You can finally control the windshield wipers from the steering wheel in the Model 3/Y
Simon
Tesla's latest 2023.20 software update brings an addition that fans have been eagerly anticipating - the ability to control windshield wipers from the steering wheel. This latest enhancement adds another layer of convenience.
When Tesla introduced its steering wheel customization feature in the 2023.12 update to the Model 3 and Model Y, many were puzzled at the omission of windshield wiper controls. The initial setup offered many features, including controls for the glovebox, defrost, dome lights, climate temperature, HVAC fan speed, display brightness, dashcam video, acceleration mode, steering wheel heat, and the backup camera. Surprisingly, the ability to control wipers from the steering wheel was not included.
The Finer Details: Exploring the New Wiper Controls
The newly added wiper controls allow drivers to adjust the speed of their windshield wipers directly from the steering wheel, without having to activate the wipers first.
In the 2023.12 update, Tesla added the ability to adjust the wiper speed by tilting the scroll wheel left and right, but this only worked after pressing the left stalk button to activate a single wipe of the windshield.
With this update, Tesla is bringing full wiper control to the steering wheel, letting you adjust the speed of the wipers, turn them off or set them to auto.
As with the other steering wheel controls, customizing the wipers feature can be done by navigating to Controls > Display on the touchscreen interface.
Unveiling the Future: Auto Wiper v4 System
While our focus is primarily on the windshield wiper controls on the steering wheel, it’s worth highlighting another significant improvement that Elon Musk has tweeted about for the upcoming Auto Wiper v4 system. Musk mentioned, "Actually, smart auto wiper software releases in about three weeks." That was about three weeks ago. While Musk's timelines are often optismistic, it looks like we may have an improved wiper system to look forward to.
Breaking Down Auto Wiper v4
Auto wipers v4 is set to overhaul Tesla's current wiper system by integrating video from all of Tesla's onboard cameras into a single 360-degree view, according to Musk. This innovative approach will provide the system with a better understanding of weather conditions, leading to a more accurate and responsive wiper system. Musk acknowledges the need for improvement in this area, referring to it as "one of the last neural nets Tesla is updating from a single camera, single frame NN to surround video."
The 2023.20 software update, features many lesser known improvements, where the new windshield wiper controls are just one of the many improvements that didn't appear in the release notes for the update. Check out the full list of unlisted changes in Tesla's 2023.20 update.
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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:
![A Look at the Tesla Cybertruck’s Crumple Zones [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/cybertruck/cybertruck-crash-test.webp/e43ef2433bd6e44ae8db63421604a4fb/cybertruck-crash-test.jpg)
