Tesla is letting your connect your Wall Connector to the app
@ChrisTesla/Twitter
Tesla, constantly growing its interconnected ecosystem of products seems to have set its sights on the initial oversight of leaving Wall Connectors to fend for themselves on the internet.
While the Generation 1 and Generation 2 Wall Connectors lacked WiFi connectivity, Generation 3 Wall Connectors were designed with 2.4 Ghz WiFi (unfortunately they don't support 5 Ghz networks) which allowed for over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrades and Ad-Hoc connections with devices in order to set up and troubleshoot the device.
Oddly, the chargers didn’t exchange data with the Tesla App (keeping owners in the dark about any data, updates, usage, etc).
However, it it appears this may soon change.
According to Tesla_Adri on Twitter, the latest app update, 4.10.0, has new string references in the code to Wall Connector connectivity.
It is possible that Tesla may be preparing to allow owners to fine-tune Wall Connector settings.
These settings may include the ability to control what cars can utilize the wall connector and the ability to choose to install updates via the Tesla app.
It could also allow owners to select “allowed” Teslas and non-Teslas to charge via their phone. In addition, there are references to a “garage manager.” While details are scant, it is conceivable Tesla may also allow the integration of a Wifi garage door opener as part of this focus on improving the home charging experience.
It now appears that Tesla is testing this functionality with some users who have the latest Tesla app.
You can see if you have access by tapping on your Profile icon on the top right corner, then choosing Add/Remove Products. If you have access, you'll see the ability to add a Wall Connector in addition to the usual options of Vehicle and Powerwall.
@tourismgeek/Twitter/Twitter
Needless to say, for many Tesla owners that enjoy the ability to view live data and easily make settings changes to their solar roofs, solar panels, Poweralls, and cars, this small change to Wall Connectors will be welcome.
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Tesla has recently committed new code to its Light Show Github repository that reveals several additional Lightshow features and shares specifications for others.
Tesla hosts the software for building Lightshows on GitHub, an open-source code repository. The new code was added five days ago, but given that this is a change to the actual software and not an on-vehicle change, we’re not sure whether the features below will be available for immediate use or will be available in a future software update.
Up to Four-Hour Long Light Shows
The feature update is pretty extensive and, for the most part, is focused on the Cybertruck and Model 3 Highland, but also features changes for other Tesla models.
There’s one general change, which now lets you create Light Shows that are up to four hours in length — yes, that’s really long. In the Holiday update, Tesla mentioned that Light Shows can now be longer, but this recent commit makes it seem like Tesla is essentially removing the limit of how long a Light Show can be.
Front & Rear Light Bars
On the outside of the Cybertruck, you’ll now be able to control the front light bar, but what’s even better is that you can control each of the 60 LEDs individually. The rear light bar is seeing similar improvements, letting you control each of the 52 LEDs individually.
This feature alone is going to create some amazing Light Shows, anything from which has 60 individually configurable LEDs each. The rear light bar has 52 individually controllable LEDs as well.
This alone is going to inspire some really creative designs, such as a Knight Rider-like animation as seen on Rivian.
These are, of course, locked to just white for the front light bar and red for the rear, but Lightshow designers will be able to configure how bright each individual LED is and feather them up and down in brightness.
As we saw in the absolutely epic Tesla octa-truck Lightshow, the off-road lightbar is also controllable on vehicles that have it equipped. For now, that’ll just be Foundation-Series Cybertrucks, but the lightbar has been confirmed to be compatible with the non-Foundation-Series vehicles once it arrives in the Tesla shop later this year.
The off-road lightbar has six segments - two side-facing ditch lights and four forward-facing lights. Although you won’t be able to address individual LEDs here, you’ll be able to control each segment (six total) and brightness.
This feature was added as part of the Holiday update, so it should be available for all vehicles on 2024.44.25 and higher.
Center Display Color
Over on the interior side, designers will get full RGB control for the center display. Even when viewing the light show from the exterior of the vehicle, the center display will light up the interior in any color of your choice, letting you add festive colors to your Light Shows.
The interior display is also available on the Holiday update and is available for all vehicles, including legacy Model S and Model X vehicles that support Light Shows.
Ambient Lighting
This one has been a long time coming, but you’ll finally be able to control the vehicle’s ambient lighting feature on the Cybertruck and new Model 3. The accent lights are split into five segments and are all controllable RGB, so you can set each section to a different color if you want. The sections include center front, left and right front, and left and right rear.
These are some massive additions to Tesla’s Light Show feature, and they’re arguably some of the best. The individually controllable LEDs in the light bars and the ability to choose colors for the first time will undoubtedly create some of the best Light Shows we’ve ever seen.
Unfortunately, Christmas is behind us now, but we’re sure developers will find other holidays that take advantage of colors, such as Independence Day.
Light Shows bring the Tesla community together, and they’re one of the most distinctive Tesla features. Enjoy the awesome Christmas Light Show compilation below. Thanks to Rhys Samson for sharing these Light Show changes with us.
In an updated filing to the US Department of Energy, the Cybertruck is now eligible for the $7,500 USD EV tax rebate. However, what’s most interesting is that this same filing also confirmed the upcoming production of the Single Motor Rear Wheel Drive - for model year 2025.
Rear Wheel Drive
The Rear Wheel Drive Cybertruck was initially announced at the original Cybertruck reveal, but when the Foundation Series was announced, only the Tri-motor Cyberbeast and Dual Motor AWD models were made available. Tesla initially indicated that the RWD model would arrive sometime in 2025, but that text was later removed from the website.
In the second half of 2024, Tesla launched the non-Foundation series, but it once again arrived without mention of the RWD variant. Many have expressed a great amount of interest in the RWD variant, especially given the higher-than-expected pricing of the Cybertruck at launch.
Cybertruck EV Rebate
In addition to the reveal of the 2025 RWD variant, the Cybertruck is now also eligible for the US Federal EV Tax Rebate. For buyers of the vehicle, that means the AWD Cybertruck is now eligible for the full rebate if you don’t add any additional options since it needs to stay under the $80,000 cap.
FSD can still be added for $8,000 since it’s not considered a vehicle add-on and won’t count toward the total price of the truck. The incoming US Administration has already said it intends to cancel the US Federal EV Tax Rebate sometime in late January, so if you’ve been on the fence, this may be a good opportunity to buy the truck.
Here’s an updated price table for the Cybertruck, which includes pricing with and without the rebate for all three variants.
Variant
Price
After Rebate
RWD*
$60,990
$53,490
AWD
$79,990
$72,490
Cyberbeast
$99,990
Not Eligible
*RWD price has not been confirmed at this point.
The price for the RWD Cybertruck above is the price Tesla showed on their site before it was removed in August 2024.
If you use a referral code alongside the tax rebate, the AWD starts at $71,490. Some lease incentives can also drive that price down slightly if you choose a lease and then do a lease buyout at the end.
