Tesla Rolls Out Innovative Towing Solutions for Cybertruck and Supercharger Network

March 19, 2024

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla’s latest update includes a special feature for Cybertruck that may eventually be rolled out to the rest of the lineup. It appears Tesla is getting ready for the summer road trip season early by focusing on enhanced security for drivers who tow trailers and improving accessibility to its Supercharger network for such vehicles.

Cybertruck's New Trailer Alarm Feature

A standout feature in the latest update is introducing a trailer alarm system for the Cybertruck. This innovative feature extends the vehicle's alarm system to monitor the connection status of a trailer hitched to the vehicle. In practical terms, this means the vehicle's alarm will now also protect the trailer, ensuring an added layer of security for owners' valuable cargo.

Oops I thought I did pic.twitter.com/jJ9hucEs1b

— Dirty Tesla (@DirtyTesLa) March 18, 2024

Activating or deactivating alongside the vehicle's alarm system, this feature can be conveniently managed through the vehicle's settings under the "towing and Hauling" section, where the "Trailer Alarm" option is located. Owners who prefer not to use this feature can disable it, tailoring the vehicle's security settings to their preferences. At this point, we only have confirmation of the feature in Cybertruck, but it would make sense to add it to the other models that haul trailers as well.

Enhanced Supercharger Network Accessibility

Tesla is also improving the Supercharging experience for drivers with trailers. Recognizing owners' difficulties when charging vehicles while towing, Tesla has been progressively introducing pull-through stalls at Supercharger stations. These stalls are designed to accommodate vehicles with trailers, eliminating the need to detach trailers before charging – a significant improvement over the traditional back-in stalls that dominate the network.

Wes Morrill, a Cybertruck engineer who has become more vocal on X, posted that the “Supercharger team is always looking for opportunities to install these at new locations. Will show trailer friendly stalls on the in-vehicle UI to make it easier when road tripping with a trailer.”

Amid rising gas prices, Tesla's updates offer a cost-effective solution for summer road trips. The new trailer alarm and UI improvements for finding Supercharger stations address towing challenges, enhancing the Tesla experience. This initiative showcases Tesla's commitment to innovation and sustainable travel, enabling owners to bypass the impact of fuel costs and enjoy their adventures.

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March 18, 2024

By Not a Tesla App Staff

Elon Musk announced that Tesla will finally reintroduce Smart Summon and Autopark to its vehicles. According to the CEO, these features are scheduled for release in April. Tesla removed ultrasonic sensors (USS) from their vehicles in 2022, and with it removed several features, including Autopark, Smart Summon and Park Assist. However, since then, they’ve added High Fidelity Park Assist, a feature that recreates the surrounding environment in 3D. Although, it’s currently only available to vehicles without USS, that’s expected to change in the near future, and could also come bundled in with the new Autopark feature.

This update in April is not only expected bring these features back to vehicles without ultrasonic sensors, but Tesla is also expected to release drastically improved versions of these features, known as Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park.

Major improvements coming for Summon & Banish (Autopark) next month - Elon Musk

Improved Autopark

Greentheonly, who regularly decompiles Tesla firmware, has indicated that Tesla's latest software, version 2024.8, already contains the code necessary for these new features, but they need to be remotely activated by Tesla. Additionally, Green says the new Autopark system will offer users the choice between parallel and perpendicular parking options. The new Autopark is expected to let drivers visually select a parking spot, exit the vehicle, and let it park itself.

New ‘Tap to Park’ Feature

With the introduction of High Fidelity Park Assist, Tesla laid the groundwork for more sophisticated features like "Tap to Park."

Tap to Park builds on the original concept of Park Seek, a feature discussed by Tesla in October 2022 that aimed to automate the parking spot search process. While the initial vision for Park Seek suggested a vehicle could autonomously search for parking, "Tap to Park" simplifies this idea.

With the deployment of FSD Beta v12.3 going to more users this weekend, the company continues to leverage AI to reduce code in favor of neural networks trained with real-world driving data.

Just last week, Musk posted on X: "Really cool stuff coming both this month and next." Since that post, FSD beta version 12.3 has started going to more users, and now it seems two other long overdue and highly anticipated updates are coming with Actually Smart Summon and Tap to Park. Still no word on auto wiper improvements.

March 18, 2024

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla's latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta v12 is reaching users after an extended rollout over the weekend. This update is not just another iteration; it represents a leap in self-driving technology, primarily due to its integration of end-to-end neural networks for vehicle control. So far, it seems to be living up to the hype.

A Neural Network Driven Approach

At the core of FSD v12 is a shift from traditional programming to neural network-based decision-making. This allows the vehicle to process raw camera footage and vehicle kinematics directly into driving actions, mimicking human cognitive processes more closely than ever before. Ashok Elluswamy, Director of Autopilot Software at Tesla, highlighted the monumental effort to surpass the capabilities of the previous v11, setting a new standard for FSD's future.

Ability to Reverse Is Coming

The release has garnered widespread acclaim, with tech leaders like Michael Dell praising its capabilities and likening the car to human-like driving proficiency. Many in the Tesla community have been posting their weekend drivers, including Chuck Cook, who was amazed during one point of his drive, referring to a move as “Robo-taxi navigation.” Cook believed he was in too tight of a spot to pull a U-turn, but his Tesla pulled it off. Elluswamy commented: “Reverse coming soon when the Actually Smart Summon and the FSD models merge together over the next few releases.”

This clip blew my mind, next level for FSDBeta v12.3 in finding its way out of a bad situation. Nice work @Tesla_AI pic.twitter.com/9cDccpr2uO

— Chuck Cook (@chazman) March 16, 2024

There were numerous examples of v12.3 navigating complex driving scenarios easily, showcasing significant improvements over earlier versions.

“Reverse coming soon when the Actually Smart Summon and the FSD models merge together over the next few releases.” - Ashok Elluswamy

Next-Level Capabilities on the Horizon

Elon Musk has teased that v12.4 will introduce even more advanced features, emphasizing the continuous improvement in training compute constraints. In fact, he was so thrilled with the next update that he said it could be called version 13. He posted that “V12.4 is another big jump in capabilities. Our constraint in training compute is much improved.”

Update 2023.44.30.25

FSD 12.3

Installed on 4% of vehicles

Last updated: Mar 19, 7:30 am

Tesla’s FSD trajectory seems to be hitting a new level, as it appears to be headed toward approval of use on roadways in Europe. While it is taking longer than initially believed, the dream of autonomous driving seems to be getting closer to reality.

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