tesla is also expected to release drastically improved versions of these features, known as Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park.

Major improvements coming for Summon & Banish (Autopark) next month - Elon Musk

Improved Autopark

Greentheonly, who regularly decompiles Tesla firmware, has indicated that Tesla's latest software, version 2024.8, already contains the code necessary for these new features, but they need to be remotely activated by Tesla. Additionally, Green says the new Autopark system will offer users the choice between parallel and perpendicular parking options. The new Autopark is expected to let drivers visually select a parking spot, exit the vehicle, and let it park itself.

New ‘Tap to Park’ Feature

With the introduction of High Fidelity Park Assist, Tesla laid the groundwork for more sophisticated features like "Tap to Park."

Tap to Park builds on the original concept of Park Seek, a feature discussed by Tesla in October 2022 that aimed to automate the parking spot search process. While the initial vision for Park Seek suggested a vehicle could autonomously search for parking, "Tap to Park" simplifies this idea.

With the deployment of FSD Beta v12.3 going to more users this weekend, the company continues to leverage AI to reduce code in favor of neural networks trained with real-world driving data.

Just last week, Musk posted on X: "Really cool stuff coming both this month and next." Since that post, FSD beta version 12.3 has started going to more users, and now it seems two other long overdue and highly anticipated updates are coming with Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park. Still no word on auto wiper improvements.

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