Tesla is continuing to transition cars to Tesla Vision
@TeslaStars
Tesla recently started rolling out update 2022.24.6. Although we'd expect this update to only contain minor fixes, similarly to 2022.20.9, it contains a big feature that is sort of hidden.
With update 2022.24.6 Tesla is continuing its transition to Tesla Vision for radar-based vehicles, although at first glance it can be easily missed. 2022.24 updates prior to 2022.24.6 do not include Tesla Vision.
Tesla first started transitioning some vehicles to Tesla Vision with 2022.20.9, although ironically the feature was titled "Speed Assist" in that release, but the description was clear that the vehicle was moving to Tesla Vision.
Tesla hacker @Greentheonly speculates that Tesla is first transitioning vehicles that are showing some issues with radar. Although with 2022.24.6 Tesla appears to be transitioning additional vehicles.
The transition to Tesla Vision is sort of going out in "stealth" mode. Since Tesla Vision was initially released in 2022.20.9, it's a part of Tesla's 2022.20 features. After an update is installed in a vehicle, Tesla will automatically bring up the release notes for the given release (2022.24), which means that Tesla Vision won't be listed even if your vehicle was transitioned.
In order to see whether your vehicle has transitioned to Tesla Vision, you will need to open the full release notes by navigating to Controls > Software and tapping on Release Notes.
These release notes will display all features, including those for previous updates as well. If your vehicle was transitioned to Tesla Vision, you will see "Tesla Vision Update" listed under 2022.20.
With the transition to Tesla Vision, Tesla appears to have greatly reduce its reliance on radar. It's not clear exactly how often Tesla is using radar or in what situations, but it appears to be reduced to emergency features such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warnings, but it could be used in other situations as well.
Although Tesla is relying on vision much more after this update, there are still situations that have been shown that radar hasn't been completely disabled.
The transition to Tesla Vision has been somewhat of a mixed bag. Some owners are excited to be transitioning to Tesla Vision, which is clearly the future for Tesla and the direction they're going to continue moving in, however other owners aren't quite as excited by vision-based limitations.
Two shortcomings that come with Tesla Vision for everyone are reduced maximum speed while on Autopilot, which is reduced from 90 MPH to 85 MPH (140 KPH), and a minimum follow distance of two.
The maximum follow distance remains the same at seven. Radar-equipped vehicles allow you to go as close as one car length.
These two limitations of Tesla Vision are unlikely to affect the majority of owners, but it will vary on location and the maximum speeds in your area.
Some owners are reporting that their vehicle is smoother with Tesla Vision and they're even experiencing less phantom braking, however, not everyone's experience has been the same.
So let us know, did your vehicle transition to Tesla Vision with update 2022.24.6? Let us know your thoughts in our forums below.
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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.
