Increased Referral Incentives for Tesla Owners, Substantial FSD Update Aims for Smoother Driving, Steering Wheel Customization Adds Windshield Wiper
This is a summary of TL;DR Tesla Weekly Newsletter. Sign-up and read the full version every Friday morning, for free, at proleep.com/newsletter.
Increased Referral Incentives for Tesla Owners
Tesla has made changes to its referral program, specifically for Model 3 and Model Y buyers as rewards for Model S and Model X buyers remain the same. Previously, both owners and buyers would earn 2,000 credits for referrals, but now owners will earn 10,000 credits for referring someone to a Model 3 or Model Y purchase. However, buyers of Model 3 and Model Y will no longer accumulate credits but will receive a $500 price cut and a three-month trial of Full Self-Driving (FSD). Enhanced Autopilot and FSD have been removed as referral rewards, but new owners will get to experience a trial version of FSD. Tesla has also introduced a limit of five referrals per calendar year for owners. However, buyers can still use a referral code to receive the discount and FSD trial, even if the owner has reached the referral limit.
Substantial FSD Update Aims for Smoother Driving
The most recent FSD Beta update (version 11.4.5) Release Notes are now available, focusing on bug fixes and smoother driving. The update is currently being tested by Tesla employees before rolling out to the general public. Here are some of the improvements made in this update:
• Enhanced lane changes in urgent situations to prevent going off-route by better predicting the movements of nearby vehicles and choosing the right time to change lanes.
• Improved consistency when avoiding obstacles on the road and made changes in direction smoother by adjusting speed more comfortably.
• Handled oncoming cars on narrow roads better by predicting their path and creating enough space for them to pass before re-centering the car.
• Better handling of pedestrians near crosswalks by accurately predicting their future actions using more data about their movements.
• Enhanced the Automatic Emergency Braking system when responding to vehicles cutting in or approaching from behind while the car is in reverse.
Steering Wheel Customization Adds Windshield Wiper Controls
In the latest software update (2023.20.8), Tesla has fulfilled a highly anticipated request by adding full windshield wiper controls to the steering wheel. Previously, users were perplexed by the omission of this feature when Tesla introduced steering wheel customization in a previous update. The new update allows drivers to directly adjust wiper speed, turn them off, or set them to auto without needing to interact with the screen and activate the wipers first. Additionally, Tesla's upcoming Auto Wiper v4 system aims to enhance the wiper functionality further by integrating video from all onboard cameras to provide a comprehensive 360-degree view for improved weather condition detection.
Tesla App Update Adds Vehicle Maintenance Details
In the latest release of the Tesla App (version 4.22.8), there are a few notable changes. Firstly, when users create a new service request for their Tesla vehicle, the app now provides a convenient link to the existing vehicle maintenance document called 'Quick Links.' This document can be viewed in the browser and contains valuable information about tasks like cabin filter replacement, tire rotation, brake fluid maintenance, and more. Additionally, the app has been updated to include the new vehicle referral incentives and also includes some minor fixes and improvements to enhance the overall user experience.