Tesla offers an advanced security alarm with Sentry Mode. Sentry Mode records video from your car’s surrounding cameras. What’s more interesting is that Sentry Mode is still in its infancy. Tesla continues to add more features to Dashcam and Sentry Mode features. Elon Musk has said himself that Sentry Mode is barely at version 1.0. Elon has previously said that we can expect new features such as Sentry Mode sensitivity settings, the ability to delete all Sentry Mode events at once, and Stealth Sentry Mode, which would not alert intruders. We may also see the ability to record from the interior camera and to view Sentry Mode videos directly on your phone.
However, for those of you that use Sentry Mode on a regular basis, you may have noticed a particular issue around software updates. Tesla releases software updates quite often, with one major update about every 4 weeks. You may even find yourself installing minor updates with bug fixes more often than that. If you have Sentry Mode enabled when installing one of these updates, it will not be turned back on once the car restarts with the updated OS.
This unfortunately leaves your vehicle vulnerable from the time the update is installed to the next time you use the vehicle. Not an ideal scenario, however you’re likely to be installing updates at home, when you’re less likely to need Sentry Mode.
Sentry Mode is barely at V1.0. Will improve a lot in coming months.
It’s been a minor issue for those that rely on Sentry Mode. However, Elon Musk has now said that Tesla will look into the issue.
We hope it’s a simple fix. It’s possible Tesla may need to disable Sentry Mode in order to install the update. Tesla can hopefully save the status of Sentry Mode before restarting so that it can be turned back on after the car updates if it was enabled before.
Tesla and Rivian have been in court since 2020 after Tesla alleged that ex-employees stole and transferred trade secrets. Tesla also alleged that Rivian was encouraging Tesla employes to depart and bring said trade secrets with them on their way to Rivian.
Tesla is now seeking to have the suit dismissed on December 24th of this year, assuming the settlement terms are reached.
Initial Lawsuit
The initial lawsuit in 2020 involved several employees, including a Health and Safety Manager, a Charging Network Manager, and two Human Resources Recruiters, who all departed Tesla to move to Rivian. Tesla alleged that these employees took trade secrets, confidential materials, and proprietary information when they joined Rivian.
The next year, Tesla added to the suit, alleging that Rivian stole technology related to Tesla’s next-gen batteries. That would’ve been the 4680-cells back then - now the updated Cybercell which is shipping in the Cybertruck.
Out-of-Court Settlement
On November 25th, Tesla informed the California state court that it would be settling the matter with Rivian out of court. This means that Tesla and Rivian have come to an agreement outside of the court case, and Tesla will be dropping its lawsuit. This is good for both companies—extended legal battles are extremely expensive, especially with highly paid, specialized lawyers on both sides of the battle arguing it out for nearly four years.
It's good to see that both companies are moving forward. Rivian stock saw a positive bump in yesterday’s trading from this news—approximately 13%. We’re looking forward to seeing what both companies do in the future. It’d be best to see both as allies in electrifying the planet and supporting adventuring rather than at each other’s throats in court.
Each year, around the Holiday season, Tesla puts up pop-up mall displays across the United States, Canada, and certain locations in Europe. It looks like Tesla is continuing this tradition once again this year, as David Zhai, Concept and Prototype Staff Manager at Tesla, has stated on LinkedIn that the Tesla Pop-Up Shops are returning.
Pop-Up Displays
Tesla intends to build small pop-up displays featuring Tesla vehicles, including the Cybertruck, at major malls throughout the United States. These displays are usually temporary and just for the holiday season. However, they’re placed in high-traffic areas, usually near the center of major malls - near food courts and rest areas.
They’re also usually staffed by members of the local Delivery/Service Center, who are around to answer questions and show off the features of the vehicles on display. After all, seeing a Cybertruck from a distance is one thing - sitting inside is entirely another.
Other Regions
David Zhai didn’t mention whether these would be coming to other regions - just the United States. It seems that while Tesla previously ran these displays globally, it may not be the case this year. We’ll keep an eye out and see if they start popping up in Canada, Europe, or China - let us know if you spot one there!
Drive-By Displays
When Cybertruck launched, Tesla also held drive-by displays throughout North America and Europe. They drove the Cybertruck into places like New York’s Times Square while towing a Model 3 or Model Y on a trailer behind it. These displays were really popular and attracted tons of attention.
We’re hoping to see more of these drive-by displays make a comeback sometime soon. Many owners have yet to see the new Model 3 or the Tesla Semi up close and personal.