Tesla's new Energy App that will be available in 2022.36
Not a Tesla App
Tesla provides users plenty of apps to view in the car, but the one most enthusiasts find themselves checking more than the rest is the Energy app. So be prepared to spend even more time on this application with the 2022.36 update. The Energy app has been overhauled to provide users far more data to monitor consumption and tips to extend the charge range.
The redesigned Energy app has three tabs at the top of the screen, Drive, Park and Consumption. The Consumption tab already existed, but the Drive tab (formerly Trip) has been revamped and the Park tab is brand new.
Tesla's new Energy App that will be available in 2022.36
Not a Tesla App
Drive Tab
By tapping on Drive, users are presented with a wealth of information about how their Tesla is consuming energy throughout a trip.
A chart shows how the battery power is depleted over distance driven. It's also color-coded now, not based on the state of charge of the battery, but based on how the vehicle performed over the segment of the route compared to Tesla's predictions. You still have the gray line which is Tesla's prediction and the colored line which is your actual usage.
However, now owners can go deeper into the data. Further down the screen is a list detailing what was consuming the energy. The list includes Driving, Climate, Battery Conditioning, Elevation and Everything Else.
Below each item, you have the percentage of energy each item used, and to the right, you can see how it compared to Tesla's trip projection.
Tesla also provides feedback on how the user can extend the vehicle's range by offering tips like keeping the speed down or a recommended cabin temperature.
Park Tab
Tesla's new Energy App that will be available in 2022.36
Not a Tesla App
By tapping on Park, the screen lists all the features that can consume energy when the Tesla is, you guessed it, parked. The list includes Sentry Mode, Screen Time, Preconditioning, Cabin Overheat Protection, Mobile App, Summon Standby and Vehicle Standby.
Of course, we know that all these elements consume energy. But now, with this knowledge, users can determine if they think having conveniences such as the Cabin Overheat Protection active is worth the energy consumed (you'll soon be able to customize when COP turns on).
Similar to the Drive tab, Tesla will display the percentage of energy consumed for each item and how it compares to presumably the Tesla fleet. This allows you to see whether a specific feature is consuming more energy than expected.
You'll also be able to view the energy used while parked since the last drive or since the vehicle was last charged by tapping the menu on the top right corner.
Consumption Tab
Tesla's new Energy App that will be available in 2022.36
Not a Tesla App
The Consumption tab appears to be the same information currently found in the current energy app. This line chart displays all the time users experimented with the acceleration or regenerated braking over the past 5, 15 and 30 miles. It also gives that vital information, your projected range based on how you've been operating your Tesla during those distances. The Trip tab has been renamed Drive.
Video: New Energy App in Aciton
Tesla owners are always looking for more information about how this piece of technology is operating. The Energy tab provides that information in real-time and now will give vital data for how energy is consumed. This redesigned app will be especially useful for those who push the range limits or go on long trips where every percentage point of battery power is crucial.
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
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