New Model S UI Coming to All Teslas, possibly v11

By Nuno Cristovao

On June 10th Tesla showed off the new Model S Plaid and it’s completely redesigned interface. The new UI contains many new features and enhancements, such the ability to customize the buttons at the bottom of the screen so that you can have your most used apps easily accessible. It also includes the ability to drag and drop apps between the left side and right side of the screen. A new mini player also makes music controls always easily accessible. You can read about all the new features in the new UI, which we covered last month.

New 2021 Model S UI

Since the day of the event, everyone has wanted to know whether this new UI would be carried over to previous cars, since the cars' displays differ quite a bit. Previous Model S and X vehicles contain vertical displays, and the Model 3 and Model Y do not contain an instrument cluster, so people started to wonder whether Tesla would be able to adapt the new UI for these other dimensions.

Elon took to Twitter and confirmed that a new UI will indeed be coming to all Teslas. We anticipate that this new UI will be similar to the UI in the new Model S, although Elon was not specific on Twitter. Elon simply said that an “updated UI coming with FSD wide release,” which doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the same as the UI in the new Model S. However, Tesla has never had different UIs for different vehicles in the past. Even when they overhauled the UI various times in the past, the changes always trickled down to older vehicles as well.

It’s clear however that the UI needs some big changes before it can work on older vehicles. We may see some features dropped or changed. For example, on the Model 3 and Model Y, the left side of the screen is used for car visualizations and takes up a significant amount of the screen. Tesla could allow stacking of apps on the right side or the cars may be limited to a single app at a time.

In December of last year, Elon said that we will have multiple display options, so that feature may be included in this update.

Although we may not be able to hide the car visualizations completely, we may be able to choose how big or small they are on the screen. It would be great to see an option where the car visualizations are hidden completely and we merely keep a small window with the important information, such as current speed, speed limit and Autopilot details.

As for the vertical screened Model S and Model X, it’s possible Tesla may just stack the apps vertically instead of horizontally and the rest of the layout would remain largely unchanged since those cars include an instrument cluster.

Elon mentions that the new UI will come with the FSD wide release, which honestly we don’t know when that’s coming. However Elon has said recently that he expects FSD to be ready “soon.” It’s been pushed back several times since we first expected it in April, but it looks like Tesla may be getting close. We expect the FSD beta to be limited to beta testers initially, but hopefully it won’t have to wait too long after that.

The other tidbit Elon teases is that the new UI will include the “mind of the car” view. We covered this before and in short, we expect this to be new and improved car visualizations. As Tesla gets better at understanding and interpreting the world around us, the car visualizations also improve and we think this will be a major step forward in what we see on the screen.

We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but it’s exciting to hear that a new UI will be coming soon and new car visualizations will be coming soon.

Update: Tesla delivered v11 with an updated UI based off of the new Model S in the 2021 Holiday Update.

Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

  • Video must be 90 seconds or less

  • Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

  • Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

  • Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

  • Provide your personal details in the form

  • You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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