As the holiday season kicks off, it’s time to turn our attention to our Christmas list of items we’d love to see in Tesla’s annual Holiday update—a tradition that brings some of the most exciting software features of the year. From game-changing additions to fun surprises, the Holiday update has become the most anticipated update each year.
This year’s update promises to be no exception, with Blind Spot Monitoring While Parked already leaking in an employee release earlier this month.
So, grab your hot cocoa and cozy up—it’s time to see what Tesla might have in store for the most wonderful time of the year.
Smart Voice Assistant
Tesla’s current system is a list of voice commands that, while useful, leaves a lot to be desired when compared to modern voice assistants such as Google Assistant and even Alexa. However, a smart voice assistant based on an LLM that uses AI like xAI’s Grok could be coming this season. Elon previously confirmed that Grok would make its way into Tesla vehicles—and what better time than the Holiday season?
Group Text Support
Today, if you’re in a group chat using RCS or iMessage and use your Tesla messages app to respond, you’ll likely send a direct message to the first person in the group rather than the whole group. What’s even worse is you can’t tell the difference between a message that’s sent directly to you or to a group.
That’s annoying at best, and downright a hassle at worst if you’re driving for a long time and unable to use your phone. It would be a fantastic wish come true if Tesla brought full support for group texts.
Hi-Fi Audio & Dolby Surround Support
Previously, we saw a bug where Apple Music began showing as HiFi for certain tracks in July. We assumed that Tesla would eventually support lossless Hi-Fi audio streaming, but so far, TIDAL remains the only streaming option with high-quality streaming.
Bringing Dolby Atmos support to Tesla vehicles would make even better use of Tesla’s jaw-dropping soundstages. Dolby Atmos delivers an immersive, 360-degree music experience, making it feel like the sound is coming from all around you. This would be the perfect Holiday update feature to make those bells truly jingle.
Tesla has been on a roll with adding music streaming services over the last couple of years. Tesla most recently launched Amazon Music and YouTube Music support. While the biggest players have now been incorporated into Teslas, many users would still love to see Pandora added to the mix.
Adding additional music services means that more users subscribe to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity package, so expect this one to be added as well.
SiriusXM Streaming
While SiriusXM is already available in the Model S and Model X through a satellite receiver, SiriusXM may soon be available to a lot more users. We previously reported on SiriusXM mistakenly publishing a web post revealing a web streaming version of SiriusXM for Teslas, and it has been a few months since then. It's a quick update and seems to have already been partially implemented, given SiriusXM’s website. We could expect this wishlist item to be real, and hopefully soon.
Prime Video
While video streaming integration is much less important than music streaming, it still serves its purpose, especially in vehicles with a rear screen, where videos can be watched while the vehicle is in motion. With Tesla’s addition of Amazon Music this summer, we expect Tesla to add Amazon Prime Video as well.
X Integration
While you can pop open X pretty quickly in the web browser and have a fairly OK browsing experience, it's clear the site is designed for use with a mouse, not your fingers. A dedicated X app would definitely be easier for fans of the platform. Don’t forget to follow us on X or your favorite network (we’re “NotATeslaApp” on just about all of them, including Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky).
Productivity Apps
Zoom is the highlight of Tesla’s productivity apps—and it’s also the only one. With YouTube Music recently arriving, we could see Google Hangouts, Google Meet, and even Microsoft Teams making inroads as productivity applications to have in your Tesla. However, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Tesla App Store
While a suite of productivity apps would be a nice addition, it’s likely not a practical solution for Tesla. With so many available services, it would be a challenge to integrate each one individually.
Elon Musk once hinted at the possibility of an App Store for Tesla vehicles, where developers could create apps specifically designed for Teslas. However, we haven’t seen this come to fruition yet. So, the question remains: Is Tesla still working on an App Store, or is the expectation that users will rely on tablets and computers in their cars?
If Tesla does plan to launch an App Store, they would need to find a way to leverage existing platforms instead of building each app from scratch. One possibility is running Android apps through an emulation layer, allowing access to a wide array of apps from the Google Play Store, such as video streaming, video conferencing, and messaging platforms like Discord and Slack.
Another approach, similar to what Tesla already does with video streaming services, could involve using web-based versions of apps. While many services offer web versions, not all perform as well or provide the same functionality as native apps.
Both solutions are feasible, but we have to consider: What does Tesla gain by allowing users to run any existing apps on the car’s screen instead of using a separate device? While such apps could be useful, we believe Tesla will likely focus on integrating them where it makes sense—like music services—where a custom implementation improves the user experience and keeps the user interface consistent between services. For most other apps, users will probably continue to rely on their phones and other nearby devices.
Steam Games on AMD Vehicles
Tesla previously removed games from its vehicles, as it removed the dedicated gaming GPU in favor of AMD’s all-purpose APU. However, the all-purpose APU can hold its own while gaming, and in fact, the 45-watt 4-core Ryzen chip is fairly beefy. It could definitely hold its own against the mobile Steam Deck, especially since that also uses an AMD-based platform.
Using Valve’s Proton Compatibility Layer would allow AMD Teslas to game, and game pretty well!
SteamLink App
If Steam support doesn’t come back to allow you to run games directly in your Tesla, SteamLink would definitely do the trick. SteamLink allows you to connect to your own PC at home, letting it do the heavy lifting of rendering the game and letting that device stream the game to you.
Streaming games has become more common, and streaming from your setup at home is the best way to take advantage of that massive display in your Tesla while you’re away from home.
That’s it for our Entertainment wishlist, but we’re sure that you have even more great suggestions. Be sure to let us know your suggestions in our forums.
It shouldn’t be too long before we find out exactly what’s in it, but for now, keep those requests coming!
Tesla offers owners an easy-to-use battery health tool, which allows users to view the degradation of their vehicle’s battery and improve the range estimate.
Battery Health
Like all batteries, electric vehicle batteries naturally degrade over time as a result of the chemical reactions that occur during charging and discharging cycles. Other factors also play a role, but the number of charge cycles and how long the battery stays at low or high states of charge play one of the biggest roles.
Your battery’s health refers to how much of its original energy capacity remains. For example, a battery at 85% health has lost about 15% of its capacity, meaning your vehicle will deliver roughly 85% of the range it had when new.
Battery Degradation
Battery degradation is worst in the first few months of ownership, and you will see the steepest degradation (1-3%) as your vehicle settles in. Part of this initial decline is due to the Battery Management System (BMS), which recalibrates to provide a more conservative and accurate estimate of your vehicle’s range and charging capacity.
According to Tesla, vehicle batteries generally degrade at a rate of about 15% per 200,000 miles, with the first year of ownership accounting for approximately 5% of this degradation. Battery degradation is less of an issue in modern EVs than many people think, because the BMS systems have become much more accurate and intelligent.
Tesla offers a long warranty on its vehicles, covering both the battery and the drive units. These warranties cover up to 70% pack retention, meaning that if your battery health degrades below the 70% mark while under warranty, Tesla will replace your battery pack.
Tesla provides a drive train and battery warranty on its vehicles, which is longer than the standard vehicle warranty. This warranty guarantees the battery will have at least 70% of its original capacity within the given time period. If your battery health drops below that threshold during the coverage period, Tesla will replace the battery pack.
The warranty varies slightly based on your Tesla model and configuration, which is outlined below:
Vehicle
Warranty
Model S, Model X, Cybertruck
8 Years / 150,000 mi (240,000km)
Model 3 / Model Y RWD
8 Years / 100,000 mi (160,000km)
All Other Model 3 / Model Y
8 Years / 120,000 mi (192,000km)
How to Test Battery Health
Not a Tesla App
While you can usually get a fairly accurate estimate of your Tesla’s battery health by calculating the amount of miles the vehicle could travel when charged to 100% and comparing that to the vehicle’s original range, Tesla has also added a tool to give you a better estimate.
Tesla has a user-friendly method of testing your vehicle’s battery health. The tool is practically identical to the one available through Service Mode, and the test and results are the same.
In order to test your vehicle’s battery health, you can navigate to Controls > Service, and then scroll down and select Battery Health. Upon tapping the button, the vehicle will display requirements for the battery test and the date and health of your last battery test.
Battery Health Test Requirements / How Long It Takes
Your vehicle will need to plugged in to a Wall Connector or Mobile Connector for up to 18 hours to run the battery test. The charger will need to be able to provide at least 5 kW of power, which is roughly about 20 amps at 240v.
The total amount of time the test will take will vary based on your vehicle’s battery size, your charging speed and the current battery level. If you’re unable to finish a battery health test and need the vehicle before it has completed, you can stop the test at any time.
Your vehicle will also need to be at a 20% or less state of charge, so you’ll need to plan accordingly.
The other requirements should be straight forwar and are listed here:
Vehicle is in Park
Battery level is at 20% or less
Vehicle is connected to the Internet
No software updates are scheduled
No battery or thermal alerts are active
Vehicle is connected to an AC charging station
AC charging equipment can provide at least 5 kW of power
Running the Battery Test
During the battery test, your vehicle will discharge and charge your battery to calibrate the BMS. Therefore, the lower the state of charge, the quicker the test will run and less energy will be wasted.
Your vehicle will run the motors and heat pump or heater to help discharge energy until the batteries are nearly empty, and then begin charging.
During the test, you may hear your vehicle’s fan run at maximum speed and become very loud, especially in an enclosed garage while the vehicle is discharging. This is normal and your vehicle is just using up energy.
Battery Test Results
Not a Tesla App
Once the battery test has completed, you’ll receive a notification in the Tesla app. You can check the results in the vehicle or in the Tesla app by navigiating to Service > Battery Health.
Most vehicles will have a degradation range between 10-20%, depending on your charging habits, age and use of your battery.
If you receive a result that’s 70% or less and are within the warranty period, you should reach out to Tesla for a replacement.
Since your battery test will recalibrate the vehicle’s BMS, you may see your vehicle’s range adjusted after the test. Keep in mind that the range of your vehicle hasn’t been affected and the vehicle is simply displaying a more accurate estimate of its range.
Note: Once the battery test completes, the vehicle will keep your battery at 100%, which isn’t a good practice for battery health. It’d be a good improvement if Tesla used up energy to bring the battery level back to the charge limit if the vehicle isn’t used after an hour or two.
You should not leave your vehicle at 100% unless you have a LFP battery. Plan to go for a drive shortly after the battery test completes. If you can’t drive, we recommend running the climate system to use up some energy.
Test Limitations
Since Tesla’s battery test uses up energy and discharges your battery to near 0% and then charges it to 100%, it’s best not to perform it often. Tesla also only allows one battery test every six months, unless you go into Service Mode to perform the battery test.
Tesla offers users some specific tools under its service menu (Controls > Service). These tools include features such as Car Wash Mode and Tow Mode. Just like other vehicle features, these are also updated and improved over time.
As Tesla vehicles use electric motors, towing them with any wheels on the ground could cause the motors to backfeed energy, generating considerable amounts of heat. If done for an extended period of time, especially at higher speeds, it could cause damage since the vehicle isn’t running its coolant loop to dump waste heat.
To help solve this problem, Tesla provides Tow Mode, which breaks down the steps needed to tow a Tesla. It also provides an easy way to put the vehicle in neutral and disengage the parking brake.
The improvement to Tow Mode now displays a checklist similar to Car Wash Mode. Each item in the list will light up green or red, depending on whether it’s already in the correct setting for Tow Mode.
Tesla has also added a readout of the low-voltage battery. While this could be useful for anyone wanting to check the current on their LV battery, it’s an important detail to be aware of if you’re towing because the vehicle’s high-voltage battery has been run down. All of the vehicle’s electronics are powered by the LV battery, and depleting it could cause the display to not turn on, as well as prevent access to certain vehicle features.
The vehicle shown in the diagram is also unique to the vehicle you are driving - a Model 3 will display a Model 3, while the Cybertruck will display a Cybertruck - just a subtle touch of Tesla precision to the entire presentation.
You can activate or check out Tow Mode from Controls > Service > Tow Mode.
Tire Service Improvements
Tesla has also improved its Tire Service menu, which is now tied into Maintenance History. These menus allow you to switch the wheels and tires your vehicle is using. It’s important to note that the wheel is not only used in the vehicle’s visualization, but also has impacts on the vehicle’s ability to accurately predict its range.
In the Tire menu, Tesla has added a Service Type dropdown, allowing you to select why you’re switching your tires. You can choose whether you’re rotating your tires, replacing them, or swapping them out for seasonal tires. This change will then be recorded in Maintenance History, allowing you to track the maintenance of your tires, including the date of the last maintenance and the ability to see the mileage on your current set of tires.
You can navigate to the Wheel and Tire menu by going to Controls > Service > Wheel & Tire.
The updated Wheel and Tire menu
Not a Tesla App
Cybertruck
As a note, the Tire Service improvements are not fully implemented in the Cybertruck in the primary menu. If you wish to mark a Seasonal Tire Change in your Cybertruck, you’ll need to head into Service Mode and add a Correction Code for Seasonal Tire Change from there.
We expect Tesla to fix or add this in an upcoming update for the Cybertruck.
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