Tesla to Add Low, High and Auto Settings to Its Heated Steering Wheel in Update

By Nuno Cristovao
Tesla will automate the temperature of the steering wheel in an upcoming update
Tesla will automate the temperature of the steering wheel in an upcoming update
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We're a few weeks out from Tesla's last major update, the 2022 holiday update which brought many new features and improvements such as myQ garage door support, Apple Music, Auto Turn Signals, Zoom and much more.

However, Tesla doesn't stand still for long, Tesla is now preparing its first post-holiday update. We'll take a look at one of the features expected to be included in this upcoming update.

Automated Seat Heaters

The 2021 holiday update brought us custom light shows, a customizable launcher and automated seat heaters.

Seat heaters can now be set to Auto, which will let the vehicle control their temperature automatically based on the cabin's interior temperature and the temperature the climate system is set to.

The car will then automatically choose the heat level of the seat, selecting from low, medium or high.

The car is also smart enough to not turn on a seat heater if there is no one in the seat.

Automated seat heaters are only for the front seats of the vehicle and users can override the system at any time. The options for heated seats range from off, low, medium, high to auto.

Automated Steering Wheel Heater

Tesla is now taking everything it has learned from its automation of its temperature-controlled seats and it's applying it to the vehicle's heated steering wheel.

Tesla begin shipping Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with heated steering wheels since early 2021 in China and late 2021. However, Model S and Model X vehicles have had heated steering wheels for several years. Whether your vehicle includes a heated steering wheel will vary depending on when and where it was manufactured.

The heated steering wheel can currently be turned on manually by navigating to the climate control screen of the vehicle, through the Tesla app, or by adding it to the launcher at the bottom of the screen.

If your vehicle is equipped with a heated steering wheel, you'll soon be able to set it to 'Auto' and let the vehicle control the desired heat of the wheel in pretty much the same way the vehicle controls heated seats, by taking the vehicle current cabin temperature and the temperature your climate system is set to.

Tesla is Adding Multiple Heat Levels

Although it makes a lot of sense for Tesla to automate the heating of the steering wheel as they do for seat heaters, there's more to this upcoming feature than just automation.

Tesla's heated steering wheel has thus far only had a single temperature setting, however, with this new feature, Tesla is also adding two temperature options to the heated steering wheel.

When setting the temperature of your heated steering wheel, you'll now be able to choose from Off, Low, High or Auto settings, instead of just the previously available 'Off' or 'On' options.

You'll of course continue to have full control of the heated steering wheel if you prefer, but many owners end up finding that the Auto setting works quite well and find themselves enjoying the comfort of the heated seats without having to even think about it.

Which Vehicles Will Be Supported

At this time we don't know which vehicles this feature is coming to yet, but we expect Tesla to add it to at least all newer models.

This feature is now available with Tesla's first update of 2023, which is version 2023.2.0.5. You can read the full release notes for the update here, which also includes updates to Tesla's Sentry Mode.

Tesla Reintroduces FSD Transfers in North America

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Following customer requests, Tesla has once again returned FSD Transfers for North America. This comes after some new details we received on FSD Supervised and Unsupervised at the recent Q1 2025 Earnings Call.

FSD Transfers

This latest round of FSD transfers doesn’t have a specific time limit - so if you’re in the market for a new vehicle and were worried about transferring FSD from a HW3 vehicle - now is the best chance.

This transfer opportunity is applicable for any new vehicle purchases, including the Model S, 3, X, Y, as well as the Cybertruck. The only vehicles it doesn’t apply to are the Foundation-Series Cybertruck or a Launch-Series Model Y, which already come with FSD included.

If you’re conducting an FSD transfer, you’ll need to reach out to your Tesla delivery coordinator through the Tesla app to confirm you’re eligible and to get the process started.

Note that once you take delivery, FSD access is removed from your older vehicle, regardless if you plan to trade in your vehicle or keep it.

Canada and Mexico

For those in Canada and Mexico, there’s some good news. This opportunity is available for customers in those countries as well, however, new vehicle orders are currently paused in Canada and Mexico for unknown reasons.

Running Offers

There are also several other offers running in North America, with the country flags indicating which countries their available in:

0% Financing on new Model 3 Orders (60mo, 0.99% for 72mo) 🇺🇸

Deep Blue Metallic and Pearl White are currently free on a new Model 3 Performance 🇺🇸

Original Model Y Owners are receiving $2,000 off the purchase of a Refreshed Model Y 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Free Supercharging on the Model S and Model X 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Free Supercharging on the Foundation-Series Cybertruck 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Inventory Vehicle Discounts 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

Tesla Shares Robotaxi Details: 10-20 Cars at Launch, Vehicle UI and App Teased

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s long-awaited ambitions for a fully autonomous Robotaxi network powered by the futuristic, control-less Cybercab have finally started to take shape.

During their Q1 2025 earnings call, Tesla shared new details about its Robotaxi network, including that the network will start with new Model Ys. The Cybercab will join the network in 2026.

Robotaxi Plans

Tesla confirmed during the Earnings Call that it is on track to conduct the pilot launch of its Robotaxi network in Austin in June 2025. The first vehicles deployed for this service won’t be Cybercabs, as production for those is still in the prototyping stage.

However, Tesla did outline part of their plan for the Robotaxi network rollout. The initial aim is to begin driverless operations in Austin and then expand the service to other cities within the United States by the end of 2025. Interestingly, Tesla is also testing in California - albeit with safety drivers at this time.

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Looking further ahead, there are ambitious plans to ramp up operations to have millions of vehicles operating autonomously within the network by the end of 2026. While substantial revenue generation won’t be immediate, Tesla anticipates that the Robotaxi network will start to “meaningfully move the financial needle” in the second half of 2026.

Tesla also highlighted the current real-world benefits that FSD is already offering today—and will be able to offer to many more people in the near future.

These include reducing effort and time spent on daily commuting or transit, as well as improving mobility for customers with disabilities. Tesla plans to emphasize some of these community stories and wants to highlight the advantages and capabilities of FSD to improve people’s lives.

Robotaxi App and Robotaxi Vehicle UI

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After the call, Tesla AI also shared a video showcasing the Robotaxi interface in the Tesla app, as well as some footage that included the in-vehicle UI, at least as it currently stands.

The video shows Tesla employees using and testing Robotaxi features, although there are safety drivers in place. It looks like there is already a set of well-integrated UI mechanisms for both the front and rear screen when in Robotaxi mode.

Tesla is testing this today, and this network has already completed 1,500 trips, totaling approximately 15,000 miles. The system is being tested for vehicle allocation, mission control, and remote assistance operations.

Remote Operators

Inevitably, edge cases or unique situations will come up, and they will be difficult to handle. For these cases, where a Robotaxi vehicle gets stuck or requires assistance, Tesla will likely implement remote support. 

While they didn’t completely confirm remote support operators on the Earnings Call, Tesla has previously posted positions for Teleoperator Engineers for Robotaxi, and an AI T=team member posted on LinkedIn about testing for remote assistance operations.

Scaling Up

Tesla initially intends to deploy a relatively small fleet in Austin, with its pilot beginning with about 10 to 20 vehicles on day 1. They will scale up gradually as the systems are validated and operations are refined, and the target is for anyone visiting Austin to be able to hail a robotaxi by the end of June or early July 2025.

Scaling Out

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Tesla’s confidence in scaling out stems from its generalized approach with FSD. The team believes that once FSD is thoroughly verified and capable in a few diverse North American cities, deploying it to any other North American city should be technically feasible. After all, driving regulations don’t vary much from one major city to another, except for things like no right turns on red lights. 

The primary limitation with scaling out geographically is expected to be securing regulatory approvals in different regions and jurisdictions. While the principles of Tesla’s FSD are expected to apply globally, as with the China rollout, regulation will continue to be a considerable hurdle.

Cybercab

Tesla’s fully autonomous, two-seater vehicle, the Cybercab, is also being developed. While volume production for the Cybercab won’t begin until 2026, Tesla is already undergoing sample production validation. The first actual Cybercab builds are expected to be completed near the end of Q2 2025, and we’re excited to see if anything changes from the prototypes shown at We, Robot.

Tesla intends to build Cybercab at Giga Texas, and the production line is on schedule, according to Tesla. Cybercab production will not require a new building and will be built inside the existing Giga Texas factory.

Unboxed Method

The Cybercab’s production and low-cost methodology heavily rely upon Tesla’s innovative new unboxed manufacturing method. Tesla’s executive team mentioned that progress and implementation with this new manufacturing solution was going well, and it will be key to lowering the cost of production while considerably raising the level of automation.

Tesla has already achieved key milestones with this method, including successfully integrating large sub-assemblies and resolving challenges related to connecting portions of the vehicle's ceiling during the process. They have also successfully completed corrosion testing related to the new assembly method, as well as begun initial crash testing for the Cybercab.

All of that and more will eventually be incorporated into other vehicle production lines, and the Cybertruck is already benefiting from some aspects of these developments. With a final ambition of achieving a 5-second cycle time per Cybercab, Tesla has come a long way—but it still has quite a bit to go. They’ve managed to meet a 33-second cycle time for the Model Y at Giga Shanghai between two production lines, but 5 seconds per vehicle is quite ambitious.

Not a Tesla App

With all that said, between Robotaxi and Cybercab, there is a lot of interesting news coming from Tesla. We expect this to continue throughout the year as Tesla launches its network and then aims to release FSD Unsupervised to customers, with a potential price increase.

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