As part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update, Tesla hacker Greentheonly, has once again uncovered features that are coming in a future software update. Green regularly decompiles Tesla’s software updates and is able to see features that have yet to see the light of day. These features are in production code, but sometimes have only been partially developed or are being tested or waiting to be turned on remotely. Either way, it gives us an early look at features that are likely to be released in the coming months.
Recently Green spotted two new features, Trailer Profiles and new navigation routing options.
Trailer Profiles
According to Green, the new Trailer Profiles feature is expected to let you record your trailer mileage and select whether it’s an open or closed trailer. You’ll have the ability to keep track of up to 20 trailer profiles, letting you use various trailers without resetting your settings. This should let the vehicle give you more accurate range estimates, as the vehicle will be able to track your previous energy consumption when you used your trailer previously.
By creating multiple profiles, you can even account for different load types, such as transporting a car, boat, or lumbar.
This feature is expected to be available to all vehicles equipped with a tow hitch. Tow hitches are included on the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck and as an option for the Model Y and some Model 3s.
Trailers normally have no way to record mileage, so this could be an extremely useful tool for owners to be able to see how much a trailer has been used. This could help indicate when new tires, new trailer brakes, or other relevant service may be required.
Prioritize Highways / Avoid Highways?
Navigation routing is expected to receive two additional preferences. The first one is “Prioritize Highways” - which, like its name, will likely prioritize the usage of highways whenever possible.
This is an interesting feature, as most people have been asking for the opposite - Avoid Highways, which Elon previously promised would make its way to Tesla vehicles soon. It’s not clear whether this is Tesla’s interpretation of an Avoid Highways option, where disabling this feature will try to avoid highways and prioritize backroad use.
Prioritize Time
The second feature is “Prioritize Time”. This one is interesting, as it likely will provide the option for drivers to have an optimized route for charging/efficiency, and a route that is more focused on spending less time on the road at the cost of using more energy.
While Tesla leverages Google’s API for features such as Points of Interest, reviews, photos, map tiles and satellite imagery, Tesla determines the vehicle’s route themselves. This lets them prioritize efficiency and calculate charging stops.
Alongside the arrival of FSD’s new Hurry Mode, this is going to give users more flexibility when driving.
When Do They Arrive?
These features aren’t available just yet, but their inclusion in production code likely points to them launching soon. However, the features could be in varying degrees of completion, from active development to dev complete and simply awaiting for Tesla to enable them remotely.
It’s possible we’ll see one or more of these features activated in the next couple of months.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
Tesla has made a software-related change to the Cybertruck’s wiper to improve tackling the buildup of salt and road grime on the windshield. If you’ve driven the Cybertruck in regions that salt their roads, you’ve likely experienced this firsthand. The image above shows the author’s truck after 90 minutes of highway driving.
This issue arises because the Cybertruck’s powerful single wiper doesn’t always spray enough windshield wiper fluid to break down all the salt kicked up by other vehicles. At highway speeds, salt accumulates rapidly, and it’s even possible for the Cybertruck’s forward camera cluster to get blocked, which may trigger a request for the driver to take over.
More Fluid
The solution to this issue is simple: apply more fluid to the windshield to help break up the salt, which the Giga wiper can then wipe away. Currently, washer fluid is only sprayed during downstrokes, and holding down the wiper button just repeats the cycle. However, according to a post on X by Wes Morril, Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, that’s about to change.
With the upcoming software update 2025.2.8, which is expected to roll out to Cybertruck owners in the next few days, Tesla has introduced a new feature for the washer button. Now, holding down the button for two full cycles (two sweeps of the wiper) will continuously soak the windshield. This means you’ll be able to apply double the amount of fluid — on upward and downward wiper strokes.
This is a highly requested improvement, particularly from Cybertruck owners in regions where road salt is frequently used during winter. While the winter season is nearing its end in much of North America, this update will be a welcomed improvement for next year’s colder months.
Thanks for the feedback - If you hold the wash button through 2 cycles the wiper will now continuously soak your windshield, effectively doubling the amount of fluid dispensed. This helps with the stubborn road salt when needed and maintains the quick cleaning functionality for… https://t.co/wEqs9uLpBB
After just recently confirming that Robotaxi and Cybercab are on track to deploy to Austin, Texas in June, Tesla has submitted an application to provide robotaxi services in California.
Bloomberg reports that the application was made late last year for a “transportation charger-party carrier permit” with the California Public Utilities Commission. That permit specifically allows Tesla to own and control a fleet of vehicles.
Robotaxi Fleet… But Supervised?
Interestingly, it was also confirmed by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles that Tesla has not made an application for driverless testing or deployment yet. Instead - they have a permit to operate and test autonomous vehicles with safety drivers. Tesla confirmed at their We, Robot autonomy event that they were testing robotaxies with safety drivers in Los Angeles already - so this isn’t a surprise.
The application with the Public Utilities Commission also details driver license requirements and drug testing protocols - which suggests that Tesla is really set on introducing their ride hailing service with safety drivers to start.
This means that Tesla will have to file an application to allow Cybercabs or other Tesla vehicles in their robotaxi fleet to drive autonomously in California. Given that the Cybercab itself doesn’t have a steering wheel or pedals - it seems likely that Tesla will continue using Model Y’s for this deployment.
Why not Autonomous?
This instead seems to be a ride-hailing service that uses FSD (Supervised) rather than FSD (Unsupervised). This could be a strategy for Tesla to break into the ride-hailing market, as they intend to offer these rides in California for free.
Offering free rides with FSD (Supervised) is a great way to introduce people to self driving. People are naturally cautious, and sometimes even afraid of autonomy - especially when they’re coming from ICE vehicles which likely had basic cruise control as their only form of driver assistance.
This also allows Tesla an opportunity to test the deployment and user experience of their ride hailing service from front to back. That means from the initial tap in the Tesla App to summon your ride, loading up and stepping in, and arriving at your destination and getting out. And what better way to receive detailed feedback on the entire process than with a human in the front seat?
This seems to just be an initial step for Tesla - who has said they intend to roll out Robotaxi services with extreme caution. They need to be confident that the potential of injury or an accident is extremely low before they allow fully autonomous vehicles out and about in public.
The standard for safety with autonomous vehicles is extremely high. A single incident - even a minor one - will get worldwide headlines. Tesla will need to achieve and demonstrate a safety level far and above the average human driver before people start to accept being moved around in autonomous vehicles.
All in all, this is exciting. While it isn’t the fully autonomous Cybercabs that will soon be prowling the streets of Austin, it is still a demonstration of Tesla’s autonomy and their path forward in regions which are a bit more restrictive in how much autonomy they allow.
![Tesla Launches FSD in China: First Look [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/fsd-beta/china/6cf4975c-22ff-4722-9d07-314a6bd67072_1_201_a.jpeg/29909b90cf00c415243e156becfc2992/6cf4975c-22ff-4722-9d07-314a6bd67072_1_201_a.jpg)
![Will Tesla's Unsupervised FSD Require a Front Bumper Camera? [Opinion]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/model-y-2025/model-y-front-bumper-camera.webp/dfcea62aaa60b357e8a95c229135289e/model-y-front-bumper-camera.jpg)
_300w.png)
