Tesla app may load vehicle data instantly in an upcoming update

April 26, 2022

By Nuno Cristovao

You may soon be able to view your vehicle's range instantly

Today Tesla updated their iOS app to version 4.8. In this update Tesla added back the ability to manage your vehicle's lease.

Tesla also introduced the ability to view the status and updates for service requests related to Tesla energy services.

Features Under Development

However, there were several other underlying changes to the app for features that are currently in development.

Tesla now allows the ability to charge compatible non-Tesla vehicles at select Superchargers in some regions (why this is a smart move).

However, the Superchargers list displayed in the app currently doesn't offer a way to filter by non-Tesla compatible stations. It appears that Tesla will soon offer this as a feature in the app.

Another feature that Tesla is working on is the ability to transfer car ownership directly in the app. This feature will arrive in a future update, but some of the underlying code is already there.

Instant Vehicle Data

However, agruably one of the biggest features to the Tesla app appears to now be under development.

In the future, the Tesla app may be able to instantly display information about your vehicle. If this development comes to fruition, you will no longer have to wait for your vehicle to wake up before being able to view the car's range or state of charge. This information will be displayed almost once you open the app.

New cached API may allow Tesla to reduce waiting time when opening the app

A new API found in this update will allow the app to retrieve cached vehicle data. Your car will send information to Tesla in the same manner it does today, but it will now do it automatically before falling asleep.

This change could allow for several big improvements.

Instant Data

The app could use this new API to display the latest vehicle data without having to wake up the vehicle first.

This means that once you open the Tesla app, you'll instantly have the latest battery state of charge, vehicle range, open door/window information, odometer reading and everything else, all without having to wait for the vehicle to wake up first.

Less Phantom Drain

This change will allow the vehicle to sleep longer, therefore reducing the vehicle's energy consumption, often referred to as phantom drain.

When this feature is ready to go live, Tesla will likely not wake up the vehicle every time the app is opened.

Today the Tesla app is used for much more than just vehicle information. We have charging statistics, insurance informaiton, Tesla Solar, Tesla service and more.

Waking up the vehicle every time the app is opened causes unnecessary energy lose.

Since the latest vehicle data will be displayed in the app without the need to wake up your vehicle, Tesla will likely wait for the owner to issue a command, such as turning on the climate system, before waking up the car.

Having your car data appear as soon as you open the app will be a huge improvement. It's very much a first world problem, but the instant access to your car's information will make the app much more useful.

Tesla Vehicles Spotted With LiDAR: What Do They Use It For?

July 13, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla recently hit the news for purchasing approximately $2M in LiDAR sensors from Luminar, one of Tesla’s long-term suppliers. You’ve probably seen photos of Tesla’s Semi and various Tesla models, including the Model 3 and Model Y sporting LIDAR equipment on the roof. These cars drive around with manufacturer plates scanning streets and highways.

However, many people confuse Tesla’s purpose in purchasing LiDAR equipment with using it for FSD versus testing. So, let’s look at what LiDAR is, and why Tesla uses it on its Fleet Validation Vehicles.

What is LiDAR?

LiDAR stands for Light Detecting and Ranging – essentially using lasers to measure distances. A laser pulse is sent out, and the time it takes to return is measured – providing extremely accurate distance measurements.

Some companies working on self-driving vehicles, including Waymo and BYD, use LiDAR as part of their self-driving suites, but Tesla is one of the few stand-outs that does not. Even Rimac’s “Verne” Robotaxi – which uses self-driving technology from Mobileye, also uses LiDAR.

While LiDAR can produce extremely accurate and high-quality 3D environments, it comes with its downsides as well. Not only is LiDAR costly and requires large gear strapped to a vehicle, but it also can not be used in bad weather and can have interference issues if there are other strong light sources present.

Why Does Tesla Use LiDAR?

A LiDAR rig mounted on a Tesla Semi for testing FSD.

Not a Tesla App

At Autonomy Day in 2019, Elon Musk mentioned that LiDAR isn’t the solution for self-driving cars – it's just a crutch. Thus, Tesla hasn’t used LiDAR for any production self-driving software.

Instead, Tesla uses it exactly how it's described – they use it to gather ground-truth data. This data is then used to feed Tesla’s Full Self Driving system – which helps validate its vision-only system's accuracy. LiDAR provides very accurate measurements to help ensure that FSD’s perception of space is accurate – and is only used by Tesla to ensure that its AI technology which is the brains of FSD is capable of accurately interpreting depth from just visual data.

Tesla’s vision-only system has been seen to be extremely accurate, with Vision-only Autopark being able to park in even narrower and tighter spaces faster than the previous version that relied on ultrasonic sensors.

We’ll likely continue to see Tesla purchase LiDAR systems, as well as use them for validation well into the future.

Tesla's Upcoming Robotaxi Event in August Delayed, According to Bloomberg

July 12, 2024

By Karan Singh

Sugar Design

In a report from Bloomberg, it is claimed that Tesla will be delaying its much-anticipated 8/8 Robotaxi event by two months to October 2024.

While sources other than Bloomberg haven't confirmed this report, Bloomberg has a positive track record of reporting on financial decisions. We’ll be sure to update the article if there is confirmation on X from Elon Musk or another Tesla senior official.

Tesla’s stock has dropped nearly 8.5% over the day, ending back-to-back gains over the last two weeks. It closed yesterday at $ 241 after hitting a peak of $270 earlier in the day before the news broke.

Why the Delay?

The delay – of approximately two months – has been communicated internally, but not publicly announced just yet. Bloomberg goes on to mention that the design team was told to rework certain elements of the Cybercab, necessitating the delay.

If Bloomberg’s report is correct, it sounds like Tesla’s unveil event will be largely focused on showing off the vehicle, instead of demoing how it will work. Of course, it could still be both, but given past events, Tesla has always shown off the vehicle years before it hits production.

Rimac recently showed off their version of robotaxi vehicle named Verne, and surprisingly, it could almost pass for Tesla’s own robotaxi. A lot of design cues in Rimac’s version are elements we have already seen or expect to see in Tesla’s autonomous taxi.

A recent Tesla patent revealed that Tesla is incorporating a sanitation system into their robotaxi that will be responsible for analyzing and cleaning the vehicle’s interior, although the delay itself is likely tied more to a physical feature rather than software.

Another element we know almost nothing about is how Tesla plans to charge these robotic taxis. Will they rely on the existing charge port and adapt a solution like the robotic charging arm (video below) we saw almost eight years ago, or will wireless charging or a dock finally become realized?

While the delay for Tesla’s event appears to be related to the vehicle’s design itself and not further development of FSD, Tesla is wasting no time in getting FSD working for the upcoming vehicle. Model 3 vehicles have already been spotted with camera locations that resemble a robotaxi.

Is the Delay Accurate?

We expect that this delay might actually be true – Elon Musk usually takes to X within hours of such news breaking if it's false to refute it and hasn’t done so yet.

Tesla has delayed several of their events in the past, and a delay of a couple of months seems plausible. We should hear from Musk himself soon on whether this report is accurate.