Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to announce that the next major software revision (likely v11, which we covered here), will not only have much better automated wipers, but will also include automated seat heaters and window defrost.
To be honest, when I first heard this, it didn’t sound like a great idea. How well could the car determine whether I want the seat heater on. Then I realized that when you turn on the heat through the Tesla app, the car will already determine whether to turn on the seat heaters and defrost as well, and that has always appeared to do a great job determining when to do so. So it now looks like this logic will be expanded and added to when you enter the car as well.
Elon’s tweet came in response to a tweet from Tesla Owners of Austin that asked whether there will come a day when drivers will not need to manually adjust their seats. Elon replied with the information above how Tesla will do a much better job automating wipers, seat heaters and defrost objects, but also mentioned that it is probable that Tesla could automatically adjust a driver’s seat based on their mass distribution.
In a recent Joe Rogan podcast, Elon Musk talked briefly about how there is a lot of telemetry with Tesla seats and airbags. When an airbag goes off, Tesla takes into account the driver’s mass distribution, seating position and more to determine how soon and how fast to deploy that airbag. It’s an interesting listen. You can read the highlights or listen to the podcast here.
Good point.
Next major software rev will do much better with automating wipers, seat heating & defrost.
Probable seat settings just based on occupant mass distribution should be possible.
In last year’s holiday update, Tesla introduced the much-needed Dashcam Viewer in the Tesla app. The feature allows owners to view Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage directly from the Tesla app, eliminating the need to review videos in your vehicle. Unfortunately, the feature was limited to iPhone users, but Tesla is now changing that.
With Tesla app update 4.43.5, Tesla is officially launching the Dashcam Viewer on Android devices.
Dashcam Viewer
The Dashcam Viewer makes it easy to access and manage your car’s Dashcam and Sentry Mode videos. Accessing videos on your phone is faster and more convenient, but it does come with a few requirements.
The Dashcam Viewer in the Tesla app allows you to view, delete, or save video clips right from your device. This should result in higher quality content being shared online and fewer videos of owners recording their Tesla’s screens with their phones.
How It Works
Dashcam footage remains stored locally on your vehicle’s connected USB drive, so Tesla isn’t streaming videos to your phone from the cloud. Instead, the videos are streamed directly from your vehicle to your phone—similar to how Actually Smart Summon delivers a live feed to your phone.
Because of this, your vehicle must be connected to cellular data or Wi-Fi for the Dashcam Viewer to work. Unfortunately, this may limit access for owners who park in underground or large parking garages where connectivity is poor.
How to Access the Dashcam Viewer
To view Dashcam and Sentry Mode footage in the Tesla app:
Navigate to Security & Drivers > Dashcam Viewer.
Wait a few moments for your phone to connect to the vehicle.
From there, you’ll be able to view, save, or delete clips right from your device.
Requirements
To use Tesla’s Dashcam Viewer, you’ll need a vehicle with MCU 2 (Intel) or higher. All models are supported except for the legacy Model S and Model X (2020 and older). However, we expect support to be added in the near future.
The legacy Model S and Model X are expected to receive support for Actually Smart Summon, which requires the ability for those vehicles to stream video to the Tesla app — the same capability the Dashcam Viewer needs. Once Actually Smart Summon is added to the legacy Model S/X, we expect those vehicles to also receive the Dashcam Viewer at the same time or shortly afterward.
Tesla has imposed some viewing limits to prevent high data usage. The viewing limits apply to streaming video from the Dashcam Viewer or viewing live video from the vehicle’s cameras. Tesla will limit video streaming from the vehicle to 15 minutes or 1 hour, depending on your region.
Android Support
Tesla typically releases support for newer features to iPhone users since they make up the majority of users. Recently, Tesla has added more features to Android. In January, Tesla added support for ultra-wideband to Android, which added support for the improved phone key and the hands-free trunk and frunk feature.
Did you know the Cybertruck’s air suspension automatically levels the truck, even while it’s asleep? This is a great feature, especially for camping or off-road adventures. However, it can be an issue when lifting a wheel to change a tire.
Fortunately, there’s a solution: Jack Mode.
Jack Mode
Jack Mode is made for jacking up the truck and prevents the Cybertruck from self-leveling.
To enable Jack Mode, you’ll first need to set the Ride Height to Medium from Controls > Dynamics > Ride Height. You can also set it from the Tesla app by navigating to the Controls section and sliding up until you see Ride Height. This will give you enough clearance for most jacks to get under the truck and lift it.
You can also activate Jack Mode in Low or High, but Tesla recommends a Medium ride height for best control of the vehicle and sufficient tire clearance to safely remove and reinstall the tire. However, once the vehicle is in Jack Mode, the Ride Height cannot be changed.
Next up, go to Controls > Service > Jack Mode to enable Jack Mode. The vehicle will warn you that Jack Mode is enabled and can either be disabled by pressing the button again or by putting the vehicle into drive.
For the duration that Jack Mode is active, it is safe to lift your Cybertruck, even on one side only. It will not self-level for the duration that Jack Mode is enabled.
Automatic Jack Mode
Jack Mode can also activate automatically to protect the suspension from potential damage. For example, if the vehicle’s bumper is resting on a curb, Jack Mode may engage on its own.
Once the obstacle is cleared, or if you shift into Drive or Reverse, Jack Mode will automatically be disabled.
