Elon has said various times that Tesla is not a car company, but rather an AI company. Tesla is using AI to solve problems such as auto high beams, auto wipers and of course FSD. Tesla's tango with AI explains its recent move into robotics.
Solving FSD is just the beginning. We're likely to see Tesla enter additional fields that rely heavily on AI. Tesla will be able to take everything they've learned in the world of artificial intelligence and apply it to a completely new product or even a new field, similar to what they're doing with NeuraLink.
Tesla to look into adding AI-based HVAC
Elon has previously talked about how he would love for Tesla to develop air conditioning systems. Elon believes Tesla can make them much more efficient than they are today, but Tesla just doesn't have the resources to enter another field right now. The use of air conditioning around the world currently accounts for 10% of global electricity usage, according to IEA.
Tesla may now be looking to introduce AI to Tesla HVAC systems. Twitter user @coffeetabletsla asked Elon if Tesla could develop a neural network similar to Deep Rain that's used for windshield wipers, but instead use it to improve air conditioning. It could monitor when to turn the AC on/off, when to circulate air versus bringing in fresh outside air and take into account various factors such as current air quality, traffic and dirt roads.
In response, Elon gave his typical “Ok" answer, which has usually meant that Tesla is already working on a similar feature or that Elon is genuinely intrigued by the idea and will have Tesla engineers evaluate its feasibility.
Given Elon's fascination with air conditioning and wanting to reduce the world's energy footprint, this could be Tesla's first entry into the HVAC industry.
This conversation started on Twitter when the official Tesla account tweeted “can we all just agree that pumping out carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide from cars on all the streets around the world is maybe a bad idea".
Elon replied to the Tesla account with “in close traffic, poisonous gas spewing from the car in front of you goes straight into your AC intake." A fair point. We're just hurting ourselves. He then snarkily added that “Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn't cheat on their emissions or we'd be in real trouble."
Air quality is also something Elon has shown interest in before. In fact, Teslas in China show the Air Quality Index right next to the temperature near the top portion of the car's screen.
In close traffic, poisonous gas spewing from the car in front of you goes straight into your AC intake. Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn't cheat on their emissions or we'd be in real trouble ?
Teslas currently have an Auto AC button that determines when to activate the air conditioning system, although it's likely to be similar to other manufacturers where it compares the indoor and outdoor temperatures along with the relative humidity of each environment.
By adding AI to air conditioning not only can Tesla reduce its energy usage, resulting in longer range for your Tesla, but it could also give you cleaner air to breathe. Your Tesla can give you fresh air when you're driving alone on the road, and automatically switch to recirculated air when you're close to other cars.
This is just another example of how Tesla is redefining cars and improving the world we live in.
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We’ve already seen that Tesla’s Project Halo has some hardware modifications not found on consumer cars. While some of these upgrades, like the second communications unit, have a clear purpose, another change is a bit more confounding.
Early-access testers in Austin spotted a simple, flat, likely metal bar under the rear trunk of the Robotaxi Model Ys. While we’re still not sure what exactly this new bar is for, we do have some speculative ideas.
The community has also floated some fantastic theories, but Tesla clearly put it here, and on these Robotaxi vehicles, for a specific purpose. Grab your notepads, we’re about to do some theorycrafting.
Could Be Wireless Charging
By and far, the most plausible and exciting theory is that this bar is related to future wireless charging capabilities and testing.
For a Robotaxi network to scale efficiently, the entire process, from cleaning to charging, must be autonomous. Relying on a human to plug in each vehicle, or even a complex robot arm, introduces a logistical bottleneck and a potential point of failure.
The logical endpoint here is that wireless inductive charging is a game-changer. A vehicle simply parks over a designated pad at the depot to begin charging, without any interaction.
The metal bar is in the exact spot where Tesla could potentially mount testing gear, or even the vehicle-side receiver for more informal testing, without needing to commit to a wholly new underbody design.
Tesla previously acquired Wiferion, a German inductive charging technology company, and demoed the wireless charging solution at We, Robot. With a series of patents on beam steering and wireless charging circuits, Tesla has been hard at work building up their tech base to support wireless charging for Robotaxi.
@DirtyTesLa on X
What It Probably Isn’t
We’ve seen several other theories discussed, but they really begin to fall apart under closer scrutiny.
The first is additional underbody protection. While it is potentially practical, the bar’s position is far too rearward to offer any additional protection to the high-voltage battery pack or the rear drive units. Additionally, Tesla prefers to integrate this type of protection directly into the vehicle’s Gigacasting. Tesla has already made significant improvements to the structural rigidity of the new Model Y’s Rear Casting, so this makes no sense.
Next up is a potential camera spray shield for the rearview camera. The centralized placement of the bar means it doesn’t actually protect from the rear wheels pushing road spray out and upwards. It simply won’t have an impact on the rear camera that we can see.
Rounding up the theory crafting is a new aerodynamic part. However, the bar is flat and seems more like a mounting point than anything aero-related, such as the new rear diffusers spotted on the Model Y Performance. The bar likely makes more drag than it reduces.
Small Part, Lots of Ideas
When considering the logistical requirements of a large-scale autonomous vehicle fleet, wireless charging is a natural choice, especially given the mounting point. This simple metal bar is likely a preparatory step for Tesla to mount engineering samples for wireless charging in the near future.
If you’ve got any other ideas on what this could be, we’d love to hear what you think on social media.
While the performance of FSD has been the star of the Robotaxi Network, new details are emerging about Tesla using modified Model Ys for the service. According to a report from Business Insider, the program to modify some vehicles for Robotaxi is known internally as “Project Halo”, and it involves more than just a newer FSD version.
These details help connect the dots between the subtle physical changes that have been spotted on the Robotaxi Model Ys.
Physical Clue: Expanded Rear Housing
Eagle-eyed observers in Austin were quick to spot a key physical difference on the Robotaxi fleet vehicles: a larger-than-normal housing on the rear window. This immediately sparked speculation that Tesla had integrated new components to support the Robotaxi rollout. We initially expected that these may have been minor changes like Tesla is known to roll out, but now we have a better idea of what exactly is under that new housing.
Halo Communications Unit
According to the insider source, Tesla’s Halo vehicles are equipped with a second telecommunications unit. That’s a significant change from customer vehicles, which are equipped with just a single unit near the roof of the vehicle.
According to the report, this unit serves a dual purpose. It provides redundant, high-precision GPS data, and most importantly, allows the vehicle to maintain a constant, reliable connection with Tesla’s Robotaxi support team. That includes connectivity for teleoperation, if necessary. This hardware may be the physical backbone for the human assistance portion of the pilot phases of Robotaxi.
As we saw in the command center image shared by Ashok Elluswamy, these vehicles are streaming video from six cameras, potentially putting too much of a strain on the vehicle’s single cellular modem.
Not a Tesla App
Probably Not Starlink
While we initially mused that this could be holding a Starlink Mini dish, the space taken up by the housing is far too small to permit the installation of a Mini. Instead, it is approximately the same size as the telematics control unit that Tesla installs in the ceiling of its newer vehicles, which include a 5G modem.
Tesla is likely using the second connection for redundancy or to increase data throughput.
Quickly Iterating on FSD
All that data throughput likely serves a third purpose as well - providing live data streaming for Tesla’s Robotaxi Operations Hub back at Gigafactory Texas. That isn’t necessarily for support teleoperations, as we previously mentioned.
It is likely that Tesla is pulling video data from the Robotaxis to quickly improve the current version of Unsupervised FSD. Early-access testers noticed that in just a day, Tesla was issuing improvements, which means data is moving from vehicle to training in a snap.
Yesterday robotaxi would get like an inch away from this wall (first video) while pulling up. I saw 4 different Robotaxis do it.
Today it seems fixed. I've seen 2 robotaxis. Is Tesla really changing things this quickly? pic.twitter.com/zfdchBL771
Well before the launch, Elon said that the vehicles used for Robotaxi would be unmodified vehicles coming straight from the factory. It seems that isn’t exactly true, but it could be in the future.
So, how can we reconcile the unmodified statement with the clear evidence of Project Halo hardware? The key here lies in the difference between a stock Tesla’s FSD capabilities, versus the operational hardware required to run a commercial Robotaxi service.
Elon’s entire point is that the fundamental FSD hardware — the cameras, sensors, and FSD computer — is standard on every car coming off the line. From a capability standpoint, a consumer car can perform Unsupervised FSD.
The second communications unit is best understood as service hardware. They don’t make the car drive better, but they provide the redundant connectivity needed for operational oversight, remote assistance, and the massive data uploads required for a pilot program.
This hardware may also be necessary for Tesla to meet regulatory compliance requirements for a commercial autonomous vehicle service for the foreseeable future.
These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6
The Business Insider report also mentioned that Halo vehicles would have self-cleaning cameras. That isn’t a new hardware feature; in fact, it appears to refer to the software feature where Robotaxis can thoroughly clean its front-facing cameras [video and details], which will eventually make its way to owner vehicles.
Wrapping Up
The insider confirmation of Project Halo and its specialized hardware helps to provide a clearer picture of exactly what Tesla is doing with Robotaxi. It seems that for now, it’s not simply just consumer cars running advanced hardware, it’s a fleet of very lightly purpose-modified vehicles meant to support the pilot rollout.
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