Tesla’s Robotaxi Event – What to Expect

Image released by Tesla

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s Robotaxi event—We, Robot—is right around the corner. It takes place this Thursday, October 10th. Invites for the event were recently sent out in batches to those who won the shareholder raffle, and those who RSVP will receive their tickets 2-3 days before the event.

And it’ll be happening in none other than Hollywood, Los Angeles. The event will take place at the Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. Studios, a massive 110-acre location that includes large sets prepared for all sorts of movies and TV shows.

So, let’s take a minute to take stock of what we know about the event, and what we can expect.

What We Know

We know the event is taking place in and around Discovery Inc. Studios, as Tesla has been intensively gathering FSD data in the area around the studio before the event. In addition to that, some camouflaged Robotaxi prototypes have been seen driving around the actual Studio grounds.

What’s interesting is that Tesla has been intensively gathering data throughout San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area – including certain destinations like the Tesla Diner in Hollywood. We saw Robotaxi Mules – vehicles equipped with cameras in places we expect the Robotaxi to have them – running the routes in these areas, gathering data ahead of time to train the FSD model.

We’ve also seen some official – and some fan – renderings of what we expect Cybercab – the Robotaxi – to look like. On top of all that, we’ve seen the patents for Robotaxi Sanitization and, most excitingly – wireless EV charging!

With all that, we have some of our own expectations for the event.

Not a Tesla App

What We Expect

There’s a lot of speculation about the Robotaxi, and lots of hints that Tesla has dropped over time. We expect Tesla to deliver a small, two-door sedan with two seats. The car is expected to have four wheels, although there was some speculation of three wheels at one point. It’ll likely include a good amount of trunk space for luggage as well. Based on camouflaged vehicles, sneak peeks Tesla has shared, and the Robotaxi mules, we expect the vehicle to be quite a bit smaller, although the body styling appears to be similar to a Model 3.

Tesla’s focus will likely be on autonomy and cheap production, so don’t expect large screens, rotating seats, tables, etc, in the vehicle. It’ll likely include a single screen in the middle like the Model 3. The UI for the vehicle will likely be very similar to production vehicles today but simplified since you won’t be able to control some aspects. There may also be new modules that will display important customer information front and center, such as their ETA and fare price.

We’re not sure how much Tesla will talk about FSD hardware at the event, as they won’t want customers to feel like they’re being left out, but we expect the Robotaxi to include Tesla’s upcoming Hardware 5 FSD suite or a completely different hardware that focuses on redundancy and safeguards that will be crucial to operate an autonomous fleet.

A concept of what the UI in the Robotaxi may look like

@dkrasniy

One of the key things we expect at the event is the opportunity for attendees to experience Robotaxi, along with the entire Tesla experience from start to finish. The event will probably start with a keynote address from Elon Musk and Ashok Elluswamy – the directors of the upcoming show.

It will likely progress to a virtual demonstration of Robotaxi – including how Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi summoning will work via the Robotaxi app, and then a quick showing of some other information at the keynote. We’ll also find out whether or not Tesla will initially launch their Robotaxi network with Tesla-owned Robotaxis, customer-owned Robotaxis, or customer-supervised vehicles.

Hopefully, Tesla also showcases a few more things – including that wireless EV charging, and potentially some other things that have been behind the curtain.

The final and most exciting portion of the event will be when users get the opportunity to be hands-on with the Robotaxi. Hopefully, they’ll get access to the interface from their Tesla app and be able to summon a Robotaxi and have it take them somewhere on the studio grounds. This time will also serve as a chance for people to get up close and personal with Robotaxi, poke around and see any unique features of the vehicle. We still have a lot to learn about the vehicle.

Of course, these are just our expectations of the event. For all we know, it could turn out to be the same, but in reverse.

For those who have been lucky enough to receive a ticket, please let us know if you have a +1. We’d love to be able to cover the event in person and experience Robotaxi ourselves.

Not a Tesla App

Follow

Follow

Follow

Tesla to Improve FSD Smoothness for Hardware 3 Says Musk

Not a Tesla App

In a post on X, Elon Musk mentioned that FSD V12.5 for Hardware 3 vehicles will soon be receiving a smoothness upgrade. This was in response to a user post that they have encountered a lot of phantom braking on FSD V12.5.4 with Hardware 3.

As a HW3 owner with V12.5.4, I can certainly agree with that—there has been a significant increase in phantom braking, especially near and around green lights or traffic merging from behind the vehicle.

For context, phantom braking is when the vehicle uses the brakes harshly for seemingly no reason. There isn’t a single reason for phantom braking, but it could be related to harsh light, the front cameras being obscured, or the vehicle detecting an incoming object across its path.

Smoothness Upgrade

This smoothness upgrade will hopefully prevent the issues that users—myself included—have been experiencing on FSD V12.5.4, along with other improvements to make the ride smoother. FSD 12.5 currently doesn’t pass the “coffee cup” test like HW4. FSD V12.5 was initially touted as the comfort update, and while it is smoother than V12.3.6, there is still a lot of work to do.

We’re hoping the next update for V12.5 will bring additional braking smoothness to HW3 and better-timed decision-making. V12.5.4 still leaves lane change decisions to the last few seconds, resulting in changing lanes right before your exit. This can result in a jerky or somewhat unexpected motion if you’re going down a new route.

Either way, we’re looking forward to additional improvements to FSD and are happy to see the focus Tesla still has to improve FSD on older hardware. The next major FSD update is expected to include the end-to-end highway stack, just like the Cybertruck.

Smoothness upgrade is in the works for HW3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024

Follow

Follow

Follow

Tesla Disables 12V Power Sockets and USB Ports With Sentry Mode in Update 2024.32 [Tesla Service Responds]]

Not a Tesla App

In Tesla software update 2024.32 and onwards, Tesla has made a big—and unexpected—change to how its vehicles handle power sockets. This change impacts every vehicle except the Cybertruck, where you can already adjust how power sockets are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Power Socket Change

This change to the power sockets means that in 2024.32, Tesla vehicles will have their 12v sockets and USB ports turned off while in Sentry Mode. Previously, while the car was awake or Sentry Mode was active, the 12v sockets in the rear of the vehicle and any of the USB ports would all remain powered.

Now, owners will no longer be able to operate devices that rely on these ports once the vehicle falls asleep. This change renders some accessories almost useless, such as vehicle fridges. Owners previously relied on Sentry Mode coming on when their vehicle was parked, which kept the fridge in the vehicle’s sub-trunk powered. This change will also prevent owners from using Sentry Mode to keep USB ports powered to charge laptops and other devices.

Until further changes are made, owners will have to use Camp Mode to keep 12v sockets and USB ports powered. However, Camp Mode leaves the vehicle unlocked, making it insecure and unsuitable for things like sub-trunk fridges.

Cybertruck Power Interface

Tesla may be planning to integrate the Outlets & Accessories menu from the Cybertruck into the rest of its vehicles. The outlets menu in the Cybertruck allows you to keep the cabin (and bed) outlets in the vehicle active, even when the vehicle isn’t in use. These outlets remain powered for up to 12 hours after the Cybertruck is exited.

The Power Menu in the Cybertruck

Not a Tesla App

Sentry Mode Improvements

Drew Baglino, Tesla’s now former SVP of powertrains and energy, said back in February of this year that Tesla was looking at reducing the amount of power that Sentry Mode used. He stated that Sentry Mode power consumption needs to be improved and that the team was working on an update to reduce power by about 40%. According to Baglino, the improvements were expected to come in the second quarter of this year, but it’s not clear if this change in update 2024.32 is part of those changes that will lower Sentry Mode’s power consumption.

Even if these are planned changes, we hope Tesla makes them optional, and lets owners choose when to keep outlets powered and when to conserve energy.

Tesla Service Responds

MarkSPurcell

Update: Tesla service has now responded to some users regarding this issue. A Tesla service rep says that Tesla is receiving a lot of feedback regarding this change, meaning that this isn’t simply a bug. However, it’s still not clear whether this change was made to improve power consumption while Sentry Mode is enabled, whether it’s to reduce wear on the low-voltage battery which powers the 12v power sockets and USB ports, or if i’s due to an entirely different reason.

Hopefully, we’ll hear something officially from Tesla soon.

Follow

Follow

Follow