Tesla introduced v11 last December to much fanfare. The software included many new features. It also included a redesign that changed some UI elements and relocated several key features.
As Tesla adds features over many years, a redesign can often help clean up the UI and bring a cohesive look to the software. However, some features were moved behind menus, making them more difficult to find and requiring multiple taps to turn them on.
Some features that were easily accessible before such as changing Driver Profiles, turning on seat heaters, and saving your dashcam became harder to access. Tesla has slowly been making minor adjustments to make these features more easily accessible.
Driver Profiles are now available at the top of the status bar again, although only while in Park. If you have the Dashcam icon in the launcher, you can now tap it while driving to save the last ten minutes of footage.
However, most of these changes have been relatively minor and many owners are still waiting for further improvements.
Additional Launcher Customization
2022.12 will include additional launcher options
TechAU.com.au
It looks like we may finally see some of those improvements in 2022.12.
We don't have any details yet, but it looks like one of the new features in the 2022.12 update will be additional launcher customizations.
In v11 Tesla introduced the ability to customize the bottom launcher. Unfortunately, many buttons that were previously available in the launcher were removed and could no longer be added in the new customizable version.
This included some critical vehicle functions such as wipers, seat heaters and window defrost.
With 2022.12, we're going to see some of these buttons re-introduced into the launcher. The launcher will remain customizable, so only those owners who need or want these buttons will have them show up in the launcher.
Front and rear window defrost and windshield wipers are almost certainly going to be included in this update, and it's likely that seat heaters will be added as well.
Before v11, the launcher contained icons for, Controls, Music, Apps, Driver seat heater, Climate, Passenger seat heater, front windshield defrost, rear windshield defrost, and volume.
The Tesla launcher before v11
With v11 the launcher changed to Controls, Driver climate, Customized apps, All apps, Recent apps, Passenger climate, and Volume.
On a Model 3 and Model Y, the UI lets you add up to four customized buttons. The number of recent apps will vary depending on how many apps you have customized, but you'll always have at least one.
The number of buttons in the launcher before and after v11 is almost the same. One reason why the v11 launcher appears to contain less is that Tesla split up their music app into separate apps. Instead of having a single Music app like before, we now have multiple icons for Bluetooth, FM radio, Spotify, etc.
While this makes it more convenient to jump directly to the source you want to listen to, it does require more room in the launcher, leaving less room for other buttons such as wipers and seat heaters.
Hopefully, Tesla allows for additional buttons in the launcher or finds ways to conserve space.
Some possibilities include combining some of the buttons, such as front and rear window defrosts, or only showing the passenger climate icon when there's a passenger in the seat. Tesla could also allow the removal of the volume control, move it to another location or also only display it when there is a passenger.
I wouldn't expect 2022.12 to include everything we're looking for in the launcher, as Tesla probably has further improvements they'd like to make.
However, I expect 2022.12 will include the return of many of the buttons that some of us have been missing for the last several months.
Tesla’s Cybertruck has officially earned a 5-Star Safety Rating from the NHTSA—an impressive achievement given the vehicle’s design. The achievement demonstrates Tesla’s engineering prowess. As one engineer points out, it wasn’t an easy feat.
Interestingly, the NHTSA only recently disclosed the results, despite the crash tests being completed a while ago. According to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, the team had been aware of the 5-star rating for quite some time. While the reason for the delay remains unclear, now that the results are public, Tesla’s engineers can finally share how they achieved the rating.
Crumple Zones
Wes Morril, the Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, wrote about the crash test video on X recently, addressing the claims that the Cybertruck doesn’t have a crumple zone. He also posted a side-by-side video (below) of the engineering analysis and the crash test itself.
Engineered Crash Safety
There’s a lot of engineering precision at play when a Cybertruck is involved in a crash. Unlike traditional crash structures that rely on crash cans and collapse points, the Cybertruck’s front gigacasting is designed to absorb and redirect impact forces in a highly controlled manner.
It all starts with the bumper beam, which crushes within the first few milliseconds of a high-speed impact. At the same time, the vehicle’s sensors rapidly analyze the crash dynamics and determine the optimal deployment of safety restraints, including airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners. These split-second actions are crucial in keeping occupants safe.
As the crash progresses, the vehicle’s structure deforms in a carefully engineered sequence. The drive unit cradle bends, directing the solid drive unit downward and out of the way, allowing the gigacasting to begin absorbing impact forces.
The casting crushes cell by cell, methodically dissipating energy in a controlled manner. This gradual deceleration reduces the g-forces transferred to occupants, making the crash much less severe. As the gigacast begins crushing, the safety restraints are deployed.
As Wes points out in his post - you can see how accurate the virtual analysis and modeling were. The video shows the simulated crash side by side with the real-life crash test and they’re almost identical. All that virtual testing helps provide feedback into the loop to design a better and safer system - one that is uniquely different than any other vehicle on the road.
All the armchair experts claimed the Cybertruck has no crumple zone and I get it, the proportions seem impossible. It was a tough one and there is a lot of engineering that went into it. Let me break it down for you:
Tesla has pioneered the use of single-piece castings for the front and rear sections of their vehicles, thanks to its innovative Gigapress process. Many automakers are now following suit, as this approach allows the crash structure to be integrated directly into the casting.
This makes the castings not only safer but also easier to manufacture in a single step, reducing costs and improving repairability. For example, replacing the entire rear frame of a Cybertruck is estimated to cost under $10,000 USD, with most of the expense coming from labor, according to estimates shared on X after high-speed rear collisions.
These insights come from Sandy Munro’s interview (posted below) with Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, highlighting how these advancements contribute to the improvements in Tesla’s latest vehicles, including the New Model Y.
However, with the new Model Y, Tesla has decided to go a different route and eliminated the front gigacast.
No Front Casting
Tesla’s factories aren’t equipped to produce both front and rear castings for the Model Y. Only Giga Texas and Giga Berlin used structural battery packs, but these were quickly phased out due to the underwhelming performance of the first-generation 4680 battery.
Tesla has gone back to building a common body across the globe, increasing part interchangeability and reducing supply chain complexity across the four factories that produce the Model Y. They’ve instead improved and reduced the number of unique parts up front to help simplify assembly and repair.
There is still potential for Tesla to switch back to using a front and rear casting - especially with their innovative unboxed assembly method. However, that will also require Tesla to begin using a structural battery pack again, which could potentially happen in the future with new battery technology.
Rear Casting Improvements
The rear casting has been completely redesigned, shedding 7 kg (15.4 lbs) and cutting machining time in half. Originally weighing around 67 kg (147 lbs), the new casting is now approximately 60 kg (132 lbs).
This 15% weight reduction improves both vehicle dynamics and range while also increasing the rear structure’s stiffness, reducing body flex during maneuvers.
Tesla leveraged its in-house fluid dynamics software to optimize the design, resulting in castings that resemble organic structures in some areas and flowing river patterns in others. Additionally, manufacturing efficiency has dramatically improved—the casting process, which originally took 180 seconds per part, has been reduced to just 75 seconds, a nearly 60% time reduction per unit.
Advancements in die-casting machines and cooling systems have allowed @Tesla to dramatically reduce cycle times and improve dimensional stability. pic.twitter.com/WB5ji67rvV
Tesla’s new casting method incorporates conformal cooling, which cools the die directly within the gigapress. Tesla has been refining the die-casting machines and collaborating with manufacturers to improve the gigapress process.
In 2023, Tesla patented a thermal control unit for the casting process. This system uses real-time temperature analysis and precise mixing of metal streams to optimize casting quality. SETI Park, which covers Tesla’s manufacturing patents on X, offers a great series for those interested in learning more.
The new system allows Tesla to control the flow of cooling liquid, precisely directing water to different parts of the die, cooling them at varying rates. This enables faster material flow and quicker cooling, improving both dimensional stability and the speed of removing the part from the press for the next stage.
With these new process improvements, Tesla now rolls out a new Model Y at Giga Berlin, Giga Texas, and Fremont every 43 seconds—an astounding achievement in auto manufacturing. Meanwhile, Giga Shanghai operates two Model Y lines, delivering a completed vehicle every 35 seconds.
![A Look at the Tesla Cybertruck’s Crumple Zones [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/cybertruck/cybertruck-crash-test.webp/e43ef2433bd6e44ae8db63421604a4fb/cybertruck-crash-test.jpg)
![Andrej Karpathy considers returning to Tesla to work on Optimus [video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/karpathy-podcast_300w.jpg)
