Salvaged Tesla may soon be able to use Superchargers again
Jamartty45
Unfortunately, accidents happen. There are more and more Teslas on the road every day. Consequently, more of them are likely to be involved in collisions. A Tesla write-off is quite a bit much more than your average vehicle write-off. Tesla previously banished salvaged vehicles from its robust Supercharger network (v4 Superchargers coming) and other third-party charging stations due to liability reasons. But that may be about to change.
Electrek has acquired internal documents outlining a new inspection process to allow salvaged Teslas back on the network. Electrek, a popular electric vehicle and green energy site, reports that the document is titled "Salvaged-Titled Vehicle Fast Charging Safety Inspection." It explains a two-step process of inspecting the high-voltage battery pack and all the charging components. If the car passes, it's back on the grid; if not, the components can be fixed at Tesla at the owner's expense.
The document, reportedly distributed to employees, lists the steps the car will go through. The Salvaged-Title Vehicle Fast-Charging Safety Inspection will commence after the Tesla has passed the Salvage-Titled Vehicle High Voltage Safety Inspection. It is also clear that if the owner does not authorize the repairs at Tesla, the inspection will stop, and the vehicle will fail the report. The document states: "Diagnosis and component rectification are not included in this inspection procedure and may be performed only at customer expense."
How much two inspections would run has yet to be discovered, but fair to say it would increase the cost of salvaged vehicles. These units are usually purchased by people who can get them repaired at a reasonable price. However, the inspection and other repairs identified during the double inspection could move the price tag a little too much for some prospective buyers. That said, Teslas have a massive battery pack that stores a lot of energy. An expert should inspect them to prove it is safe and roadworthy.
It seems that Tesla is adapting as it grows. For example, it gave free access to all its Service Manuals on its website in May 2022. That move alone encourages more people who like to fix cars to try a salvaged Tesla. While the company would likely much rather sell more new vehicles than invest in certifying salvaged cars, this latest document reveals that the demand must be growing, and Tesla has to address it.
Back in 2021, while Giga Berlin was still undergoing construction, Elon Musk said that he wanted to fill the factory with graffiti artwork. Just months later, Tesla posted a submission link to find local artists for the project.
It remained relatively quiet for about two years until Musk resurfaced with a post congratulating the team on their progress—and revealing that the factory’s concrete would be entirely covered in art. By 2023, that vision was already taking shape. Tesla began by collaborating with local artists, who created much of the artwork seen in the 2023 image above.
The Giga Berlin West Side in 2023
Not a Tesla App
Graffiti at Scale
More of the awesome digital artwork
@tobilindh on X
As expected from Tesla, they didn’t just hire a group of artists to paint and scale the walls. True to their ethos of autonomy, robotics, and innovation, they sought a more futuristic approach. The local crews couldn’t work fast enough or cover enough ground, so Tesla did what it does best—push the boundaries of technology.
Covering an entire factory in art is a massive undertaking, especially when that factory spans 740 acres (1.2 sq mi / 3 km²). With such an immense canvas, Tesla needed a high-tech solution.
Enter a graffiti start-up that had developed a robotic muralist. Tesla partnered with the company, sourcing digital artwork from independent artists while also commissioning pieces from its in-house creative team. Armed with this collection, the robot meticulously printed the artwork directly onto the factory’s concrete, turning Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg into a futuristic masterpiece.
The Robot
Not a Tesla App
This ingenious little robot is equipped with a precision printhead and a sophisticated lifting mechanism. It moves using two kevlar cables that allow it to glide up, down, left, and right while a pair of propellers generates downforce to keep it steady against the wall.
The printhead itself is capable of painting approximately 10 million tiny dots per wall, adding up to a staggering 300 million dots just for the west-facing side of Giga Berlin. Each mural features five distinct colors, and the robot carries 12 cans of paint, ensuring it can keep working for extended periods without interruption.
Check out the video below to see the robot action, along with mesmerizing time-lapse footage of the printing process. It’s an exciting glimpse into how Tesla is blending technology and creativity at Giga Berlin—and we can’t wait to see what’s next.
With FSD V13.2.6 continuing to make its way to AI4 vehicles, Tesla has been on a streak with minor FSD improvements since the launch of FSD V13 just a little over two months ago.
FSD V13 brought a new slate of features, including Start FSD from Park, Reverse, and Park at Destination. It also introduced full-resolution video input using the AI4 cameras at 36hz and made use of the new Cortex supercomputer to get faster and more accurate decision-making.
So, what’s next with FSD V14? Tesla gave us a sneak peek at what’s next for FSD.
FSD V14
The standout feature of FSD V14 will be auto-regressive transformers. While that’s a complex term for those unfamiliar with AI or machine learning, we’ll break it down.
Auto-Regressive
An auto-regressive transformer processes sequential data in time, using that information to predict future elements based on previous ones. Imagine completing a sentence: You use the words already written to guess what comes next. This process isn't just about filling in the blank; it's about understanding the flow of the sentence and anticipating the speaker's intent.
FSD could analyze a sequence of camera images to identify pedestrians and predict their likely path based on their current movement and surrounding context. The system's auto-regressive nature allows it to learn from past sequences and improve its predictions over time, adapting to different driving scenarios.
Today, FSD reacts to what it sees, but soon it’ll be able to anticipate what will help, much like humans.
Transformers
The second part of that term is transformer, which is a component used to understand the relationships of elements inside a time sequence. It identifies which parts of the input are most crucial for making accurate predictions, allowing the system to prioritize information much like a human would. Think of it as weighing different pieces of evidence to arrive at a conclusion. For example, a transformer might recognize that a blinking turn signal is more important than the color of the car when predicting a lane change.
Putting It Together
Putting all that together, Tesla’s use of auto-regressive transformers means they’ll be working on how FSD can predict the plans and paths of the world around it. This will improve FSD’s already powerful perception and allow it to predict how other vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs) will behave.
What it all comes down to is that FSD will be able to make better decisions and plan its paths by making more informed, human-like decisions. That will be a big step towards improving V13 - which already has some very effective decision-making.
Larger Model and Context Size
Ashok Elluswamy (Tesla’s VP of AI) stated that FSD V14 will see larger model and context sizes in FSD V14, which coincidentally are listed in the upcoming improvements section of FSD V13.2.6. If we compare what Ashok said to what’s listed in the upcoming features section, the model and context sizes should grow by 3x.
Interestingly, Ashok says that AI4’s memory limits context size. Context is essentially the history of what the vehicle remembers, which is used for future decisions. Since this information is stored in memory, it’ll always be limited by memory, but it’s worth noting that Ashok mentioned that Tesla is restricted by the memory in the AI4 computer.
Leverage Audio Input
Tesla is already gathering audio data in existing FSD versions so that it can start training models with audio as well, truly making FSD more human-like. According to Ashok, FSD V14 will be the first version to take advantage of audio input for FSD driving. This will primarily be used for detecting emergency vehicles, but we can see this expanding to other sounds that help humans adjust their driving, such as car crashes, loud noises, honking, etc. At the very least, FSD could be more cautious when hearing a noise that matches an accident or vehicle honking.
FSD V14 Release Date
We haven’t heard from Elon Musk or Ashok Elluswamy about when FSD V14 will arrive. Ashok previously stated that FSD V13.4 would see audio inputs being used, but at Tesla’s earnings call, Tesla said that audio input would become relevant in V14, making it seem like Tesla may scrap V13.4 for V14.
Since Tesla is planning to launch their Robotaxi network in Texas this June, which is just four months away, FSD V14 may be the version used for its autonomous taxi fleet.