Tesla design lead, Pawel Pietryka, who left the company last month has now shown off some prototype design videos of the Cybertruck and Model 3/Y on his website as part of his portfolio. He showed some interesting footage of the Cybertruck and the Model 3/Y UI. We covered the Model 3/Y video in what could be a part of the new FSD visualizations here if you haven't seen it yet.
These videos appear to be recent based on the Model 3 video containing many recent UI changes. There’s a lot we haven’t seen of the Cybertruck so this video is especially interesting since in some areas it gives us a first peek into the Cybertruck UI.
The Tesla Model S and X use similar UI elements as the Model 3 and Y. The design language used is essentially the same and the UI only differs when necessary, based on feature or hardware changes.
However, based on this video it doesn’t look like Tesla has any plans to merge the Cybertruck UI with the rest of the Tesla models. As unique as the Cybertruck is on the outside, it looks like it will be just as unique on the inside.
Tesla Cybertruck UI
You can check out the full video below.
Although the Cybertruck will be similar to the Model 3/Y with its single, center-mounted screen, it seems that it will differ in that it will mostly use a single app on screen at a time.
Whereas the Model 3 will display visualizations on the left side and the music or maps app on the right side, the Cybertruck incorporates the visualizations and the map into a single view. It shows the truck’s visualization inside of the map to let you know where you are on the map, instead of a standard arrow.
In order for the visualizations and surroundings to still be useful, the map has a much more zoomed-in view. It’s an interesting concept that merges the near-by environment renderings that the truck’s cameras are able to determine with the further-away map data like buildings and streets. It is essentially merging real-time environment data with pre-mapped data into a single view. It makes a lot of sense in some ways, but you do lose the big-picture route view that the map usually provides.
When the truck is parked and there’s no need for a map view, then the truck visualization will take up the whole screen, allowing you to open or close the frunk, tailgate or adjust the suspension in this nice full-screen type view.
We also get our first look at the HVAC controls. In this particular instance, since the truck is driving, the HVAC controls fluidly slide in from the left, revealing similar controls to current Tesla models, but with the Cybertruck interior.
The controls look very simplified and only include a power button, temperature control and vent direction control, but on closer inspection it looks like you’ll be able to slide over to reveal another HVAC pane that may include additional controls, like the ability to keep the climate on when exiting the car, turning on/off the AC and the ability to control the air recirculation.
All signs point to the Cybertruck doing extremely well, but one thing for sure is that the Cybertruck will be a very different and interesting vehicle.
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Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
