Tesla integrates Steam into the Model S and Model X
Tesla
Tesla has integrated Steam's library of thousands of games in its Model S and Model X electric vehicles. In July, Elon Musk said that Tesla would release a demo of the Steam integration by August. The demo never came to fruition, but Musk reiterated the plan to integrate Steam into Tesla vehicles. Tesla just launched a beta version of the video game library as part of its holiday update.
Supported Vehicles
For now, Steam is only available on newer versions of the Model S and X with 16GB of ram, but Elon has said that there will be a retrofit available for earlier S and X models in the future.
Although newer Model 3 and Model Y cars have the AMD Ryzen chip, they did not get beta access to Steam because these vehicles do not have a discrete GPU like the Model S and X. It's not clear whether Steam will eventually be integrated into other MCU 3 cars (with a smaller catalog), including the Model 3 and Model Y, but it's unlikely that it'll ever come to any MCU 2 vehicles.
Storage
Games must be downloaded on WiFi and stored locally in the vehicle. This could be in the vehicle's internal drive, which appears to have about an 80GB partition allocated for games or via external storage. The holiday update that added Steam also added support for external storage devices. Additionally, Tesla has released a 1TB SSD that costs $350 and will be available in February 2023. The SSD offers storage for any vehicle data including dashcam footage but is optimized for fast loading. It is also designed to withstand the potentially extreme temperature fluctuations that can occur inside a car and is guaranteed to have a long life span.
However, owners can use almost any solid-state drive they own. In fact, Tesla's own hard drive appears to just be a rebranded Samsung T7 SSD, which is known for its speed and durability. It currently sells on Amazon for less than $140.
Video
Cloud Saves
For games that support Steam Cloud, Tesla will automatically sync your game progress, so that you can pick up right where you left off, regardless if you're at home or in your car.
Premium Connectivity
Tesla's Premium Connectivity allows vehicle owners to access more bandwidth-hungry features such as streaming music and video. Although Steam games are downloaded over WiFi, Tesla requires Premium Connectivity to access Steam. This could be due to Tesla keeping your Steam profile and game process synced.
Rear Display
Unfortunately, Tesla does not currently allow users to play Steam on the vehicle's rear 8" display which can be used to watch streaming video while the car is in motion. Tesla could allow this in a future update, but at the moment Steam is limited to the vehicle's 17" display when the vehicle is in park.
Bluetooth Controllers
Along with Steam support, Tesla has added support for Bluetooth controllers and even keyboard and mouse setups in supported games. Tesla says that PS5 controllers work best with this feature.
In June of 2021, Tesla unveiled a proprietary controller which closely resembled a PS5 controller with two analog sticks, four directional buttons and four action buttons. The controller also resembles a steering wheel with a closed-loop design, likely to accommodate racing games. Since the unveiling, we haven’t heard much about the Tesla controller.
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There has been extensive reporting on what the long-anticipated affordable EV option would become, and we’ve seen numerous news stories mentioning that it was delayed or even arriving on time. The executive team revealed the near-term and long-term plans for Tesla’s upcoming vehicles, and there’s definitely good news to share here.
Updated Timeline
The most important piece of news is that despite all the talk of delays from supposed inside sources, Tesla has confirmed that the plan for its more affordable model remains on schedule for production to begin in the first half of 2025. Tesla’s executive team narrowed that timeline down further - and said that they expect production to kick off as soon as June and that the new model will be in the market shortly thereafter.
While the production timeline itself is on track, Tesla did note that the subsequent ramping process will likely be slower than initially hoped, citing global tariff and financial impacts as challenges to overcome to prepare its production lines.
Hybrid Production Approach
Tesla has once again confirmed that this will not be their next-generation vehicle, built using new production methods. Instead, they outlined a relatively more pragmatic approach for this new model.
Tesla will utilize aspects of both the next-generation platform as well as some parts of its current platforms (namely the Model 3 and Model Y). This means that Tesla will produce this new vehicle on the same manufacturing lines as the Model 3 and Model Y.
This strategy allows Tesla to bring the vehicle to the market more quickly, while also managing capital expenditures more efficiently by using existing infrastructure. However, Tesla’s executive team also noted that this approach, while faster, will result in fewer cost reductions than what might have been achieved with an entirely new platform and dedicated manufacturing process.
Vehicle Design
Using these existing production lines means that Tesla’s new vehicle will likely share some considerable similarities with either the existing Model 3 or Model Y. Rather than being a radically different and smaller vehicle, this new model will resemble the overall form factor and shape of Tesla’s current core offerings, while being optimized for a lower cost.
This doesn’t mean that Tesla is forgetting the overall goal here. Their ultimate goal is to reduce the initial cost of ownership and lower monthly payments for customers while maintaining a standard of excellence and safety.
Not Unboxed
Both at this Earnings Call and previous ones, Tesla has indicated that this new vehicle will not be using the innovative unboxed assembly method, at least for the time being. That relatively unique method will be developed and implemented specifically for the purpose-built Cybercab and for future vehicles on the next-generation platform.
We’re just a few days away from May, so it won’t be long before we see more about this upcoming vehicle. Stay tuned.
In a follow-up move to the current US administration’s goals to introduce a federal framework for autonomous vehicles, the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is loosening autonomy restrictions following an announcement from Secretary Sean Duffy on X. This new initiative helps streamline complex regulatory processes and foster home-grown innovation.
From the Wright Brothers to the first astronauts on the moon, our nation has always been at the forefront of transportation technology.
That’s why today we're unveiling a new Automated Vehicle Framework from @USDOT’s Innovation Agenda ⬇️ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/W3kbMUwQSn
As part of the broader upcoming USDOT Innovation Agenda, the newly unveiled AV Framework is designed to promote American innovation and strengthen domestic engineering while maintaining existing safety standards. The framework centers around three key principles:
Prioritize Safety
Unleash Innovation
Enable Commercial Deployment
To kickstart this AV framework, USDOT announced two initial steps focused on streamlining processes and expanding opportunities.
Crash Reporting Requirements
Under the first principle to Prioritize Safety, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) will maintain its Standing General Order requiring crash reporting on Advanced and Automated Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS and ADS).
However, the reporting process will be streamlined following feedback from AV innovators, likely including Tesla. The goal here is to focus on collecting critical safety information while removing unnecessary or duplicative items from the reporting process, thereby reducing the burden without compromising safety.
Cutting Red Tape
Directly tied to the second principle of Unleash Innovation, the framework also seeks to slash red tape. The first step here is the expansion of the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program, or AVEP. This program allows manufacturers to petition for temporary exemptions from certain federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for testing or deployment purposes.
Previously, the standard excluded domestically produced vehicles. Now, domestically produced AVs will not need to meet FMVSS, which will broaden the scope for manufacturers to test more innovative and unique designs and technologies.
Single National Standard for AVs
Finally, tied to the third principle of Enable Commerical Development, USDOT intends to move the United States closer to a single national standard for autonomous vehicles. This aims to prevent a confusing and inefficient patchwork of state-level or city-level laws and regulations, which can create hurdles for companies attempting to innovate, deploy, and scale their technology.
A unified standard across the United States also means that Canada and Mexico will likely be able to follow, as they share homologization standards across North America, including for vehicle crash safety and some autonomy regulations.
What This Means for Tesla
These framework changes will likely have a substantial impact on Tesla. The move towards a national standard is potentially the most impactful change, as Tesla identified regulatory hurdles as one of the most significant challenges it will face with the deployment of both Unsupervised FSD and its Robotaxi network.
The reduction of FMVSS requirements and streamlined reporting will likely play a role in the future as well. The FMVSS requirements are probably already being worked on, if not already met, by the Cybercab and other vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.
Meanwhile, the streamlined reporting will be helpful once Tesla officially launches its Robotaxi network in June.
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