In an update to the vehicle manuals to go with the 2024.14 Spring Update, Tesla has also provided new information about its Autowiper and Vision Autopark systems.
Adjust Autowiper Sensitivity
By default, the wipers are set to Auto every time FSD engages, and when on Auto, Teslas use their cameras to determine whether the windshield is wet, and to engage the wipers. It also uses the same function to determine the wiping speed and intensity automatically.
However, as we all know the Auto functionality doesn’t always work. As part of the 2024.14 update, Tesla is now adjusting the Auto Wipers’ sensitivity if the driver presses the wiper button (causing a single wipe) while the wipers are set to Auto.
Tesla outlines the feature in the manual stating: “Pressing the wiper button while the wipers are set to Auto temporarily increases the sensitivity of the wipers.”
This is a pretty interesting change, as we recently discussed how Tesla has a difficult engineering challenge with Auto Wipers with their current hardware. Leveraging user input to feed the neural net and machine learning models is a pretty important feat in solving Autowipers using just Vision.
This ignites some hope for possible future improvements to the Auto Wipers feature, even if it is limited by focal length.
It seems that Tesla has expanded its engagement parameters – but not in the way you’re probably thinking - you can’t drive any faster than before to engage Autopark. According to the previous owner’s manual, Autopark required a parking space that was at least 7.2 feet (2.2 meters) wide. This meant that only “regular” sized parking spaces were applicable for Autopark to detect, and then park in them.
However, with the new Autopark, Tesla has updated the manual and now says that the vehicle can now detect and park in any space that is at least as wide as the driven vehicle. For the Model Y – 6.3 feet (1.92m), for the S, and X, 6.5 feet (1.99m), for the 3, 6 feet (1.84m), and in the future, for the Cybertruck, 6.5 feet (1.99m) as well.
This means that the vehicles can Autopark in much tighter spaces – an improvement of nearly 20% in the case of the Model 3.
Tesla purchased SolarCity, a large solar and backup installer, back in 2016 and shortly thereafter began installing its unique Tesla Solar Roof, regular Tesla Solar panels, and Tesla Powerwalls for both commercial and residential customers.
However, as the years have passed, Tesla has lost its interest in the actual installation portion of the business. They’re more than happy to continue producing Solar Roofs and expanding Powerwall production, but for the most part, their in-house rate of installations has slowed drastically.
Since Q2 2020, Tesla has seen a 10% or greater drop per quarter in the number of in-house Solar Roof, Solar, and Powerwall installations every quarter.
Third-Party Certification
Tesla has instead begun to certify third-party installers throughout North America and Europe for Powerwall and solar panels and within the United States for Solar Roof.
Tesla launched the Certified Installer Program in 2020 and said it has approximately 2,000 certified installers in over 14 countries—and those certified installers have set up over 1 million installations. James Bickford, Tesla’s Director of Global Sales, Residential Energy Products, announced the expansion of the Certified Installer Program and its new push on LinkedIn.
The Certified Installer Program provides several things to get third parties ready to install and commission Tesla’s home energy ecosystem, including virtual and in-person training, on-site training, custom installation tools, and the Tesla One Software Platform.
In addition to those supports, Tesla’s Partner Platform offers marketing support resources and a dedicated access system for a personal Account Manager from Tesla.
Tesla One Dashboard
The Tesla One dashboard offers third-party installers a one-stop-shop platform for managing quotes, installations, and repairs in one mobile app.
It is a convenient-looking application that lets third-party installers see what tasks they need to perform for specific installations and also helps them scale particular installations to customer requirements.
While this isn’t a new direction for Tesla overall, we’re seeing a distinct move in the energy business from Tesla as a first-party installer of its products to a more hands-off approach where local electricians and contractors will install Tesla products under its auspices.
We’re interested to see where Tesla continues to go with this, as they’ve seen their Powerwall business expanding in the last few years, while Tesla Solar and Solar Roof have dropped off many people’s radars lately.
Tesla has sent out its first batch of event invites to its “We, Robot” event – the Robotaxi Event. Invitees must confirm their attendance no later than midnight on Sunday, October 6th.
In order for a chance to get an invite – Shareholders had to confirm their shares and participate in a raffle. The selected winners started receiving emails last night.
It seems that space for the event is extremely limited and that tickets will be issued on a first-come first-serve basis. We’re not sure if Tesla intends to add another wave of invites at this point, but we’ll keep an eye out.
Event Details
Event details haven’t been issued just yet, but once invitees confirm their RSVP, they will receive another email with the next steps and exact event details. The tickets remain non-transferable, and unlike other Tesla events, not everyone is receiving a +1. It appears some invites let you add on a guest, while others are just for the invitee. The event is for those aged 21+, and IDs will be checked upon arrival.
In terms of timing, the doors open at 5 PM local, and check-in begins around 5:30 PM. The remarks for the event will begin around 7 PM.
Those who have received invites have confirmed that “RSVP Received” is displayed on the Tesla Investor Relations site after clicking through. It seems that the actual tickets themselves will come as a separate e-mail.
We’re super excited to see what Tesla will reveal – this event is one of their most anticipated, and we expect to see the Robotaxi driving around on Hollywood set stages as part of the demo.
