Tesla has introduced an innovative feature called 'Driver Drowsiness Warning'. This new safety uses the vehice's internal camera to detect and warn potentially fatigued drivers.
Beyond Autopilot
Tesla's driver's monitoring systems have thus far been limited to Autopilot and FSD use, warning users to pay attention to the road while Autopiot is engaged. However, this is the first time Tesla is monitoring drivers while Autoilot is off. Driver Drowsiness Warning is expected to be Tesla's next active safety feature.
Renowned Tesla hacker @greentheonly shed light on the forthcoming feature back in May. By decompiling Tesla's firmware, he unveiled that Tesla plans to utilize its camera-based monitoring system to gauge signs of driver fatigue. This includes tracking metrics such as the number of yawns and blinks, alongside evaluating driving patterns that are associated with drowsiness.
How Does It Work?
The Driver Drowsiness Warning system is only activated when vehicles have been driving for at least 10 minutes and the vehicle is traveling over 40 mph (65 km/h). Autopilot must also be disengaged. If the system recognizes symptoms of drowsiness, a visual alert flashes on the screen, matched by an audible warning. The notification prompts drivers to consider pulling over for a break before continuing to drive. However, Tesla will not prevent the driver from operating the vehicle.
Drawing data from the cabin camera and studying driving behaviors, Tesla's new feature employs a multifaceted methodology. It observes the driver's facial characteristics, such as yawning and blinking frequencies and driving patterns, such as lane warnings, to discern drowsiness. Once flagged, the alert remains on the screen until the driver is alert or slows down below 40 mph.
Turning Off the Warning
Tesla's new Driver Drowsiness Warning is sort of optional. Although you can disable it in the vehicle's settings by navigating to Controls > Safety > Driver Drowsiness, it is automatically re-enabled at the start of each drive.
Tesla will now monitor drivers for drowsiness
Not a Tesla App
Is this the Nag?
For anyone who has driven a Tesla with Full Self Driving enabled, you are well aware of the nag. For those who have not had the pleasure, it's a visual and audible warning to "apply slight pressure to the wheel" or to pay attention to the road. Tesla has considered removal of the nag before but quickly met resistance.
However, this kind of new nag could've played a role in preventing the crash where the FSD system warned the driver to take control 150 times over 45 minutes before the impact with emergency vehicles.
Evolving Monitoring Capabilities
Tesla's journey in driver monitoring has witnessed significant evolution. While initial systems were limited to detecting torque on the steering wheel, advancements post-2021 included the cabin-facing camera to ascertain driver attention. This shift marked Tesla's venture into comprehensive driver observation, ensuring the driver's gaze remains fixed on the road and is devoid of handheld device distractions.
Release Date
The feature's unveiling in Tesla's European owner's manual points to an imminent release. However, the feature doesn't appear to be active yet. Tesla's release notes have made no mention of this significant change so far, but it could be in an upcoming update. When the feature is released, we expect it to be available in select regions. Tesla will typically release a new feature such as this one in specific regions to gather additional data before making it available more widely.
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According to a report from Bloomberg (paywall), Tesla is planning to launch its Robotaxi network in Austin on June 12th. Bloomberg’s source noted that the date was still in flux, but this is the date Tesla is being planned around.
While the Robotaxi network may launch on June 12th, it’ll be exclusive to Tesla employees initially, allowing Tesla to iron out any issues.
The taxi network isn’t expected to open up to the public until late June at the earliest. During Tesla’s Q1 2025 Earnings Call, Elon stated that the Robotaxi service would only be available to the public in late June or early July.
June 12th is actually much sooner than we expected, so this is an excellent sign for Tesla, who typically pushes back events for finishing touches. The Robotaxi event, for example, was originally scheduled for August 8th but was rescheduled for October 10th.
The NHTSA recently reached out to Tesla, inquiring about how they’d handle certain scenarios, such as adverse weather conditions. This is a good sign that Tesla is satisfying those requirements.
Testing Happening Now
According to Bloomberg’s report, Tesla has already been operating test vehicles using FSD Unsupervised without a safety driver this week. A test engineer was in the passenger seat but did not intervene or provide any input.
Tesla has already been doing preliminary testing with employees in Austin and Los Angeles, but those have been with relatively small internal groups for the most part.
Tesla plans to launch the service with approximately 10 Model Y taxi vehicles initially, providing an opportunity to gather data and user feedback. According to Elon, in the weeks following the launch, Tesla will expand the program to more vehicles, with it hitting several thousand by late 2025.
Tesla recently started the Early Access Program for FSD users in Texas. It’ll be interesting to see how Tesla leverages these users to gather more data or help expand the program when Tesla is finally ready to provide FSD Unsupervised to vehicle owners.
Reducing Variables
There are a ton of moving parts involved in launching an autonomous taxi network, including insurance, cleaning, charging, and more. There’s no doubt Tesla is eliminating as many variables as possible, such as automated charging. While the Robotaxi will support wireless charging, these Model Ys are expected to be charged manually since Tesla hasn’t built the “snake” charger, and Model Ys don’t support wireless charging.
Tesla already has at least some Robotaxi code built into the Tesla app, so it seems like they’re lining up all the pieces.
While Tesla has been relatively focused on California and Texas, we’ve also spotted some Robotaxi mules making their way around Boston and New Hampshire, meaning that Tesla is already thinking about expansion or at least finding out what it’ll take.
We may just be a couple of months away from seeing a Robotaxi revolution in some American cities. While expanding to additional cities with varying weather conditions may be slow, Tesla will be out there proving what they’ve been promising since 2016.
If you’re not familiar with Live Activities on iPhone, they’re essentially an interactive notification that displays real-time information. So, instead of receiving a notification that says that your vehicle has started charging, it’ll display real-time charging information.
What It Displays
Live Activities are displayed on your lock screen or Notification Center. With Tesla’s first implementation, it’ll display a variety of charging information when you’re Supercharging, such as the time until charging is complete, your current range, and the estimated cost.
The Live Activity will also display a photo of your vehicle with the color you’ve selected in the Colorizer feature, along with a charge meter, allowing you to easily see how much your vehicle is charged. The meter will be grayed out according to the charge limit you have set in your vehicle.
The “Charge” label of the notification shows your current range and will display percentage or distance, depending on which metric you use in your vehicle.
In all, the feature will display all of these details:
Time left to charge completion
Charge/range in miles or percentage
Estimated cost
Current Supercharger powe
Current Supercharger speed in miles/km
Total energy added in kWh
The battery meter is also different for the Cybertruck, featuring the same slashes for the meter as the vehicle uses inside the car.
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What It Will Support in the Future
Tesla may soon support Live Activities for more than just Supercharging. While the feature doesn’t support home charging, or other third-party fast charging, there are other areas that will receive this real-time information.
One that is not often used but is just as crucial as Supercharging is roadside assistance. Tesla could add a Live Activity that keeps you updated without having to open the Tesla app. It could give you the current status, such as help dispatched or offer an ETA when help will arrive.
Tesla will soon introduce a Supercharger queue system, which will be utilized when Superchargers are at full capacity. When you arrive at a Supercharger, you’ll be able to join the queue so that you don’t have to line up your vehicle to form a line physically. Instead, you’ll join the queue and be notified when it’s your turn to charge, letting you relax or eat until it’s your turn. This will be especially useful when there’s a long wait at a Supercharger.
Code for Tesla’s virtual Supercharger queue system is already being added to the Tesla app, and Live Activity support will be included according to code found in a recent Tesla app.
What It Supports
Dynamic Island
Geonardo10inchi
The Live Activity is great, but what happens if you’re not on your lock screen? If your phone includes a Dynamic Island (iPhone 14 Pro and later, iPhone 15 and later, but not the iPhone 16e or the iPhone SE), then the Tesla app also shows a circular indicator with your current charge percentage and the estimated time remaining until charging is complete
Apple Watch
JohnH2k23
The Apple Watch is also receiving support for Live Activities in this update as well. It’ll display the same information as the dynamic island, letting you know how many more minutes you have until charging is complete.
While Live Activities has been an iPhone feature for years, Android will be offering similar capabilities in an upcoming OS release. Android 16, currently in beta testing and expected to be released in Q2, will add support for rich notifications similar to Live Activities.
Adding live notifications for Supercharger is a great addition that we hope Tesla will support on Android soon after the feature is released.
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