Tesla will be issuing an OTA recall for the seatbelt warning system later this month, according to paperwork that was published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this Friday.
Impacts
This recall is estimated to impact 125,000 vehicles across Tesla’s entire model range, including the Model S, X, 3, and Y. At this time, there is no indication of this recall reaching the Cybertruck.
Relying on the Cabin Camera
The recall addresses the driver occupancy sensor – a known problem since at least 2020 on some vehicles. This recall indicates that it may impact more vehicles than just those where people have noticed an issue.
The sensor completes the circuit and provides a signal when the driver is seated – but with some vehicles, even when the sensor is depressed by the weight of the driver, no visual or audio reminders will be given when the driver’s seatbelt isn’t fastened.
Tesla hacker, Greentheonly recently discovered that Tesla is going to stop relying on the occupancy sensors in its seats, which appears related to this OTA recall.
By relying on the cabin camera, Tesla will not only be able to resolve the occupancy sensor issue, but also reduce costs across their vehicles. Tesla currently use an occupancy sensor for each seat position.
Instead Tesla is expected to use the internal camera to detect occupancy of the seats, similar to their vision-based belt tensioners. Tesla already uses the cabin camera for various tasks, such as detecting whether there are any occupants in the vehicle and for driver monitoring. In FSD 12.4, Tesla is expected to rely more heavily on its driver monitoring system in order to remove the steering wheel nag in most situations.
Advantages of Using the Cabin Camera
Leveraging the cabin camera instead of weight occupancy sensors may actually become an improvement over the sensors that can be triggered accidentally.
If a heavy object or children’s seat is placed on a seat, it can cause the seat belt warning to be triggered incorrectly.
Software Update
This will be an OTA update, which means that as usual, Tesla vehicles will not have to come into service centers. Tesla is changing how the seat belt warning reminder will function – rather than relying on the sensor, it is expected to rely on the cabin camera to trigger the visual and audio warnings if the vehicle is put into drive or reverse and the driver seatbelt isn’t fastened.
There is currently no indication whether this update will be coming to Canada or other regions besides the United States in its initial release, but eventually we expect this change to apply to all regions.
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We recently discussed a bunch of features that the Tesla Android App is missing in comparison to the Tesla iOS App, but we didn’t look at the other side.
If you’ve got an NFC-capable Android phone and a Tesla, you actually have a feature that’s not available on iPhones. You can tap your phone on Tesla’s NFC card reader to unlock or lock your car, just like you can with your keycard. Tap to Unlock is enabled by default on Android and cannot be turned off on NFC-capable phones unless you disable NFC in your system settings.
Tap to Unlock
Android provides Tesla with access to the API necessary for Tap to Unlock to function over Near-Field Communications (NFC). This means that the Tesla app can serve as a backup keycard if, for some reason, your Phone-as-a-Key (PAAK) doesn’t immediately unlock the car upon waking it.
You’ll need to be a bit precise with this, as most phones have a small NFC location near the center on the back of the phone. You’ll also want to place it slightly under the B-pillar camera, where the car’s NFC reader is.
When you’re successful, the car will honk twice and unlock. Of note, this will not load your pre-set profiles as if you’re unlocking using your phone key, as the car treats this as a unique key. You will not be able to set up Tap to Unlock to load a particular profile – it seems to load a “default” profile every time. This also means that if you’ve got your mirrors set to unfold or your seats to move back, this will also not happen.
However, once you hop in, you can select your profile and everything will adjust to you. Your phone will continue to work as a phone key to keep you authenticated so that you can start your car.
Unlock Car Even If Phone Battery is Drained
This feature serves as a convenient way to get your car open and unlocked if your phone won’t power on or if the car doesn’t recognize your phone key, which can sometimes happen. On newer Android phones, NFC remains on even if your phone battery has run out since NFC uses so little power.
If you disable Bluetooth on your phone or your phone battery is on empty, your phone key won’t work, so you’ll need to authenticate again inside the vehicle to start the car. You can place your phone on either the Wireless Charger (for newer vehicles) or in the NFC slot between the cup holders and the center armrest to authenticate.
Other NFC Devices
For those more adventurous, you can also use other NFC-capable devices as Tesla keycards. Personally, the author uses an NFC-capable ring, as well as a third-party app on an Android Watch as backups. They serve solely as backups in the case of a lost phone rather than my primary keys.
Tesla’s Semi Program Lead, Dan Priestley, took the stage at the IAA Transportation Exhibit in Hannover, Germany, today to speak about Tesla’s Semi and its place in the European market.
The IAA Transportation exhibit features lots of discussions on the European commercial vehicle industry. Tesla was one of the exhibitors on the main stage, focusing specifically on the Tesla Semi.
It was a short keynote — only 15 minutes long (video below) — but there was a lot of information packed into those 15 minutes, so let’s review it.
Tesla Semi Coming to Europe with Improvements
Dan Priestley confirmed that the Tesla Semi will be coming to Europe as Tesla begins to scale production. Tesla has already reached out to customers and is planning applications that diesel addresses today—at a lower and safer operating cost.
One of the big keys here is that the Tesla Semi has been approved for use on European roads – the required changes to make it road-legal in the EU have been made and fitted to the cab. The vast majority of these changes were fairly minor but were still needed.
However, Tesla doesn’t intend to enter the European market immediately – they intend to address the American trucking market first, and then enter the European market shortly thereafter. We recently reported that Tesla posted a new job listing for bringing the Semi to Europe.
New Independent Front Suspension
As part of the changes for the European version of the Semi – which Tesla is calling the European Development Platform – Tesla has implemented an independent front suspension. Because of the new independent front suspension, Tesla has also had the opportunity to increase the regen for the vehicle.
And it’s not just a drivetrain item—it turns out that the many improvements to the Semi have also included a new metal frame to hold the body together, which also provides enough space for a sleeper cab version. A sleeper cab for the Semi has been one of the big items holding it back from long-range trucking, and this improvement is a huge step forward on that front. The larger Semi will also include large storage compartments underneath.
Charging and Efficiency
Tesla has also focused on improving vehicle efficiency and charge curves—and they’ve done just that. Tesla’s pilot test fleet has logged 7.5 million kilometers—4.65 million miles —and these distances have seen Tesla continuously honing the Semi’s software and hardware.
One of the Semis has 400,000 km—or 248,000 mi—on its dash already in 1.5 years, and it has been hauling at a constant full gross vehicle weight rating. That means this particular Semi has been hauling its maximum weight rating everywhere—which is about 80,000 pounds.
And Tesla has more to show – with more plans for vehicle efficiency increases around the corner. They also intend to adjust the way that their customers will charge the Semi – no dedicated charging time will be required.
Instead, the Tesla Semi will charge while loading and unloading and during mandatory driver break times. On average, it takes approximately 2 to 3 hours to load or unload a semi-truck, which provides plenty of time to charge on Tesla’s Megawatt Charging System (MCS).
Video
Below is the full discussion of Dan Priestley talking about the Tesla Semi at the exhibit in Germany.
Here is today's full presentation from @Tesla's head of Semi engineering, Dan Priestley, and a PepsiCo representative, where they talk about PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi case study. pic.twitter.com/kvro9hk5OY
Tesla intends to expand the current Semi program in the United States. For now, it's been limited to PepsiCo and its subsidiaries, including Frito-Lay. We’ve seen Pepsi and Frito-Lay trucks on the highways in California and other states, but Tesla intends to begin deliveries to other customers toward the end of this year.
We’re super excited to see what’s next for the Semi—it’ll be a real game changer for transportation in North America and Europe and a big step towards reducing carbon emissions.
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