Tesla released FSD V12.5.4.1 with software update 2024.32.10, just a day after launching FSD V12.5.5 in update 2024.32.20. This is good for several reasons, but they’ve also included improvements for Actually Smart Summon, which Tesla mentions in the release notes.
This build was released to early access testers last night and will likely roll out wider within the week.
Update 2024.32
First, non-FSD builds have been on 2024.32 for quite a while now, and it looks like this will be the big branch merge to bring FSD V12.5.4 (and V12.5.5) to the latest feature branch. Once 2024.32.10 begins to roll out en masse, owners in North America will soon be able to subscribe to FSD and get the latest FSD version.
Update: This is now rolling out this update to users who have bought Enhanced Autopilot as well, and not just vehicles with FSD. This is the first step to expanding Actually Smart Summon globally. Summon capabilities are included for vehicles with Enhanced Autopilot or higher. Enhanced Autopilot is still available for purchase in some regions, but hasn’t been available in North America since Tesla lowered the price of FSD.
Actually Smart Summon Changes
The changelog for Actually Smart Summon for this build is short but adds a few items that users had already identified as needing some work. Tesla is pushing these updates out all in short order – all ahead of the upcoming Robotaxi event.
Improved Public/High-Speed Road Aborts: This one is fairly valuable, as Actually Smart Summon does not function on public roads or anything that has a higher speed. On the current build of A.S.S., it will just stop the vehicle before turning onto a public road. We’re hoping to see the vehicle either properly pull over, or turn around as required and continue back into the parking lot.
Improved Blocked Camera Aborts: The next update is improved block camera aborts, which should be similar, except instead of stopping for public roads or high-speed roads, A.S.S. stops when the cameras are covered up. This improvement should reduce false-stops and increase confidence.
Reduced False Positive Collision Mitigation Aborts: Third we’ve got reduced false positive collision mitigation aborts – again – A.S.S. stops if it believes there will be a collision. It has been fairly cautious in the current build, leaving a wide berth between it and any obstacles. Now that Tesla has gotten training data from the many drivers who have been using it since it was released, there will be fewer false positives going forward.
Refined Dumb Summon: We’re not sure what improvements are here, but it looks like there are general improvements to the previous forward/backward Summon version.
Update: We initially uncovered new summon options in FSD 12.5.4, where you could now have the vehicle play a sound when Summon completes or is aborted. We covered the new options as an undocumented change in our release notes, but Tesla has now expanded its functionality.
With update 2024.32.10, Tesla now lets you pick from a custom sound from your USB drive to play when Actually Smart Summon completes. This is in addition to the previous sound clip choices of Applause, Ta Da, Ba-dum Tiss and a random sound. Tesla also added “fart” as one of the sound choices, which was previously only played when Actually Smart Summon was aborted.
For now, FSD users can look forward to getting improvements to Actually Smart Summon and the features in update 2024.32 and non-FSD users can look forward to subscribing to FSD and receiving the latest FSD build in the near future.
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Winter is here, and temperatures are dropping, so one of the most common Tesla questions is about to resurface.
If you’ve landed here after frantically searching about “smoke” coming from your Tesla while Supercharging, take a deep breath—it’s completely normal.
Tesla Smoking While Charging
If you’re Supercharging in freezing weather—even with preconditioning—you might notice steam rising from your Tesla. But rest assured, your car isn’t smoking.
Your Tesla’s heat pump is hard at work warming both the cabin and battery to keep you comfortable and ensure optimal charging temperatures. Over time, condensation and ice build-up in the heat exchanger coils.
Why Does It Happen?
When you reach a Supercharger with your vehicle, the heat pump is still running hot, but without the cold air from driving to keep the heat exchanger coils cool, the ice and condensation quickly start to evaporate—creating what looks like smoke.
Since this typically happens near the front of the vehicle, where a car would traditionally have an engine, new vehicle owners can be startled by the discovery. However, rest assured that it’s just water vapor and it’s completely normal in cold weather.
In fact, this behavior can be experienced in any EV with a heat pump in cold climates. So, if you saw steam coming out of your vehicle and panicked, don’t worry—you’re not alone.
Now that you know what’s happening, go ahead and Supercharge with confidence.
Tesla made a lot of improvements in the 2024 Holiday Update, including more than 15 undocumented improvements that were included in the release. One of these was a stealthy performance improvement to the YouTube app.
Several people have mentioned they’ve seen improved performance on YouTube since this year’s Holiday Update - and there’s an interesting reason why.
YouTube Improvements
The improved YouTube performance in Tesla vehicles comes from an unexpected source—Tesla actually rolled back support for YouTube’s newer AV1 video encoding. Instead, vehicles now default to the older VP9 encoding standard.
While AV1 is highly efficient in terms of bandwidth, it requires considerably more processing power to decode and display videos. VP9, on the other hand, is less computationally demanding but uses more bandwidth to achieve the same video quality. This trade-off means smoother playback and better overall performance, even if it comes at the cost of slightly higher data usage.
Intel Inside
The VP9 video codec that the YouTube app is now using is much easier to decode, making it less taxing on the vehicle’s processor. This change is particularly beneficial for Tesla vehicles with Intel processors, which previously struggled to stream video at just 720p. When using AV1, these vehicles often experienced stuttering, sometimes forcing the YouTube app to automatically downgrade playback to 480p.
With this update, Intel-based Teslas should now be able to stream at 1080p smoothly. Streaming at 1440p is also possible, although occasional stutters still occur as the system keeps up with the decoding process.
Intel-based vehicles are the big winners with this change, but this appears to affect AMD Ryzen-based infotainment units as well, providing even smoother playback.
Chromium Web App
Tesla’s Theater apps aren’t native applications; instead, they run as chromeless web apps, leveraging the open-source browser built into Teslas known as Chromium (the open-source version of Chrome). Although this works quite well, there is a severe limitation - Chromium hardware acceleration isn’t supported on Linux, the operating system Tesla uses for their OS.
As a result, Tesla vehicles rely on software decoding instead of hardware decoding, which would otherwise handle video playback far more efficiently. A potential solution could be for Tesla to transition away from Chromium-based web apps in favor of a Mozilla Firefox-based browser, as Firefox does support hardware acceleration on Linux. This switch could also open the door to better streaming performance and the possibility of expanding Tesla’s in-car entertainment options.
However, Tesla’s choice of Chromium likely stems from Digital Rights Management (DRM) requirements for streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix, which rely on DRM-enabled playback. Firefox on Linux has had inconsistent support for DRM due to codec availability and variations in operating system versions.
We’re hopeful that Tesla will either adopt Firefox or develop a fully native application to improve video streaming, rather than continuing with the current web-based Tesla Theater. This shift could also pave the way for additional in-car applications built on Tesla’s native Linux environment—perhaps even reviving the long-rumored Tesla App Store.
Regardless, this update is a welcome improvement, particularly for YouTube, which remains one of the most widely used Theater Mode apps due to its accessibility, free content, and mix of short and long-form videos. It remains to be seen whether similar improvements are made for Netflix, Disney+, or other streaming platforms.
If you’ve noticed improved performance in Theater Mode, now you know why.
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