Tesla has supported voice commands for a number of years now. With over 100 voice commands available, Tesla drivers can control various vehicle features without taking their hands off the steering wheel. Here's a list of the 10 most useful voice commands to make your Tesla experience more enjoyable and efficient.
1. Navigate to X
Simplify your navigation experience by using the "Navigate to X" command, where X is the address or the name of the location you want to visit. Tesla's advanced navigation system will calculate the best route based on real-time traffic updates and consider your vehicle's charging needs and available Supercharger stations along the way.
Tesla's navigation system is smart enough to know the town and state it's in so you only need to specify what's changing. For example, if you're traveling somewhere in the same town, you can simply say the street name or the name of the destination, like 'Navigate to Target.' Likewise, if you'll remain in the same state, you can just say the name of the destination and the town.
2. Unmute Voice Guidance
If you find the GPS voice guidance distracting or annoying, you can easily mute or unmute it by saying "mute voice guidance" or "unmute voice guidance." This allows you to control when you receive audible instructions, making your driving experience more comfortable and personalized.
3. Open Glove Box
Access your glove box with minimal effort using the "Open Glove box" voice command. This eliminates the need to navigate through car controls on the touchscreen, making it easier to retrieve items from the glove box while staying focused on the road.
4. Set Temperature to X
Effortlessly adjust the cabin temperature by saying, "Set the temperature to X," where X is the desired temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius. This voice command allows you to create the perfect climate within your Tesla without manually navigating through climate controls on the touchscreen.
5. Search Google for X
Access information quickly and easily by saying, "Search Google for X," where X represents the keywords or query you want to search for. The search results will be displayed on your vehicle's touchscreen, providing you with valuable information without having to reach for your smartphone or other devices.
6. Play X on [Music Service]
Enjoy your favorite tunes while driving by using the command "Play X on [Music Service]," where X is the name of the song, artist, album, or genre, and [Music Service] is your preferred music streaming service, such as Spotify or Apple Music. This command lets you access your favorite music and playlists with minimal distraction, enhancing your overall driving experience.
7. Show Calendar
Stay organized and on top of your schedule by saying "Show calendar" to display your synced calendar events on the touchscreen. This feature lets you quickly glance at your agenda for the day or week, helping you manage your time and appointments more efficiently while on the go.
8. Drive Home
Effortlessly navigate back to your pre-saved home address by saying "Drive home," and your Tesla will provide turn-by-turn navigation. This command is especially useful when you're in an unfamiliar area or need a quick reminder of the best route home, ensuring you arrive safely and efficiently.
9. Search for X Song
Discover new music or locate a specific song using the "Search for X song" command, where X is the song title or artist. This voice command will bring up a music search filled with the specific title or artist you mentioned, allowing you to browse and select the song you want to play, enriching your music experience while driving.
10. Open Butthole
Add some humor to your driving experience while performing a necessary task with the playful command "Open butthole" to open the charging port. This command makes connecting your vehicle to a charger easy and serves as a fun way to engage with your Tesla's voice command system.
By mastering these voice commands, you can make your Tesla driving experience more convenient, efficient, and enjoyable. Check out the Voice Commands section for all the voice commands Tesla supports.
Tesla is getting ready to start rolling out FSD support for hardware 3 vehicles in China. Tesla is internally testing what appears to be a build of FSD V12.6 on HW3 vehicles with its employees.
A post on Chinese social media platform Rednote initially shared the software update details and was then shared by Tesla Newswire. We’ve verified that the vehicle in question is a 2023 Model Y, confirming it falls within the HW3 hardware generation.
We reviewed FSD V12.6 in depth here, and provided a comparison to FSD V13 here, but here’s the key points you’ll need to know.
FSD V12.6 is Tesla’s latest revision of FSD for HW3 vehicles and it’s is very comparable to FSD V13 in terms of features. It includes 3 speed profiles, Chill, Standard, and Hurry, which control how aggressive FSD is in making lane changes and ensuring it stays at, near, or above the speed limit.
This version of FSD also comes with an improved controller, as well as earlier and more natural lane change decisions, making it far more capable than V12.5 or V12.3 builds.
For Chinese customers getting their first taste of FSD after using Autopilot for years, it’s mindblowing. It can handle city level streets, hanlde turns and traffic control signs and get you to your destination with minimal interventions.
When Does It Release?
Given’s China’s more crowded streets and more complex road layouts, we weren’t sure whether Tesla would introduce support for HW3 vehicles in the market. This news is a positive and encouraging sign, not only for FSD in China, but for all HW3 vehicle owners out there.
Tesla usually releases updates to employees in advance of releasing them to its general customers - providing them with a second chance to find and fix bugs. Usually, once updates make their way to employee vehicles, and barring any major issues, they begin rolling out to customers within one to two weeks.
China currently requires owners to buy FSD, as FSD subscriptions aren’t available in the country yet. If you’re in China and bought FSD on a HW3 vehicle, it may not be long before you have access to FSD.
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: