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 signaled its intention to launch its first Robotaxi network in Austin, Texas, with company-owned and operated vehicles, back in January. This network will be Tesla’s first foray into truly autonomous vehicles - ones that aren’t being directly supervised by a driver. Later in February, Tesla’s executive team confirmed that the plans were on track for the launch of the Austin network both on X and during several interviews that they participated in.
At the end of February, we also found out that Tesla has applied for a Supervised Robotaxi license in California, where the network will also launch, but with safety drivers in place.
This is an ambitious plan, but FSD has really come a long way in the past year. FSD V12 was a massive step forward from V11, and V13 has made the experience smoother and safer than ever before. FSD V14 is expected to be another big step up with auto-regressive transformers and audio input.
Still on Track
Now, Elon has tripled down on the fact that Tesla will be launching their first autonomous robotaxi network in Austin - just two months away at this point. It seems that Tesla is fully set to launch their first fully unsupervised self-driving vehicles that will carry paying passengers in June.
Additional Cities
The best part is that Elon also confirmed that they’re targeting robotaxi networks launching in many cities within the United States by the end of this year. However, remember that this will be a Tesla-run network at first - Tesla owners won’t be able to add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet right away.
Adding Customer Vehicles
It will take some time before Tesla meets their strict internal safety requirements before it lets customers add their own vehicles to the network. Tesla’s executive team mentioned that they intend to let owners add their own vehicles to the fleet sometime in 2026. This happens to be the same time frame that Tesla plans to launch the Robotaxi across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — something that could only be done with customer-owned cars.
That final step will be bold—and it may come with complications, especially given that autonomous vehicle approval spans municipal, state or provincial, and even federal levels. There are plenty of regulatory hurdles ahead, but this is undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the most exciting times for Tesla.
Launch Event
With the Robotaxi network launching and Unsupervised FSD just around the corner, there’s a lot to get excited about. Tesla is expected to host a launch event at Gigafactory Texas in Austin to mark the debut of its first Robotaxi network. The company previously hinted that referral code users could receive invites—offering a rare chance to score an early ride in a Robotaxi outside the Hollywood studio lot.
Tesla’s engineering mule vehicles—used to test autonomy for future platforms—have resurfaced after an extended absence. The last time we saw them was back in July, when Tesla was gearing up for its initial We, Robot event. Since then, sightings have been scarce.
These vehicles typically signal that Tesla is testing new camera placements or validating FSD ground-truth data. This time, however, they appear to be outfitted exclusively with the updated camera hardware seen on the Cybercab.
New Sightings
The mules have now been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, and Concord, New Hampshire—their first known appearances this far east. This suggests Tesla is actively collecting data to evaluate and optimize FSD performance in new regions. Thanks to Reddit user Ready_Medium_6693 for catching the one in Concord.
Elon Musk recently mentioned that Tesla plans to expand Robotaxi networks beyond the initial Texas and California launches. So while these sightings aren’t entirely unexpected, the speed of their arrival is. It suggests Tesla is confident in its ability to train FSD for local traffic rules and driving behaviors to the point it no longer needs a driver.
Bumper Cameras
The vehicle that’s been spotted in Boston is the usual Tesla engineering Model 3… except with one unique twist. It includes a front bumper camera. Shout out to @Dylan02939106 for catching the bumper camera in these photos.
The Refreshed Model 3 Mule with a Bumper Camera!
@Dylan02939106 on X
We previously released an opinion piece regarding whether the front bumper camera would be required for Unsupervised FSD. In our eyes, Tesla will require a bumper camera for Unsupervised FSD - if only to improve direct visibility in the bumper area of the vehicle. This is key for low-speed maneuvering in crowded areas like parking lots and garages, as well as for key features like Actually Smart Summon.
It isn’t surprising that Tesla is continuing to evaluate vehicles with a bumper camera - the Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Refreshed Model Y all have them now - and the rest of the lineup, including the flagship Model S and X, as well as the refreshed Model 3 - were supposed to eventually receive them as well.
With the Model S and Model X set for refreshes this year—and the front bumper camera on this Model 3 looking well-integrated rather than a temporary setup—it seems likely that front bumper cameras will soon become standard across Tesla’s entire lineup.
The Robotaxi Mule in Boston
@Dylan02939106 on X
In fact, Tesla’s newest iteration of the FSD computer has a slot for the Bumper Camera on all AI4/HW4 vehicles, so a future retrofit could even be possible.
These are some pretty exciting times - we may see Robotaxi networks actually deploy in time for Tesla’s lofty goal of “sometime in 2026” for cities throughout North America. Once many American cities begin to accept their deployment, it will be easier to seek homologation in Mexico and Canada, enabling deployment throughout the continent.
![Video Reveals the Cybertruck's Unique User Interface [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2023/cybertruck-ui-1_300w.jpg)
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