Tesla Releases the 2021 Holiday Update with update 2021.44.25

By Nuno Cristovao

This year's Holiday Update was building up to be an exciting one. After last year's disappointment, Tesla was certainly not planning to repeat it again this year.

The Holiday Update was expected to be released to the first individuals on Tuesday, and just a few hours before, we're now seeing many of the new features in this year's Holiday Update.

Let's just say it's a good one. If you're the kind of person that prefers to be surprised, you may not want to scroll any further.

The Holiday Update comes in as version 2021.44.25.

Light Show

Tesla Light Show
Tesla Light Show
Emulsifide/Reddit

Just as the rumor showed yesterday, the former Model X exclusive Light Show easter egg will now be available on all Teslas.

This easter egg will have your car use its headlights, fog lights, turn signals, mirrors, and speakers to perform a coordinated light show.

The Model X's version of the easter egg plays the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It's not clear whether this easter egg will play the same song or offer a variety of songs to pick from.

Customizable App Launcher

Customize your app launcher
Customize your app launcher
Emulsifide/Reddit

This one is huge. Tesla is bringing some of the "v11" software features to the Model 3 and Model Y. Technically, the new Model S is not on v11, but its new interface is often referred to as v11 or the new UI.

It's not the entire Model S UI that is being brought over to the Model 3 and Model Y, but instead some of its most functional features.

Some features such as window docking, Auto Shift, the music mini-player, and other features will remain only on the new Model S, at least for now.

This feature brings over one of the most useful features of the new UI, a customizable app launcher.

The car's bottom navigation will now feature three areas. A fixed area of icons that you can't change, a customizable area where you can put your favorite Tesla apps such as the web browser, energy graph, or Spotify, and a Recents section that will show any recent apps you've used.

For better or worse, the app icons are now also the same ones from the Model S, featuring more detailed, colorful icons.

Simplified Controls

Simplified Controls
Simplified Controls
Emulsifide/Reddit

The Model 3 and Model Y feature swipeable cards underneath the car's visualization that shows important information such as the odometer, tire pressure readings, active call information, wiper settings, and more.

The idea of the cards is good, but some crucial information was only available in these cards, which wasn't intuitive. Tesla is fixing that in this update.

Tesla is keeping some of the cards such as wiper controls, but moving most of the other information into the car's main Controls menu.

For example, to access the odometer, you will now go to Controls > Trips, much like the Model S.

For tire pressure, you can go to Controls then choose Service.

Blind Spot Camera

Blind Spot Camera
Blind Spot Camera
Emulsifide/Reddit

You can now choose to have your car's fender camera feed displayed directly on the screen when you activate your turn signal.

This is the same camera view that can be displayed when you put your car into reverse.

It will be an option for those that prefer not to use it.

Edit Waypoints

Edit Waypoints
Edit Waypoints
Emulsifide/Reddit

Tesla introduced Waypoints just a few weeks ago. So many owners were excited to receive the update, but now, even before many owners have received waypoints, Tesla has a major update to it.

When waypoints was introduced, you needed to add destinations starting with your final destination first, as there was no way to reorder the destinations.

With this update Tesla is making waypoints more flexible, you will now be able to add, remove or reorder waypoints.

TikTok

TikTok
TikTok
Emulsifide/Reddit

TikTok will now be the latest video service added to your Tesla. It will require Tesla's Premium Connectivity plan unless you're on WiFi and it will be available alongside other streaming services in Tesla Theater.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
Emulsifide/Reddit

This was another suspected feature in this year's holiday update. Elon and Sega both confirmed that the original Sonic game will be playable inside of Teslas in the near future.

Like many of Tesla's other games, this one will also support a controller. Check our list of all controllers compatible with your Tesla, as you may already have one that works.

The Battle of Polytopia - Multiplayer Support

Multiplayer Support
Multiplayer Support
Emulsifide/Reddit

Tesla added The Battle of Polytopia, a civilization-type game late last year. Tesla has now expanded the game to include multiplayer support.

Sudoku

Sudoku game
Sudoku game
Emulsifide/Reddit

Late last year Elon was asked on Twitter whether the game Sudoku could be added to Teslas. Elon responded with one of his typical, "sure" replies.

And a year later, we have Sudoku.

It looks like the game will have various difficulty levels and hints. Like most Tesla games, it should also save your progress so that you can continue your puzzle next time.

Cold Weather Improvements

Cold Weather Improvements
Cold Weather Improvements
Emulsifide/Reddit

Honestly, I'm not sure why Tesla is still using this term. I feel like we're all tired of seeing it and it causes an unintentional eye roll for many.

However, it looks like there is something worth mentioning here. You will now be able to precondition your car even if you have a low battery.

Previously if your battery had less than a 20% charge, you would not be able to precondition the car. It looks like Tesla will now let you precondition your car unless your car's battery is very low.

Automatic Seat Heaters

Automated seat heaters
Automated seat heaters
Emulsifide/Reddit

This was another feature that Elon said was coming soon earlier this year.

Tesla is simplifying the seat heater controls by turning the seat heater button into a single on/off button, instead of having four different settings (off, level 1, 2, and 3).

The temperature of your seat will instead vary based on the temperature of the cabin and what the climate system is set to.

You will continue to be able to set your seat heater manually if you don't have your HVAC system set to auto.

Manage Dashcam Clips

Delete all events
Delete all events
Emulsifide/Reddit

Tesla's dashcam is a fantastic feature, but it's easy to accrue a bunch of clips that later need to be deleted one by one.

With this update, Tesla will now let you delete all dashcam clips with a single tap in the main Controls menu.

Many users would have preferred to be able to manually select multiple Dashcam or Sentry Mode clips directly from the Dashcam Viewer and delete them that way, but this is a nice feature to have nonetheless.

Dark Mode

Dark Mode
Dark Mode
Emulsifide/Reddit

Tesla already supported light and night modes that would automatically switch based on the time of day.

However, Tesla is now introducing a new Dark Mode that will presumably be more usable during the day.

Tesla's previous night display was often difficult to see in bright situations. This mode is expected to use darker colors and increased contrast instead of the grays used in night mode.

Hide Map Details

Hide pins
Hide pins
Emulsifide/Reddit

Continuing with Tesla's theme of simplifying the display and controls, Tesla will now let you hide unneeded map information.

This new feature allows you to hide nearby locations that normally appear as a pin on the map.

It looks like these are the majority of the features in this year's holiday update.

These features are based on what an owner has received in their Model 3. There may be some additional features for other Model 3 configurations or features that may be exclusive to the Model S or Model X.

You can also view the release notes for Tesla's Holiday Update (2021.44.25).

Update: Tesla released many new features in the 2021 Holiday Update. The holiday update was released with version 2021.44.25.

Tesla Plans CyberCanopy Supercharger with RGB Lighting and UFO-Inspired Design

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Back in 2023, Tesla put together a rather unique Supercharger site idea - one with a CyberCanopy. This canopy is intended to provide solar power for Supercharging, helping to reduce the impact on the local grid while also providing a futuristic and Cybertruck-themed location that would set it apart.

Unfortunately, the plans never moved beyond the filing stage. Instead, Tesla opened a standard-looking Supercharger at the same Canton, Massachusetts location. However, the site is still well-situated just off the highway and benefits from natural tree cover in the parking area.

However, Tesla is at it again with a concept for another CyberCanopy with RGB lighting. Thanks to MarkoRP for spotting this. No April Fool’s this time.

We want to build a few Superchargers cool enough to be worthy of the trip itself. - Max de Zegher

CyberCanopy 2

This second Supercharger with CyberCanopy is set for Roswell, New Mexico, at the Whataburger in town. Featuring just eight stalls, this will be one of Tesla’s smaller Supercharger sites, but for what it lacks in size, it makes up for it in uniqueness. The charging stalls are covered from the rain by a futuristic, Cybertruck-themed canopy, which will have solar panels installed on the top of it.

According to the plans, the CyberCanopy boasts 20.88kW of solar panels on its roof, providing shelter from the elements while also providing some power back to the grid.

RGB Lighting

At nighttime, the Supercharger will make a big statement. Tesla intends to light the long edges of the canopy, which will not only look amazing, but it’ll actually make finding the Supercharger easier in a large parking lot.

The lighting coming off the edge of the canopy reminds us a lot of the lightbar on the Cybertruck and now the new Model Y. It’s definitely the direction Tesla is moving for all their models, so expect all future models to have it, including the new Roadster and the next-gen model.

Tesla’s Max de Zegher also took to X after the plans for the new Supercharger were found and shared the image above. He stated that Tesla wants to build a few cool Superchargers that will be worth stopping at, even if they’re out of the way a little bit. So it seems like this isn’t just a concept, but an idea that Tesla wants to expand to several areas around the country or world.

Sending Energy to the Grid

This particular site doesn't have a Megapack or other form of energy storage, unlike the upcoming Harris Ranch Supercharger site in California. That means that Tesla won’t be storing the solar energy gained from this site, but instead will be either offsetting the immediate grid impact or serving energy back to the grid when the site isn’t actively charging.

Tesla will likely be incorporating V4 Superchargers, including both V4 posts and the new, more powerful V4 Cabinets, as the permit states that Tesla will be redesigning the site internally before beginning construction. For Cybertruck owners, 500kW charging may be around the corner.

We’re hoping Tesla continues to deploy these kinds of Supercharger sites around the world - they make a stylistic statement about Tesla’s futurism, like the Shell gas station that was upcycled into a Supercharger site earlier this year in Spain.

They also make a big impact for ownership because it is a far more comfortable charging experience when you stop at a site that’s shaded from the elements - and one that’s better for the environment with offset emissions.

Imagining Tesla’s Robotaxi Network Charging Stations

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

It was a rainy April 1st when a news-searching author went on a delve into the depths of April Fools to find fact from falsehood. And while we found a lot of fantastic jokes, we also found some good ideas.

So, with a shoutout to MarcoRP on X, whose April Fool’s Joke gave us a good run for our money for a couple of minutes, we thought to ourselves - what would a Cybercab Charging Station / Cleaning Hub really look like?

Cybercab Wireless Charging Sites

Now, before continuing, we’d like to point out that the image up top is a joke from Marco - it isn’t an accurate or real site map submission from Tesla. However, it gave us the impetus to think critically about what is required for a Robotaxi fleet, based primarily on the Cybercab, to be able to service a city.

Requirements

Tesla will likely need to charge a small fleet of Cybercabs at a single time and in a single place. That means that the site needs to be large enough to cover a major metro area while also still being compact enough to not cost too much money to build out.

In addition, we need to factor in charge times. The Cybercab is likely to launch with a battery around 50 kWh, which will result in a range of approximately 300 miles. With that much range, the average Cybercab may not need to charge more than once or at all during daytime shifts, so instead, most of the vehicles will charge overnight.

MarcoRP

Math and Charge Times

The overnight charging means that most of these vehicles could be charged slowly. When we did some back-of-the-napkin math last year, we determined that Tesla’s wireless charger will likely peak around 17 kW (for comparison, Tesla’s Wall Connector at 32 amps charges at about 7 kW). If we scale Tesla’s wireless charger down slightly to 10 kW, accounting for some energy loss and the potential size of the site, that means a Cybercab will be able to charge in about 5 hours.

Tesla’s upcoming V4 Supercharger unit can currently handle 1.5MW per cabinet, but this slower-speed charging is A/C, not DC, which means there is a step-down loss of about 3-5%. Let’s make that a comfortable 10% for any other overages, but we can estimate around 1.35MW of power. That 1.3MW will easily handle charging up to 100 Cybercabs at once - all wirelessly, using Tesla’s unique beam-forming and beam-steering technology to keep efficiency high at every single stall.

Within about 5 hours, a whole fleet of 100 Cybercabs could be charged overnight when electricity rates are cheaper and still be out in time for the morning commute.

While this is all just hypothetical, it really does make sense that Tesla will be establishing these sites that won’t require much space or a ton of energy.

Tesla recently curtained off a large section of the parking garage at Giga Texas, as well as some of their chargers on the eastern end of the facility, leading us to believe they may just be testing this at scale internally.

There’s a lot to look forward to with Tesla’s V4 Supercharger deployment coming this year and with Robotaxi launching in just a couple of months.

View All Upcoming Features

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

More Tesla News

Tesla Videos

Latest Tesla Update

Confirmed by Elon

Take a look at features that Elon Musk has said will be coming soon.

Subscribe

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter