I'm sure I've said this before, but one of the amazing things about Teslas is that just about every item in the car is run through a software layer. For example, instead of the ultrasonic sensors being wired directly to the car's audio system to produce a tone when an object is in close proximity , the sensors are plugged up to a hub or motherboard, which then is completely software controlled. One of the many inputs are the ultrasonic sensors, and outputs are individual speakers, display, turn signals, headlights, ambient lights etc.
This gives Tesla a great amount of flexibility. Nothing is set in stone. If Tesla wanted, they could make your ambient lights become brighter the closer an object was to the ultrasonic sensors. In fact, this is what gives Tesla the ability to let out a fart noise every time you use your turn signals in Tesla's Emissions Testing Mode.
We're now hearing that Elon agrees that they can do a better job with parking chimes. Currently Tesla displays a nice visualization in the car when an object is close to the ultrasonic sensors. The car will display an arc around the area of the car that the object is close to. The color of the arc is dependent on the distance of the object. The arc will change from gray to orange and red, all in a very fluid way. The vehicle will even display the distance of the object in inches or centimeters. The visualizations are great.
What's not so great, or rather is more on par with what other vehicles provide are the chimes that the car makes when encountering an object. The car produces slightly annoying chimes, akin to unfastened seat belt sounds when coming close to an object. The sound is roughly the same volume until you get very close.
Someone on Twitter suggested that Tesla improve the proximity sensors chimes to better match the great visualization Tesla already provides. They suggested that Tesla project the sound directionally based on the location of the object. They also mentioned that the volume should be an indicator for the distance of the object and the sound should be something other than chimes.
It's a great suggestion and the fact that Elon Musk actually responded to this particular suggestion gives us hope that it's implemented in the future.
Tesla has the ability to control each of the speakers in the car individually, so it would actually be amazing if Tesla could decode surround sound directly in the car. Tesla would then be able to encode sounds in a surround sound format and directional sound in the car.
This could be used for a variety of features where directional sound is advantageous such as the parking chimes, turn signals, emergency braking and even the ability to watch Netflix and other streaming services in surround sound. After all, you already have a surround sound setup in your car, all we need is the software.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
Tesla’s Safety Score is used to help determine an owner’s insurance premiums under Tesla Insurance. It attempts to evaluate how safely the vehicle is driven by taking into account several metrics such as harsh braking, turning too fast, and speeding.
Tesla has continuously improved its Safety Score program by adding new metrics or improving existing ones. Tesla is notably transparent about the specific factors that contribute to your Safety Score and, by extension, how insurance premiums are calculated.
With the launch of Safety Score V2.2, Tesla has introduced updates to how Excessive Speeding is factored into your score and removed the controversial Forward Collision Warnings (FCW).
While excessive speeding has been part of the scoring system since March 2024, it has primarily contributed to Tesla’s internal calculations for premium generation. The latest version improves how Tesla determines speeding and its weight into the Safety Score.
Improved Excessive Speeding
The latest version of Safety Score now measures Excessive Speeding as a proportion of the time you spend driving over 85 mph, or when you’re speeding relative to the vehicles in front of you.
This could affect how your score is impacted while overtaking slower drivers—we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out for Tesla Insurance users, and whether rates will rise, fall, or stay steady in the coming months.
Tesla’s Forward Collision Warnings are a helpful feature in Tesla vehicles since they can alert drivers when a vehicle stops suddenly in front of them. However, they can sometimes have false positives, which isn’t a huge deal… unless they’re affecting your insurance premium. While FCWs have been included in Tesla’s Safety Score since its inception, it has often been a controversial metric due to false positives.
With the release of Safety Score v2.2, Tesla has now removed FCWs as part of the Safety Score, and drivers will no longer be penalized when a vehicle stops suddenly in front of them. However, Unsafe Following, an existing Safety Score metric that is defined as “proportion of following time spent at an unsafe following distance,” is still a part of Tesla’s Safety Score.
According to Tesla, this update is designed to offer a more accurate reflection of future collision risk, using insights from over 23 billion miles of real-world driving data. New Safety Scores will begin to reflect these changes as the update rolls out. However, any impact on premiums won’t take effect until next month—so your current premium is safe for now.
It’s worth noting that in California, Safety Score doesn’t affect your insurance rate at all. In those cases, Tesla includes it strictly for educational purposes. But in states where it does apply, it will directly influence what you pay.
Due to constant improvements involving real-world data and billions of miles, Tesla’s Safety Score is a unique and fairly accurate way of assessing safe driving. Unlike traditional insurers—some of which rely on basic smartphone acceleration data—Tesla is able to calculate your score based on nuanced, vehicle-level data and real-time driving conditions. While it isn’t perfect, it gives a clear edge in measuring how you actually drive.
We’re still hoping to see Tesla Insurance expand to more states. Progress has slowed recently, even after the company brought on a former GEICO executive whose main mission is to broaden the program’s reach.
Tesla has just opened up their Early Access Program, which we found out about just a few days ago - to FSD owners and subscribers in the United States. This new Early Access Program will offer regular owners the ability to get early FSD updates before they get widely released.
Early Access
Tesla has begun to slowly roll out a pop-up (and button) in the Tesla app, offering users the ability to enroll in the FSD (Supervised) Early Access Program in the United States. This update is rolling out slowly, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have it yet.
For now, this program appears to be limited to the United States. Users in Canada and Mexico, even those with existing Early Access, have not yet received an invite to the program.
Once you join the Early Access Program, at the very bottom of your app, where your VIN and software version normally appear, you’ll see a new “Early Access” link. Tapping this will show your status as a member of the Early Access program and also offers you the opportunity to leave the program if so desired.
The bottom Early Access Button
Sawyer Merritt
How to Get In?
To be offered the program, you must own an AI4/Hardware 4 vehicle with FSD, either purchased or actively subscribed. Unfortunately, HW3 owners are not receiving this right now.
A pop-up will be displayed in your Tesla app once you get selected to join the program. If you dismiss the pop-up in a hurry, don’t worry. The ability to join Early Access stays as in the image below, and you can join the program at any time.
Ending your subscription while part of Early Access means your vehicle will be removed from the program.
The post pop-up opportunity.
Sawyer Merritt
Privacy
In exchange for receiving early builds of FSD, Tesla will increase the amount of data, video, and audio gathered from your vehicle, and the data will be VIN-associated, meaning less privacy and anonymity for users.
Any software updates or release notes you receive, both in-vehicle and in-app, will be watermarked with your vehicle's VIN. Tesla has been watermarking employee release notes since June of 2024 to reduce leaks, and this new Early Access program appears to follow a similar format, even though it is more widespread.
A watermarked release note.
@BrianX2023 on X
Cautions
Of course, earlier FSD builds are usually less stable and potentially less safe than wide release, so it’s important to remain more vigilant during FSD’s use. If anyone else uses the vehicle, make sure they’re also aware of the situation.
On the flip side, this is really exciting for many Tesla owners. Tesla’s Early Access program has normally been limited to employees and influencers, so it’s awesome to see regular owners getting an opportunity to get in on all the fun of testing out Tesla’s latest FSD functionality.
This new Early Access program could also mean that Tesla has a new level of confidence in future builds, where it’s now willing to make them available to more users. It could also have to do with Tesla’s FSD Unsupervised ambitions, where they may need more data than was already collected in order to successfully launch their Robotaxi this June.
