The NHTSA is wrapping up in investigation on Tesla's Autopilot feature
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After an intensive two-year probe into Tesla's Autopilot system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is poised to publicly announce its findings "relatively soon." In a recent interview with Reuters, Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson hinted at an impending resolution, though specifics remain tightly under wraps.
The Investigation and Tesla's Leading Role
The NHTSA's investigation, focusing on more than a dozen crashes involving stationary emergency vehicles, has spotlighted Autopilot's performance. Carlson acknowledged the complexity of the investigation, stating, "It's complicated."
The probe, which has now escalated into an engineering analysis of 830,000 Tesla vehicles, could reflect Tesla's leadership in cutting-edge technology. Tesla and the NHTSA are seemingly in constant contact, and whenever they are, it produces headlines. You don't see that with too many other brands.
Human Trust in Technology: A Shared Responsibility
While not pointing to Tesla specifically, Carlson spoke about driver assistance systems in general, "It's really important that drivers pay attention. It's also really important that driver monitoring systems take into account that humans over-trust technology."
Autopilot does warn drivers to remain alert and ready to take control. Hearing the shared responsibility angle rather than indicting Tesla's technology is refreshing. This should resonate with the industry's broader need to balance innovation with driver engagement. Tesla's commitment to this balance is evidenced by its ongoing enhancements to Autopilot.
A recent incident in Montgomery County, Texas, involving a Tesla Model X, vividly illustrates this point. Despite receiving 150 warnings from the Autopilot system, an allegedly intoxicated driver failed to take control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash that injured five police officers. Footage revealed that the system detected the police car just 2.5 seconds before impact, disengaged, and expected an alert driver to take over.
Tesla argues that the fault lies with the driver, yet the incident raises critical questions about driver monitoring and how automated systems interact with human behavior. It also emphasizes Tesla's commitment to refining its technology, as evidenced by its recent updates to detect driver alertness.
Previous Investigations and the Path Forward
Tesla's Autopilot system was previously under NHTSA's microscope, with a 2017 investigation closing without any action. This earlier experience reflects positively on Tesla's dedication to safety and innovation.
As the NHTSA wraps up its latest investigation, the outcome could set a precedent for the future of automotive automation. For Tesla, the probe's conclusion may be another milestone in its journey toward revolutionizing transportation.
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Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
Not a Tesla App
The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
