Lars Moravy, Tesla's VP of Vehicle Engineering, took an unexpected but welcome turn on X to engage with the community, answering questions and shedding light on Tesla's technology and the new Model 3.
Traditionally, Elon Musk has been the face of Tesla everywhere, especially on X, sharing updates and insights with his massive following. However, with Musk increasingly focusing on political commentary, Moravy stepped in to fill the void, offering a rare glimpse into the technical advancements and thoughtful considerations behind the Model 3. With less than 12 thousand followers, Moravy's engagement might seem modest compared to Musk's 172.6 million, but his detailed responses provided significant value to Tesla enthusiasts and potential buyers.
The Power of Frequency Selective Damping
One of the most intriguing revelations is the introduction of Frequency Selective Damping technology in the Model 3. This advanced suspension system is designed to significantly enhance ride comfort by targeting the shake frequencies that resonate with the human body, specifically in the 4-6 Hz range. Moravy's explanation on X underlines the dual advantage of the technology: eliminating minor road discomforts while preserving the vehicle's agile steering. Lars stated, “Know the body,” and posted an interesting picture.
Beyond the groundbreaking suspension system, Tesla's promotional efforts and Moravy's subsequent discussions highlight several key general updates to the Model 3 and Tesla.
Addressing a concern raised by The Cybertruck Guy (@cybrtrkguy) regarding the lack of published recommended tires by Tesla, Moravy acknowledged the significance of tire selection on vehicle range. Moravy revealed Tesla's intention to publish a list of recommended tires to guide customers in making informed choices that maintain or enhance their vehicle's performance and range.
Good idea. We’ll get on that. In the meantime, know we label all Tesla designed tires whether from Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook, Conti, Pirelli, etc with a T# marking and that can be seen at any tire store. get the T0, T1, T2 and know it’s from us. pic.twitter.com/tjPckFEWxV
Until this list is available, he advised customers to identify Tesla-designed tires by looking for the T# marking on products from leading manufacturers such as Michelin, Goodyear, Hankook, Continental, and Pirelli. This marking, visible in any tire store, is a hallmark of Tesla's endorsement, ensuring compatibility and optimized performance for Tesla vehicles. This initiative highlights Tesla's proactive stance on addressing customer feedback and its commitment to enhancing the ownership experience through informed tire selection.
More Details on the Model 3
Pioneering Energy Efficiency: The updated Model 3 boasts an impressive reduction in energy consumption, approximately 8.3% lower than its predecessor. Moravy attributes this to Tesla's systemic approach to efficiency, focusing on aerodynamics, tire efficiency, HVAC systems, and minimizing energy wastage.
Dual Microphones for Enhanced Call Quality: Addressing feedback on call clarity, the Model 3 now features two microphones, significantly reducing echo and improving overall sound quality during phone calls.
More Trunk and Rear Seat Space: Moravy also responded to questions about the space in the vehicle, telling X users that the new Model 3 has a larger truck and more space in the backseat. “We heard you,” stated Moravy.
Reflecting on Tesla's Dynamic Engagement
Moravy's engagement on X is reminiscent of Musk’s participation with the Tesla community. The company has thrived on user feedback and company discussions. By stepping into a role typically filled by Elon Musk, Moravy provided valuable insights into the engineering and design considerations. But he also re-engaged a fanbase thirsty for more interaction with the top people at Tesla. Perhaps Moravy could get a profile picture.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
Tesla maintains two primary software branches: the main feature branch and the FSD branch. In general, the FSD branch lags behind on new features pushed to the main branch but provides a more recent FSD version.
However, now Tesla is updating the main branch to a much more recent version of FSD.
Current FSD Build & Shadow Mode
Nowadays, the main branch always includes an older but stable build of FSD. It’s been on FSD V12.3.6 since July 2024. So, if you subscribe to FSD in North America, this is the FSD version you’ll receive until you get added to the FSD track.
Even if you don’t subscribe to or have purchased FSD, your vehicle has v12.3.6 on it. That includes vehicles in regions where FSD isn’t available for general use, such as Europe and China. In those cases, FSD runs in Shadow Mode, providing training data to Tesla if you’ve agreed to their data privacy policies. So Tesla is always analyzing what the vehicle would do compared to what the driver does. When there are contradictions, these are the clips and data Tesla will want to analyze.
FSD V12.5.4.2 on Main Branch
For the first time in five months, Tesla has now updated the baseline version of FSD in the main branch. The new version included with 2024.44 updates is FSD v12.5.4.2. This Tesla is updating the baseline FSD version to FSD V12.5.4.2
FSD 12.5 includes many features for a much smoother experience compared to FSD 12.3.6. Many users will appreciate that it gets rid of the steering wheel nag and instead relies on the cabin camera to provide real-time driver monitoring. This version also includes support for sunglasses with driver monitoring. It’ll be a big upgrade for anyone coming from FSD 12.3.6.
It's always a good thing when Tesla updates the baseline FSD version—that means that Tesla is confident that this new baseline is considerably safer and will continue to train the fleet against it.
What Update Am I Getting?
If you’re already on FSD V12.5.4.2, you’ll likely remain on that FSD build unless V13.3 manages to make its way to the public as Tesla originally planned, but that’s unlikely to happen before the Thanksgiving holiday. In all likelihood, you’ll be getting update 2024.44, which will give you some additional Tesla features while keeping you on the same FSD version.
For those who are already on 2024.44 - if you subscribe now, you’ll have V12.5.4.2 enabled on your vehicle.
If you have a Cybertruck, then you’ll receive update 2024.39.5 with FSD V12.5.5.3. They’re on a unique build for the moment, and this will likely be the case until Tesla acquires enough training data from the Cybertruck fleet.
The Cybertruck is having an eventful November. Just last week, we shared the news that Tesla isn’t offering their in-house wrap service for the Cybertruck anymore; the Foundation Series is now available in inventory in select US locations, Crossbars have arrived, and faster charging is around the corner. Now there’s even more to discuss about the stainless steel beast.
Projection Puddle Lights
Like the recently launched puddle lights for the Model 3 and Model Y, Tesla has introduced a set of add-on Projector Puddle Lights for the Cybertruck. These Cybertruck-specific ones go for $75 USD, or $105 CAD and are available in both the Canadian and US Tesla stores.
However, these don’t have the Tesla wordmark - instead, they feature the iconic Cybertruck symbol and, in our opinion, look even nicer. Here’s to hoping Tesla also introduces a set with the graffiti-style Cybertruck wordmark.
Powershare in Canada
While the Foundation Series Cybertruck has been getting delivered in Canada since November 7th, there was no news on Powershare being supported due to regulatory constraints. On the 20th, Foundation Series owners in Canada began to receive emails to get their Powershare installs started through Tesla’s official installer - Qmerit.
More to follow on pricing and the process as we receive our Canadian quote from Qmerit soon.
FSD in Canada
The Cybertruck Program Manager, Siddhant Awasthi, confirmed that with Powershare now becoming available, FSD for the Cybertruck in Canada will also become available soon. Canadian trucks shipped with a factory software build that didn’t include FSD, but did include TACC and stoplight/traffic control.
Early this morning Tesla began rolling out a new version of FSD 12.5.5.3 for the Cybertruck, which is update 2024.39.5. Will this be the version that rolls out in Canada?
Update: Yesterday, Tesla started rolling out FSD on the Cybertruck in Canada for the first time. The update being rolled out is update 2024.39.5, which not only features the latest FSD available on the Cybertruck, version 12.5.5.3, but it also includes all the features update 2024.38, which includes the huge Sentry Mode improvements that reduce power consumption by about 40%.
Following Integrated Flight Test 6 for SpaceX’s Starship, Elon Musk confirmed that uncrewed Starships are likely to begin making their way to Mars in about 2 years. You’re probably going to ask what’s going to be in those Starships - that’s what Brett Winston on X asked as well. Elon confirmed that Cybertrucks and Optimus robots will be among some of the first items landing on Mars.
That’s a ton of awesome news for Cybertruck, and there’s absolutely going to be more around the corner, especially as we await the big Tesla Holiday Update. While you wait, why not take a look at our Holiday Update Wishlists?
![Tesla Cybertruck: Puddle Lights, FSD/Powershare, Mars? [Update: FSD Now Available in Canada]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/cybertruck/ct_puddle_lights.jpg/003e03bf5f8ad3660801db3b8a52d222/ct_puddle_lights.jpg)
![First Look at Tesla’s New 'Blind Spot While Parked' Feature [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/model-3-2024/blind-spot-indicator-monitor.jpg/4cdcb11af7b1c7cf021ba96588fd4f1a/blind-spot-indicator-monitor.jpg)
![Andrej Karpathy considers returning to Tesla to work on Optimus [video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/karpathy-podcast_300w.jpg)
