Tesla has improved the transition from WiFi to cellullar when starting the vehicle
Not a Tesla App / KeaganGigatexas
Tesla’s recent holiday update keeps giving as a couple of undocumented yet significant changes have been introduced. The 2023.44.30.8 update improves the transition from WiFi to cellular data in Tesla vehicles. Many may not notice this subtle update, but it ensures constant connectivity for Tesla drivers. It also took a few double takes to see another interesting update in the holiday update that will change how Tesla drivers reverse.
Seamless Transition: The End of Connectivity Gaps
Previously, Tesla owners experienced an everyday inconvenience. While backing out of their garage or simply driving away from their homes, the vehicle would turn off its WiFi connection, resulting in a short period where voice commands and other connected features were unavailable until a cellular connection was established. However, the latest update addresses this issue. When the vehicle is put into drive or reverse, it seamlessly switches from WiFi to a cellular connection, eliminating connectivity gaps.
The mechanics behind this improved transition suggest that Tesla may proactively activate the cellular connection when the driver enters the vehicle. This approach differs from the previous protocol, where the car waited until it was put into drive to establish a cellular connection. By keeping the cellular connection active or turning it on upon the driver's entry, Tesla ensures that the vehicle remains constantly connected, enhancing the overall user experience.
Owners have reported noticeable improvements in connectivity since the update. Our tests corroborate these findings, demonstrating a significant enhancement in WiFi speeds and a smoother transition to cellular data. This improvement is especially beneficial for features that rely on internet connectivity, such as voice commands and navigation, ensuring they remain functional even when transitioning from a home network to cellular data.
Improved WiFi Speed
A reader also alerted us of improved WiFi speeds, which we were able to replicate in our own tests over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The signal strength remained similar to previous tests, but the throughput was noticeably higher than in previous vehicle updates.
Intuitive Reverse Lane Markers
The holiday update introduces reverse lane markers in the vehicle's visualization. Similar to those seen in the reverse camera, these markers now appear in the main display, clearly indicating the vehicle's path while reversing. X user @KeaganGigatexas discovered the change while turning the wheel.
For vehicles equipped with Ultrasonic Sensors, the update brings an innovative feature - the displayed distance to nearby objects now dynamically changes based on the steering wheel's position. This feature gives drivers a more accurate sense of their surroundings, especially in tight parking scenarios.
Interestingly, vehicles without USS no longer show distances to objects, coinciding with the introduction of high-fidelity park assist. While these vehicles benefit from the new lane markers, they do not display the distance of the 'aimed' object, differentiating the experience for drivers with different Tesla configurations.
While the 2023 holiday update paled compared to previous holiday updates, Tesla continues to sneak in more subtle changes, further improving the vehicle free of charge.
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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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