It's a tradition, the last update of the year provided by Tesla contains many new features and 2024 should be no exception. The exclusively electric car manufacturer presented on X the list of new features to expect and there will be plenty to do! The biggest change is the arrival, finally, of an app for watchOS. Announced this fall by code unearthed in the iOS app, it will allow you to control Tesla vehicles from your wrist.
The watchOS app can act as a key to open and start cars, like the one intended for the iPhone. This will be especially practical for anyone who has a cellular Apple Watch, which can work without a smartphone nearby and which will then be enough to manage their car. Its very classic interface will also display some information, such as the battery charge level or the remaining autonomy. Finally, we can activate some remote controls: (un)locking, air conditioning or even opening the front trunk.
On the smartphone side, the Tesla app will gain a welcome function: we will now be able to access videos recorded by Sentinel mode from the app for iOS and Android. Highly connected cars can use their numerous cameras to monitor their surroundings and film possible malicious acts. If you could view the live images from your phone, the recordings are then stored locally in the car and until then you had to be on board to view them. The update will allow them to be read remotely from your iPhone, you can even store them on the device and share them this way.
At the same time, we also know that Tesla is working on optimizing Sentinel mode to reduce its consumption, which is currently very high (my 2021 Model 3 loses around 10% of battery per day when it is active). It's unclear if the summer update will bring these optimizations or if we'll have to wait for a later release for the Tesla Sentinel to become more useful, especially for long periods when a vehicle remains parked.
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Another big piece: the route planner evolves with an option which allows you to define the desired charge level on arrival. If this functionality remains an undeniable strong point of Tesla, with its ability to calculate routes while faithfully taking into account the stops necessary for charging, it was until now based on values planned in advance by the manufacturer. Sometimes we want to arrive at our destination with some margin and we then have to do the calculations ourselves to charge more than requested by the planner. This will no longer be the case, with a setting that will allow you to define the desired battery level on arrival, between 5 and 95%.
Still on the planner side, the search will now focus only on results near the current route and will display the time required by the detour required for each option. This will make it easier to choose a location, minimizing the time needed to get there. It will also be possible to quickly search for parking lots around a point of interest. On the map, you can optionally display upcoming precipitation, making it easier to choose a destination.
In a completely different area, Tesla cars will be able to better assess the environment when reversing. If a vehicle or pedestrian is identified on the left or right, the car will now emit an audible and visual warning on the video feeds from the cameras. This is a safety feature that was found in many competing cars and was lacking in Teslas. This is the advantage of the American company's approach, which can offer the function to all its current customers and not only to new generations of its vehicles. Incidentally, models without gear levers will be able to automatically shift to reverse and return to Drive mode during a maneuver, but the manufacturer has not given further details.
The list of new features is still long and contains several significant changes on a daily basis. For example, one option will automatically reduce the music when you engage reverse to reduce distractions. You will now be able to display the expected traffic on your route, even without paying for the premium subscription. When arriving at a Supercharger, the screen will display known faulty terminals, allowing them to be avoided.
As always, Tesla is also planning some less essential new features: a new game, an option for the fart machine (????) to activate when a seat is occupied or even a Christmas mode and virtual stickers for CyberTruck drivers.
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