Early Sunday morning Tesla released the latest FSD Beta, v10.3. This release, 2021.36.5.2 includes numerous improvements outlined in Tesla's technical release notes, but it also introduces another notable feature, Autopilot driving styles.
Tesla introduces Autopilot driving styles
@chazman/Twitter
In 10.3, Tesla added Full Self-Driving Profiles, or driving styles. There are three options to pick from, Chill, Average and Assertive.
You can think of them as similar options to Chill mode which reduces fast acceleration and the speed-based lane changes such as mild, average and Mad Max.
Choosing a driving style will change how Autopilot drives and interacts with elements in its environment. For example, adjusting your FSD profile will adjust your car's following distance, acceleration, lane changes and more.
In Chill mode, your car will leave a larger following distance and be more 'mellow'. It'll remain in its lane more often if the car in front of you slows down rather than going around them. It will also perform complete stops and have more graduar acceleration.
Tesla's Chill FSD Profile
@chazman/Twitter
Average mode will have a medium following distance and Tesla says that the car may perform rolling stops. Tesla doesn't mean stop signs, but optional stops, such as pulling out of a driveway or parking lot. If the coast is clear, your car may simply slow down instead of coming to a complete stop. You can also expect faster acceleration when compared to Chill mode.
The last driving profile is 'Assertive'. In this profile the following distance will be shorter and your car will try to maintain its speed as much as possible by moving into open lanes more often. Tesla says that the car will not exit passing lanes. So when driving on the highway your car will travel and remain in the left most lane.
Traveling in the passing lane is relatively normal in the US, but in many countries it's actually a ticketable offense. Tesla currently has an option in Autopilot settings that allows the car to travel in the passing lane instead of using it only for passing. It's likely that the option to travel in the passing lane will be adjusted when FSD sees a rollout outside of the US.
It's likely that these profiles affect many other areas of driving, such as when to let other cars into your lane or how it reacts to yellow lights.
These FSD Profiles are a great, and much needed addition. Not only do individuals have different preferences when “someone else” is driving, but some of these driving styles are crucial when driving in certain areas of the country. You wouldn't want to go into a major city and leave a large following distance or accelerate too slowly or cars would constantly cut in front of you.
Similar situation if you live out in the country. Driving fast and not letting other drivers into your lane may be frowned upon by other drivers.
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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