Since November 2024, Tesla has quietly trialed a new direct-to-consumer part sales program. The original program launched with only a few items: windshield wipers, air filters, license plate brackets, and low-voltage batteries (16V only).
The program has clearly seen some initial success, and Tesla has now begun to expand it even further.
Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog
Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC) now allows users to order individual parts or complete assemblies for various vehicle parts.
Previously, users were required to either visit or schedule service with Tesla Service to order parts, even if Tesla wouldn’t be the one installing them. The other option was to be an approved business, like a body shop or mechanic, which would be allowed to order directly from Tesla’s EPC.
Now, certain parts with a shopping cart icon in the EPC can be purchased directly online using your Tesla account. You can even order parts for vehicles you don’t own - so if you want to buy a Model S Brake Caliper Service Kit without owning a Model S, you can now do so.
Tesla points out these changes on pages that have orderable parts with the text: “EPC now supports direct-to-customer online ordering for a subset of parts (to be expanded with future releases).”
Part Availability & Shipping
Shipping is currently only available to addresses in the United States, but we expect Tesla to roll this out in other countries in the future.
Parts can be ordered individually or in batches if you have a larger repair or replacement to be made. Part availability is subject to what has been officially made available by Tesla, as well as general availability. For now, there’s only a small subset of parts that are orderable, such as brake rotors and other similar parts. If you need to replace something more complex, you’ll still need to put in a ticket with Tesla Service through the app to get it ordered.
Cybertruck Parts
Additionally, no parts are available for the Cybertruck for the time being. We expect this is due to a lack of part availability for the Cybertruck while Tesla continues to ramp production. This will likely change in the coming months as Tesla continues to both expand Cybertruck production and make more parts available on the EPC.
Right to Repair
This is a great change for Tesla and helps address an issue some potential buyers have — the right to repair. Tesla has slowly been marching toward this goal by first making Service Mode available to everyone, opening up their EPC, adding Vehicle Maintenance History, and continually improving their Service Mode and service manuals.
Over the last few years, Apple has faced pressure over the right for consumers to repair their own devices. When you have a product with a lot of proprietary parts, like Apple or Tesla, you need to build tools to help consumers and third-party service centers repair devices. It seems that Tesla is well ahead of the curve here, which will help them avoid any future legal issues.
Teslas already don’t need much maintenance, and what they do need is already fairly easy to work on. Service manuals, as well as awesome new features like the Cybertruck’s interactive wiring diagram in Service Mode, make them one of the easiest electric vehicles to work on. You can check out Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog here.
Tesla vehicles are packed with sensors, and the Cybertruck is no exception. In fact, it may be Tesla’s most sensor-rich model yet, as evidenced by its Interactive Wiring Diagram.
Now, it looks like the Cybertruck is getting yet another sensor. Tesla has introduced Smart Tire Tread Sensors inside its OEM Cybertruck tires that help provide even more real-time data.
Smart Tire Sensors
These tire tread sensors are from Cerebrum and come as part of the tire itself. This is the same company that supplies the first-party, OEM Bluetooth Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) - which are mounted to the wheel.
These new sensors are mounted inside a rubber sleeve inside the tire, underneath the acoustic-dampening foam. They’re generally difficult to find, but they are sometimes mistaken for nails or other debris when tires are unmounted and inspected following a leak. If you’re having your tires replaced on your new Cybertruck, you can get the Cerebrum sensor removed from the OEM tire and installed on the new one—the rubber sleeve simply slides out.
More Tire Data
These intelligent tire sensors have a ton of interesting features that will help gather even more data about the vehicle’s tires and current road conditions.
The Cerebrum sensors can measure camber alignment, tire load, tire wear, and even output road surface conditions. That makes them really useful for Tesla - which has been gathering road surface data for years now. This data can be used in conjunction with mapping data to automatically adjust the dynamic suspensions in the refreshed Model 3 and Model Y, as well as the air suspensions in the Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X.
Tesla is likely leveraging these new sensors to precisely monitor tire wear and assess road surface conditions, allowing FSD to adapt dynamically to reduced traction. According to Tesla, its traction control system continuously analyzes the characteristics of the driving surface and automatically adjusts for optimal grip—these smart sensors could play a crucial role in improving that capability.
These sensors will likely be added to more of Tesla’s OEM tire lineup in the coming months and years. We may also see new software features that show you more data about your tires beyond pressure. Tesla could also issue proactive warnings about uneven wear or if the vehicle needs an alignment.
That statement has finally come true, with several users on X now having received their refreshed Model Ys, and showing off the capabilities of the matrix LED array in all its glory.
Adaptive Headlights
Adaptive Headlights come with two particular features. The first feature is already enabled globally - Teslas equipped with matrix headlights will track curves on the road and “adjust” the beam left and right, as well as up and down, based on the road ahead of you. This is part of the same functionality behind how FSD works and is based on reading the road lines or shape ahead of your vehicle.
The second feature is now enabled on the refreshed Model Y, which is adaptive high beams. Vehicles with matrix headlights will selectively dim or brighten the LEDs that make up the matrix based on other traffic. That means you can effectively drive with your high beams on, and your vehicle will automatically prevent people ahead of you from getting blinded by glare - because the beam pointing in their direction is dimmed to a normal headlight level.
This is a fantastic safety feature, especially if you’re driving in more rural areas or on two-lane highways outside of cities, where high beams are used more often. It keeps both the driver safe by ensuring they have maximum situational awareness of what is ahead of them and other road users safe by making sure they don’t get blinded by a headlight.
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Other Vehicles When?
While Lars didn’t confirm that the refreshed Model Y’s headlights are the same as other Teslas in his interview with Jay Leno, he did confirm other models will be getting the feature. This seems to be more of a vehicle-by-vehicle process, as the functionality is already enabled outside of North America, in markets such as Europe and Asia-Pacific.
This also includes the Cybertruck, whose lower headlight array does indeed feature matrix functionality - so Tesla owners of all models with matrix headlights can look forward to getting Adaptive High Beams in the near future.
High-Res to Low-Res
Tesla introduced their matrix headlights with a high-resolution LED matrix in the past, which allowed precise control over many individual pixels. Over time, Tesla has instead transitioned to a lower-resolution version of the same system. While these low-resolution variants can’t project text during a Light Show, they’re likely cheaper to produce and easier to replace.
Whether you have high-res or low-res matrix headlights, once Tesla enables the feature, you should see a similar experience. You can check our guide to determine if your vehicle has matrix headlights.
