The Kilowatts spots Tesla's Project Highland with new wheels
The Kilowatts/Twitter
Tesla's mysterious caped crusader has once again appeared. Twitter and YouTuber The Kilowatts posted pictures of a black Model 3. For months these cars, sporting covers on the front and back, have been noticed in California, but this is the first time we've seen one without aero covers on the wheels. So the refreshed Model 3, known as project Highland, will apparently have new wheels. But some other changes are also revealed in these images.
New Wheels on the Highland
The rims in the Kilowatts post have 14 points of contact with the outer edges instead of the current 10-spoke rims. The spokes are slightly off-center to give a swirl effect, another difference from the straight lines the current rims offer. There is a large circle in the middle where the center cap will go. That circle will replace the five-star piece on the existing wheels.
These wheels offer more coverage, possibly cutting down on wind resistance and giving you a half mile more in range. As we know, Tesla always looks for more ways to improve capacity.
Body Molding Change and Wires
While the wheels draw attention, there may be another change. Check out the side repeater. It almost looks like the body modeling has ben extended around the repeater camera, but it's not terribly clear in the photo and it could just be the reflection. We know that Hardware 4 comes with new cameras, and other evidence points to the side repeater cameras changing the angle that they point. However, the housing of the cameras appears the same as the previous model.
The bumper also appears to have a slightly different shape than the current Model 3, with the top lip appearing to be reduced or moved further down.
It's all a mystery after that. Check out the duct tape used to cover the headlight thoroughly. Previous pictures of these cars had the headlight exposed, it seems there may be some changes there. It was believed cameras were being added to the headlight housing, but that speculation was put to rest with images of HW4-equipped Model S, and Model X spotted in Fremont.
Finally, some wires come from under the car and run along the inside and partially on the outside of the doors before going back under the car.
Reuters reported that Project Highland would go into production in Shanghai in September. This new Model 3 is expected to cut production costs by focusing on reducing the number of components and some interior changes. In addition, the exterior is expected to see some changes to improve efficiency and reduce cost.
Tesla has released software update 2024.38 to its employees for its last round of internal testing. We now have preliminary release notes for this update.
It looks like this update will be smaller and focus on two main changes. However, keep in mind that there could be additional features that may only apply to certain regions or vehicles that are not mentioned here.
The two features are the ability to use Spotify with a free Spotify account (still requiring Premium Connectivity), and improvements to the vehicle’s side mirror functions.
We’ve recently been able to confirm these changes with an employee.
Spotify
Since Premium Connectivity’s free Spotify Premium (for Europeans only) is going the way of the dodo, it looks like Tesla and Spotify will now allow you to log in to your Spotify account with a free account, at least in Europe and Australia. Tesla also recently announced that vehicles in North America that use the “Streaming” app will now be changed to a free version of Slacker that will include ads and other limitations.
If the ability to use Spotify for free is limited to Europe and Australia, where these users already had free access to Spotify Premium, then this isn’t a huge deal. However, if Tesla and Spotify now allow you to stream Spotify in your vehicle with a free account, that will be a huge win for many owners. The free version of Spotify has limited skips and includes ads. Other music services require you to have a premium or paid subscription before allowing you to stream in the vehicle. In either case, you’ll still need Tesla’s Premium Connectivity plan to stream music over the vehicle’s connection, or you could use your phone’s hotspot feature.
Side Mirrors
The side mirrors are finally getting some additional customization options with two improvements.
First, you will now be able to customize the side mirror’s tilt when reversing. By default, a Tesla’s side mirrors will angle downwards while reversing to provide a better perspective of what’s close to the edges of your vehicle, rather than your blind spots. You’ll now be able to customize the level of tilt when this happens. To adjust the tilt angle, go to Controls > Mirrors > Adjust Tilt Position.
This will help folks who are either taller or shorter than the norm – you’ll now be able to customize the angles to better suit you. It’s a simple update, but a much-appreciated one!
Next up for the side mirrors – you’ll be able to fold them in the quick menu. That’s the menu that pops up when you press and hold down the left scroll wheel. You’ll also be able to unfold them from the quick menu as well.
Other Updates
Similar to other recent updates, Tesla now has an Other Updates section where they list smaller features that don’t warrant their own release notes.
In this section, Tesla outlines four improvements, although only two are noteworthy. One of them is the ability to manually fold the side mirrors using the quick function that we talked about above and the other is improvements to the WiFi menu. The four points Tesla mentions in their release notes are:
- The Wi-Fi menu provides more information about your Wi-Fi connection as well as tips for improving your connection.
- Hold down the left scroll wheel and select Fold Mirrors to fold the mirrors in or out.
- This update contains important security fixes and improvements
- This version contains minor fixes and improvements
This update is expected to start rolling out to users in the next week or two, so it won’t take long now before we have the full release notes for this update available.
Tesla has opened up its configurator for non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks to reservation holders in the United States. The non-Foundation Series doesn’t come with all of the extras of the Foundation Series, but it’s quite a bit cheaper.
The Foundation Series includes laser-etched badges on the exterior, an internal cabin graphic on the dash, FSD, lifetime Premium Connectivity, Powershare Mobile Connector + a discounted Powershare Install, $2,500 USD (or $3,500 CAD) of Tesla Shop Credit, and some additional premium accessories. The Foundation Series Cyberbeast also comes with the Off-Road Lightbar.
Although the non-Foundation Series vehicles will not include these additional features, you can add most of them a-la-carte, such as Premium Connectivity, Powershare Wall Connector, FSD and others. The special edition badging and early access are the major things you’ll be missing out on.
Non-Foundation Series
The AWD Cybertruck now starts at $79,990 in the US and is expected to start at $109,990 in Canada, while the Tri-motor Cyberbeast is available for $99,990 in the US or $135,990 in Canada.
The AWD Cybertruck is currently NOT eligible for the Federal EV Tax Rebate in the US. If it was, it would bring the at-purchase price down to $72,500. It seems it is only eligible for the Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit, which can only be claimed when using the vehicle for commercial purposes.
In Canada, it is eligible for the Federal Heavy iZEV Rebate and excluded from the luxury tax due to its weight, thereby bringing the price down to $104,990 before tax—making it less expensive than the Model S or Model X Long Range.
It seems that Tesla intends to begin deliveries right away, as the emails state, “Your Cybertruck Is Ready for Delivery.” Tesla is likely sending these invites to early reservation holders who did not convert their orders to the Foundation Series and to those who made the $1,000 deposit for the Foundation Series but decided not to continue with those vehicles.
So far, these invites have only been sent to early reservation holders and will likely roll out further as orders are converted and stock becomes available. Tesla previously mentioned that they had over 2 million deposits for the Cybertruck, and that number was only climbing. We’re excited to see how fast they roll through the backlog.
Early reservation holders will also find the price of FSD maintained at $7,000 USD (FSD price history), as per the original booking price. The white interior costs an additional $2,000 USD, while changing from the Core Wheels to the Cyber Wheels is an additional $3,500 USD.
There is no news yet of these invites being sent out to Mexican or Canadian reservation holders at this time. The FS Cybertruck just began deliveries in Mexico, and they’re expected to begin deliveries in Canada around late October to early November.
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