In 2021 Tesla started transitioning its vehicles to Tesla Vision, a camera-based Autopilot system. This meant Teslas would no longer be equipped with radar and instead would rely on camera vision and neural net processing to deliver Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, and certain active safety features.
Unfortunately, this also meant that the Autosteer function would be limited to a maximum speed of 75 mph and a longer minimum following distance.
After launching with a maximum speed of 75 mph and a follow distance as low as three vehicle lengths, Tesla increased the maximum speed to 80 mph just two months later. The follow distance was also lowered to two vehicle lengths in the same update.
Radar-equipped vehicles that are not on the FSD Beta software still have the radar sensor activated and Autopilot can be used at speeds of up to 90 MPH.
However, Tesla may soon be increasing the maximum speed for vision-based cars according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla owner @BLKMDL3 asked Musk if Tesla would increase the Autopilot limit from 80 to 85 or 90 on vision cars, to which the CEO responded, ‘Coming soon’.
This increase in top speed should allow pure vision Autopilot to provide a more natural driving experience to its users, particularly in some freeways across North America where the speed limit is 80 or 85 mph, such as Texas State Highway 130.
The follow distance on Tesla Vision vehicles is still limited when compared to radar-equipped cars. There's no word whether the follow distance will also be lowered in this update. The follow distance on vision cars can be set as low as two vehicle lengths today, while radar vehicles can be set to one.
Tesla's choice to remove radar from its Autopilot sensors was a contentious decision that drew criticism from even its most fervent supporters. However, data suggests that pure vision Autopilot is operating equally as well, if not slightly better, than its radar and camera-based predecessor.
We should note that just like many other features that the CEO has touted in the past as “coming soon”, we don’t have a clear timeline for the deployment of this update. We could see it in as little as a few weeks, but it can also take several months or longer before it's included in an update.
However, it is welcomed news that demonstrates the company’s increased confidence in its Tesla Vision system.
As part of its usual cycle of updating maps, Tesla is rolling out a new map update for its vehicles this week. The previous map update version for North America was NA-2024.8-14924.
Tesla formats its map version as region-year.week. For example, NA-2024.8 represents the North American map update created in the 8th week of 2024.
Map updates are fairly large, and you’ll need to be connected to Wi-Fi to receive them—they’ll be about seven to eight gigabytes, depending on your region.
North American Maps
Vehicles in North America are now receiving NA-2024.20-15136.
This update is about 6.9GB and is slightly larger than the previous update. Tesla software hacker @greentheonly on X noted that while there’s more data, no feature flags have changed. This means that Tesla’s upcoming lane-based navigation changes likely aren’t integrated in this update.
European Maps
The map update isn’t limited to just North America. The EU has also received an update to its map data, with version EU-2024.32-15126.
This update is about 8GB, owing to the nature of the larger number of countries that the European maps have to cover. Thanks to @CarlosCuezva on X for spotting this update. Once again, no feature flag changes over the previous update.
What Does It Do?
While this map update doesn’t appear to enable any new features in and of itself, it helps your vehicle navigate more efficiently by being aware of newer routes. FSD also relies on some map data, so updated maps could also help FSD use drive safer. Overall, while it may seem an inconsequential update, every map update provides a new baseline that helps to improve both the trip planner and FSD.
When Does it Release?
Tesla began rolling this update out last week and is now rolling it out to a wider user base. Like Tesla’s software updates, there’s no way to force a map update. When eligible and connected to WiFi, the vehicle will automatically check for a map update, and unlike software updates, vehicles will download and install map updates silently in the background.
To check your version of Tesla maps, go to Controls > Software and look for the version listed under Navigation Data. If a map update is available, you’ll see which version is available and a progress bar that indicates the progress of the download.
If you’re ever involved in a collision with your Tesla, there’s a good chance you can retrieve dashcam footage of the incident—provided the USB drive and glovebox survive. However, sometimes they don’t, and even dashcam footage may not be sufficient.
In such cases, you can request a full recording from Tesla, along with a detailed data report showing comprehensive information about your vehicle’s performance during the collision. Shortly after any impact, your Tesla automatically uploads its crash log and related data to Tesla’s servers when possible, even using the low-voltage battery if the high-voltage pyro fuses are triggered.
Hopefully, you’ll never need this, but here’s how to request a Tesla Vehicle Data Report and what you can expect in the report.
How to Request a Report
Tesla has a simple, automated process for owners to request a Vehicle Data Report. To do so, simply go to Tesla’s Data Association Page and log into your Tesla Account.
From there, you’ll see a form that contains several options. Under “Regarding,” you’ll choose “Data Privacy Request,” and in the next selection, choose “Obtain a Copy of My Data.”
Tesla will then ask you to choose a vehicle that’s attached to your account and a range of dates for which you want data.
Tesla will provide details for the whole date range you specify, so it’s best to keep it small. Once you hit Submit, Tesla will start processing the request. Collision data is kept for an extended period of time, enabling people to go back and find data as required.
The summary page for the Vehicle Data Report
@bilalsattar on X
Within 30 days, and often much sooner, Tesla should e-mail you back with the report in PDF format and a CSV sheet containing all the raw information related to the request. This information is available for any country in which Tesla sells cars. If your country is outside of Tesla’s regular sales zones, you can try reaching out anyway, but we’re not sure if they will retain your data or not.
Tesla can also send you footage and data even if the incident wasn’t recorded as a collision – they’ll send you whatever is available – for any specific timeline you request.
Tesla Vehicle Data Report
The report is several pages long and comes in a nicely formatted PDF package. It breaks down the incident into various sections that help highlight what happened during the event. The first page summarizes the incident by highlighting key events and metrics like Autopilot use and speed.
Summary & Event Information
The Summary and Event Information sections are on the left side of the first page. The summary section is a text version of what happened during the event, reporting the time of the incident, speed, and whether seat belts were used, among other details.
The event information section includes some high-level information, such as the location of the incident, whether dashcam recordings are available, and the date and time.
Driver Log Data Overview
The Driver Log Data Overview section focuses on a few Tesla features and shows whether they were enabled at the five-second mark before the incident, one second before the incident occurred, or at the time of the incident. Tesla will show whether Autosteer / FSD, Driver Monitoring, Cruise Control, and Manual Brakes were used at all of these points. They will also show the status of the driver’s seat belt. Later in the report, Tesla will show graphs for each of these features so that you can see if they changed over the course of the incident.
Speed and Collision
The Vehicle Data Report's formatting
@bilalsattar on X
The Speed and Collision section shows a timeline-based graph of the vehicle’s speed at the time of collision, four seconds before the collision, and four seconds after. The vertical line on the graph represents the collision, giving you a better understanding of what happened before and after the incident. However, in the following pages of the report, Tesla provides numerous time-based graphs that highlight many other metrics, including brake pedal use, accelerator, steering wheel torque and more.
Area of Detected Impact
This area of the report shows the vehicle from the top-down view and which areas detected an impact.
Time-Based Graphs
The rest of the report includes detailed graphs showing various vehicle metrics before, during, and after the incident.
Some of these graphs include the vehicle’s speed, steering wheel torque, steering wheel angle (how much the wheel was being turned and in which direction), accelerator and brake pedal usage, and pressure of the brake master cylinder. Tesla will even show whether any doors were opened during the seconds leading up to or following the incident.
If Tesla has a video of the incident, that will also be provided as a link for you to download. All the other information - the charts and graphs - raw information is also provided in a CSV file, which you can open in software like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Not a Tesla App
To wrap up, Tesla is currently the only car manufacturer in the world that can provide this information to its customers at the drop of a hat. This information is immensely valuable, and it could be the difference between someone paying an insurance claim or being charged with a crime.
Tesla produces some of the safest vehicles on the planet, and their commitment to safety and reporting is spectacular. We’re happy to see Tesla continue to take steps to better help their customers.
Thanks to Bilal Sattar for sharing his report. We hope you never need to use this, but it’s good to know that it’s available.
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