Tesla will allow you to chosoe which data to share
Not a Tesla App
It wasn't long ago when we spotted a seemingly innocuous addition to the Tesla account settings - a "Third Party Apps" option under Profile Settings. Though initially without functionality, this subtle hint sparked speculation about Tesla's plans to support third-party apps.
Fast forward to today, and the rumors have materialized into reality, marking a transformative chapter in Tesla's growth. Standard Fleet's integration is leading the charge, a milestone showcasing the promise and potential of such partnerships.
Standard Fleet: Offering Security and Functionality Like Never Before
Created by Apple veteran and Tesla enthusiast David Hodge, Standard Fleet is the first third-party service to be officially supported by Tesla, marking a turning point in Tesla's relationship with external developers.
Standard Fleet is an intelligent solution designed with Tesla owners in mind. It offers seamless management of Tesla ride-sharing and EV-sharing without additional hardware. Instead, users can sign in with Tesla, and they have the assurance that their passwords and accounts remain confidential, thanks to the OAuth protocol. It’s a new way to manage fleets, and it’s as simple as signing in with your Tesla account.
The platform has already won the trust of major players in the industry, including Revel in New York and MisterGreen Electric Lease in Europe. These businesses are leveraging Standard Fleet's features to effectively manage thousands of Tesla vehicles. Hodge briefly commented on this breakthrough to Teslarati, “Teslas are fantastic fleet vehicles. We have nearly 100,000 EVs connected and are thrilled to make this step to improve how we can support our innovative EV Fleet customers.”
Data Sharing With Privacy In Mind
Tesla's new Third-Party Apps management feature allows users to easily manage supported third-party services, letting owners view or discontinue use of any service at any time. Since authorization goes through Tesla, third-party services would lose access to the owner's data when the user removes the service from their account. However, more importantly, Tesla also allows granular control over what data is shared.
When granting access to a third-party service with 'Sign in with Tesla,' you'll be able to choose the data you want to share. Tesla breaks down the data for Tesla products in the following categories.
Profile Information
Contact information, home address, profile picture, and referral information
Vehicle Information
Vehicle live data, location, eligible upgrades, nearby superchargers, ownership, and service scheduling data
Vehicle Commands
Commands to access Sentry Cam, add or remove driver, unlock, wake up, remote start, and schedule software updates
Vehicle Charging Management
Vehicle charging history, billed amount, charging location, commands to schedule, start, and stop charging
Solar Energy Data Sharing
Tesla isn't limiting data sharing Tesla vehicles either. You'll be given the option to share and let third-party services manage your Tesla Energy products such as Tesla Solar and Powerwall as well. Similar to sharing data for your vehicle, you'll also be able to choose from two categories for solar.
Energy Product Information
Energy flow history, saving forecast, tariff rates, grid import, calendar, site status, time of use, and ownership
Energy Product Commands
Update storm mode
These new options bring a new layer of privacy and choice to Tesla owners, allowing them to limit whether third parties can unlock, wake up, or start their vehicles.
The Future Lies Ahead
Although Standard Fleet is the first and currently only third-party service to be supported, exciting possibilities such as Apple Maps EV routing and enhanced functionality on other services are now within reach. It's only a matter of time before Tesla opens up official support to more services.
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
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