Tesla Introduces New Route Options and Nav Improvements for Chinese New Year

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Tesla has launched a new update in China, which includes a large number of new features, including a major focus on navigation improvements.

This is still a 2024 build, but it seems like it may be the last one we’ll see - especially since we’ve already heard 2025.2 is on its way.

Let’s take a peek at the new update and all the new features.

Navigation Improvements

One of the new features is the ability to choose how your vehicle chooses a route. If you have “online routing” enabled, then your vehicle’s routing is determined remotely, which lets it take more things into account. However, we now have alternate routes; the driver has limited control over how the route is chosen.

This update introduces new options on how the route is determined, giving the user more control.

Fastest Time - This option appears to be the current default, likely similar to how the vehicle picks a route today.

Least Congestion - This option appears to select routes that have minimal traffic congestion, thereby making your drive that much easier and safer - even if it's a longer route. It's a good use of Tesla’s integration with live traffic data.

Prefer Highways - We saw this option coming as it was initially discovered alongside the new Trailer Profiles feature. It prefers highways over other routes, and while that can be useful, we’d prefer the opposite too - an Avoid Highways option.

Lowest Tolls - This is an interesting option. It doesn’t avoid tolls like the pre-existing option but finds the route that’s the fastest and has the lowest tolls. That’ll be an interesting option for people where toll routes have a big impact on travel times.

While it doesn’t appear that this brings the long-awaited avoid highways feature, it does give users a lot more control over the route the vehicle takes. While Teslas in China use Baidu maps with exciting features, these changes are to Tesla’s backend, so we expect these features to arrive in other regions as well.

Service Area Functions

As part of navigation improvements, approaching a highway service area in China will now automatically open an on-screen prompt, directing you to restaurants, convenience stores, and charging facilities within the service area. It’ll even point out big-name restaurants.

We’d love to see something similar to this in Europe and North America, especially as you pull up to a Supercharger at a rest area.

For those who prefer a little less in-your-face advertising of local businesses, this option can be disabled in Vehicle Options > Navigation > Service Areas.

It’s not clear whether this option will be available outside of China in the future.

The Service Area pop-up from Tesla China.

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Other Features

This is the big holiday update for China to celebrate the Chinese New Year. While the update includes some additional new features that we haven’t seen, the rest of it looks to be China-exclusive games, apps and other holiday update features we’ve already received.

The three exclusive games are from Tencent - Happy Landlord, Happy Mahjong, and Throw Eggs, and will be region-restricted to Chinese vehicles.

This update also adds Actually Smart Summon for vehicles equipped with EAP or FSD.

The final one is a bit interesting - Supercharger Bollards. Certain Superchargers in China have ground posts or bollards that automatically raise or lower. These locks prevent non-charging vehicles from parking in the Supercharger spots. Unfortunately for users, it meant you had to open the Tesla app to lower a specific bollard before being able to park to charge your vehicle. However, with this update you can now unlock the bollard from inside the vehicle - the button to unlock the bollard will pop up automatically as you’re navigating to the Supercharger.

We’re hoping the Service Area functions and Navigation improvements make their way to other markets in some capacity, so keep your fingers crossed for a North American or European version of this update soon.

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Tesla’s First Public Megacharger Site Is Coming

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Tesla has officially filed construction permits for its first Semi Megacharger site located near the 405 and 110 freeway corridors in California. This location is just outside Carson, CA, near the Port of Long Beach—one of the busiest ports in the U.S.

The site, located at 19300 S Hamilton Avenue, will primarily feature Megachargers designed to support Tesla’s electric truck fleet. Additionally, Tesla plans to include a small lounge facility with vending machines, restrooms, and other amenities for drivers.

Semi-Public

This site is considered “public” because it’s the first Megacharger location built on publicly accessible land, conveniently situated off a major highway. Previous Megacharger sites have been installed at private corporate facilities, making them inaccessible to the general public.

Despite being in a public location, Tesla plans to keep these Megacharger units exclusive to the Tesla Semi, unlike Superchargers, which are gradually opening to other EV manufacturers. While the Megacharger standard—MCS—is an open standard like NACS, Tesla’s Megachargers will remain off-limits to other trucks.

Megacharger

The Megacharger features a large, square-shaped connector, a sharp contrast to the NACS design. This is due to the unique operating specifications of the MCS connector, which supports charging between 750kW and 1,000kW. This incredible power could potentially add up to 400 miles (of the Semi’s 500-mile range) in just 30 minutes of charging.

With such rapid charging capabilities, the Tesla Semi’s downtime will be drastically reduced, allowing for more efficient operations and less time spent charging.

Since Tesla’s Semi factory is now underway, we expect to see additional Megacharger sites being built in the future. The Semi has also been receiving ongoing improvements, including a specialized European Development Platform.

With volume production expected to begin in late 2025 or early 2026, the Tesla Semi is poised to become one of the company’s biggest products. We’re excited to see more Semis on the road—and hopefully, many more Megacharger sites in the near future.

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Tesla Cybertruck Earns 5-Star Safety Rating in NHTSA Crash Tests

Sawyer Merritt

The Cybertruck has finally received an official crash safety rating—and to the surprise of many critics, it’s outstanding. Tesla has announced that the Cybertruck earned a 5-star Overall Crash Safety Rating from the NHTSA.

Even more remarkable, the Cybertruck holds the lowest overall probability of injury and the lowest rollover risk of any pickup truck ever tested by the agency. Skeptics have long questioned its safety, arguing that its rigid design lacks crumple zones and could endanger occupants. But these results prove otherwise. Let’s break it down!

The Test

Sawyer Merritt

The 2024 and 2025 Tesla Cybertruck—both the AWD and Cyberbeast variants—were tested under the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) standards, which evaluate vehicle crashworthiness and restraint systems through various types of impacts.

Tesla has long prioritized safety, not only through advancements in active safety with FSD but also by designing vehicles with robust structural protection. The Cybertruck incorporates the Cybercell structural battery and internal crash cans to improve crash performance.

Its front and rear Gigacastings are engineered to channel impact forces into internal structures that collapse, functioning similarly to crumple zones in traditional vehicles. This design directs energy away from occupants and critical components. First, the internal crash cans absorb the force, and if needed, the Gigacasting collapses—both of which are replaceable, making the Cybertruck more repairable when compared to other modern vehicles.

Euro NCAP

Sawyer Merritt

While the Cybertruck has now earned a North American NCAP rating, it has yet to receive a Euro NCAP rating. Tesla has not submitted the Cybertruck for testing in Europe, as its sharp-edged stainless steel panels do not currently meet European regulations.

Tesla does plan to bring the Cybertruck to Europe eventually, but doing so will likely require significant exterior modifications to soften its edges and comply with safety standards. Once those changes are made, the Cybertruck should have no trouble acing the Euro NCAP tests.

After such a long wait, it’s great to finally see the Cybertruck’s crash test results—and with a 5-star rating, Tesla deserves credit for its impressive engineering. Safety has always been a cornerstone of Tesla’s design philosophy, and the Cybertruck continues that tradition as one of the safest vehicles on the road.

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