Tesla has shown off what may be part of Tesla's v11 software. This morning Tesla posted a video to weibo.cn that shows off new features that will be available in China as part of the 20214.5 release.
Tesla highlights three major new features that will be available in the Chinese market. However, they may not necessarily be available to everyone outside of China. For example, we don't believe the updates to QQ Music would be available outside of China, much like some entertainment apps that are exclusive to certain markets.
TikTok
The first major feature that Tesla shows off is the addition of the entertainment app TikTok. The app will be added alongside the other apps currently available in the market and maintains the features popular in the mobile app such as 'Following' and 'For You' tabs, the ability to favorite and view comments on the videos. Although it's unclear whether they will allow you to comment on videos.
The layout of the app is particularly interesting as the design appears to take a cue from the Model S/X redesign videos we've seen recently where there is a black navigation bar on the left side.
QQ Music Lyrics
The second feature the video goes into is QQ Music. QQ Music is a streaming service in China and it has been available since 2019 on Tesla vehicles. With this update they're adding karaoke-like support to the service where users will be able to view song lyrics as the song plays in a very similar fashion to Caraoke.
Improved Voice Recognition
Speech recognition improvements are being highlighted as much improved in 2021.4.5 as well. The voice commands in the vehicle are great but you often have to phrase them in a very specific way to get them to work. It looks like Tesla has tried to improve their understanding of commands in this release.
In the video Tesla shows examples of a driver issuing commands like navigate to, calling someone or playing songs but in various new ways. It's not clear whether these improvements are specific to Mandarin Chinese or will be available more widely.
As Tesla is showing off the new commands and particularly the call command, we can see a slightly new call interface. When calling someone through the voice interface, it appears that the call will be automatically placed after a certain time. A progress bar "count down" will appear on top and a 'Cancel' button at the top giving the user a chance to cancel the command before the call is automatically dialed.
Tesla shows off these three major features as part of 2021.4.5, but there may be other improvements as well. These features are targeted specifically targeted the Chinese market and would not include other features that be only be available in the U.S. or other markets.
The full video is below for those interested in watching.
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Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
Not a Tesla App
The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
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