Tesla is getting ready to release 'Charge on Solar' feature
@olympusdev_ (Edited by NATA)
Tesla is set to introduce its innovative "Drive on Sunshine" feature, which allows Tesla owners to charge their cars using surplus solar energy generated by their home solar panels. We first revealed the feature in March with a rendering of what the feature could look like based on details found in the app.
However, we now have our first official screenshots shared by Twitter user @olympusdev_. If you have Tesla Solar and possibly a Powerwall, the feature promises to bring more efficiency and economy to Tesla's clean energy efforts.
For solar panel owners, options for utilizing excess energy generated have been limited. Typically, the surplus energy charges Powerwalls if available, and once full, the excess is sent back to the grid. However, Tesla's "Drive on Sunshine" feature aims to provide a better solution for using this excess energy, making it more economical for Tesla owners than selling the energy back to the power company.
According to a phrase found by Olympus, the "Drive on Sunshine" feature may require a Powerwall to function, although it's not entirely clear. The phrase "Charge on Solar paused for Powerwall Export" hints at the integration of Tesla's energy storage system with the new feature. Further details regarding the exact role of the Powerwall in this process are yet to be disclosed.
How "Drive on Sunshine" Works
The Tesla app, which already allows users to set charging limits for their vehicles, will gain new functionality with the "Drive on Sunshine" feature. Users will have access to two sliders, one for setting the minimum charge of the vehicle that they'd like regardless of the energy generation source and another, called the "Charge on Solar" slider, for specifying the maximum charge they'd like from excess solar energy.
For instance, Tesla owners can set a minimum charge level for daily driving, such as 50%, and a solar limit of 90%. The car will charge at the time specified to reach your minimum charge goal of 50%, enough for your daily errands. If the vehicle remains plugged in during the day and excess solar energy is available, the car will automatically charge up to the 90% limit.
Charging from Multiple Solar Sites
Another exciting aspect of the "Drive on Sunshine" feature is the ability for Tesla owners to choose from multiple solar sites where they want their vehicles to charge using excess solar energy. This added flexibility allows owners to optimize their vehicle charging based on the availability of surplus solar power in different locations.
Release Date
It appears that the Drive on Sunshine feature is dev complete or nearing completion, based on the underlying source code in the latest Tesla app. It may even already be live and in testing for some employees. The feature is expected to launch soon for the general public, and it may even not require an app update for it to appear. Tesla may simply be able to adjust a configuration to turn this feature on for everyone. Keep an eye out for it in your Tesla app.
Tesla's "Drive on Sunshine" feature marks a significant step forward in using clean energy for electric vehicle owners. By enabling Tesla owners to charge their vehicles using excess solar power, the feature ensures a more efficient and eco-friendly approach to electric vehicle charging.
As Tesla continues to push the boundaries of clean energy and electric vehicle technology, the "Drive on Sunshine" feature is yet another example of its commitment to creating a sustainable future.
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Tesla has invested billions of dollars over the years toward vehicle autonomy. The mission continues as Elon Musk and Tesla now prepare to unveil their ride-hailing product, Robotaxi this August. Or, as Musk called it on Tuesday, Tesla CyberCab.
Early Days
Five years ago, during Tesla’s Autonomy Investor Day in April 2019, Elon Musk said he felt “very confident predicting autonomous robotaxis for Tesla in the following year [2020]”. At the time, Musk added a bolder claim, predicting that Tesla wouldn’t even make cars with steering wheels or pedals by 2022. While timeliness may not be Musk’s strong suit, he has a track record for getting things done that others were unwilling to try or thought were impossible. Musk later admitted he can be overly optimistic and said “sometimes I am not on time, but I get it done.”
Now, 5 years later, we have the robotaxi unveiling scheduled for August 8th. After the release of FSD v12, it’s clear that we’re much closer to autonomy than we were in 2019, although FSD v12 is still a far cry from full autonomy.
While Tesla still has the robotaxi unveiling scheduled for August, Tesla announced yesterday that it’d be prioritizing a simpler “next-gen” model that could be released by early 2025.
Latest Updates
On the conference call, Musk added that Tesla now has over 300 million miles driven with FSD v12 since it was launched just last month. He added that it's becoming “very clear that the vision-based approach with end-to-end neural networks is the right solution for scalable autonomy”.
Tesla said it has been investing in the hardware and software ecosystems necessary to achieve vehicle autonomy and a ride-hailing service. The company is confident that it can establish a scalable and profitable autonomous driving business by employing a vision-only architecture.
think of it [Tesla] as combination of Airbnb and Uber meaning that there will be some number of cars that Tesla owns itself and operates
Tesla = Uber + AirBnb
Later on, Elon Musk unveiled that the new service will operate and result in a mix between Uber and Airbnb where the Tesla driver decides if and when he wants his Tesla to be used and by whom. Tesla stated:
“We believe the Tesla software experience is best-in-class across all our products, and plan to seamlessly layer ride-hailing into the Tesla App.”
Tesla’s CEO clarified that the owners will be able to add or remove their car from the fleet “whenever they want” adding that it will be up to them to decide if they want to only let the car be used “by friends and family or only by five-star users or by anyone at any time”. The flexible program will, just like Airbnb, allow the owners to take the car out of the market when they want.
The upcoming ride-hailing service will enable users to easily request a Tesla vehicle, control the car's temperature, monitor its real-time location, and adjust the audio system. The only question is when.
“We have updated our future vehicle line-up to accelerate the launch of new models ahead of our previously communicated start of production in the second half of 2025”. This was one of the key sentences that were part of Tesla’s deck shared on Tuesday directly before its financial results.
Since Reuters’ report a few weeks ago saying Tesla had “scrapped” the highly expected cheaper model— which Elon quickly denied on X —retail and institutional shareholders started asking for more details on Tesla’s product roadmap for 2024 and beyond.
In the earnings conference call, Elon Musk reiterated that Tesla expects to launch the next model in “early 2025, if not late this year”.
“We've updated our future vehicle lineup to accelerate the launch of new models ahead of previously mentioned start of production in the second half of 2025. So, we expect it to be more like the early 2025, if not late this year. “
Over concerns of temporary production halts to update the factories for these new models, Musk said that Tesla will produce new models with certain aspects from their next-generation platform and current models. This will reduce the number of changes needed on production lines and allow Tesla not only to ramp up production faster but also to get the vehicles to market quicker.
Model Y Redesign
Tesla appears to hit that their next-gen vehicle will be less “next-gen” than they were initially aiming for, but to get a new vehicle out the door by late 2024, the process would already have to be in motion. Tesla may likely be referring to the redesigned Model Y, which is expected to reuse many parts from the new Model 3. Earlier this year, Tesla said that the redesigned Model Y will not be released this year, so it makes sense that they’re looking to speed up that production.
Tesla CEO concluded by saying that these measures will allow Tesla to reach a capacity of over 3 million units. Tesla produced 1.84 million vehicles in 2023. However, this year they’re ramping up Cybertruck production and introduced the new Model 3 into new markets.
And we think this should allow us to get to over 3 million vehicles of capacity when realized to the full extent.
Tesla reported on Tuesday its earnings results followed by a conference call where it teased its upcoming Robotaxi and its next-generation platform saying its “purpose-built Robotaxi product will continue to pursue a revolutionary ‘unboxed’ manufacturing strategy”.
Earlier in the day, Tesla announced the new Performance variant of its sedan Model 3 with deliveries in the United States starting already next month. The new version starts at $45,490 (after applying the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit) and goes from 0 to 60mph in 2.9 seconds.
TeslaFi logs your drives and charging sessions, letting you keep a log of your vehice's activity. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. Visit their site and see everything they have to offer!
Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
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