Firmware 6.? - Musk spills the beans on next update

[apacheguy]

I'll bite:

In addition to having the car re-direct you when low on charge to the nearest charging location useful, it also implies that the underlying mechanism for "smart routing" will likely have to be in place... which would lead to some future other useful navigation changes that Elon has referred to in terms of trip routing.

That is what I believe I alluded to earlier:

Hope this is part of the highly touted "trip planner" that factors in elevation and conditions.

Just telling me that my destination is not in range is not exciting in and of itself. Heck, my LEAF can already do that. It can also search for the nearest charger. So, IMO, this is not exploiting the true potential until you combine it with other things like a useful trip planner. We shall see.

 

[AnOutsider]

I'll bite:

In addition to having the car re-direct you when low on charge to the nearest charging location useful, it also implies that the underlying mechanism for "smart routing" will likely have to be in place... which would lead to some future other useful navigation changes that Elon has referred to in terms of trip routing.

I'd be happy with being able to choose my route (or at least specifying parameters) when I enter a destination.

 

[ACDriveMotor]

Has anyone thought about creating a voting site for TMS feature requests? Maybe we aren't doing enough to help TMC understand the aggregate owner feature priorities. Having a clear preferential voting system could help attenuate the complaints about missing pet features by showing whether or not most owners think that feature IS a priority. For example, I want a pin protected valet mode. And I want to set/modify scheduled charge time and charge current remotely. But I don't really care too much about random shuffle (sorry!). Are my opinions the majority or minority, who really knows?!

 

[Vger]

In a (probably futile) attempt to get this thread back on track, having a system that will alert if you're low on range and redirect to a known charging spot is a big deal.

That will make a real difference for a lot of people who are nervous about range and EVs in general.

Exactly. While we all want this and that feature for our own daily particular use, I always remember to apply this filter: Does the enhancement contribute to the Master Plan.

Getting more people into Tesla's is still far more important than tweaking the experience for those of us who already have them.

I agree there needs to be a balance, and refinements are certainly important, but until there is no situation where one can blame the car for running low on charge, that core function needs attention.

 

[dpodoll]

As this is a "firmware" thread, it'd probably useful to point out that it's very likely that guidelines on the backup camera can't be accomplished without a hardware change, as the system appears to use a hardware video overlay for the video image, and thus graphics can't be composited on top of it (which is why the image disappears if menu drops down over it).

I have given up on the lines. If they are going to make it capable of parking itself, I doubt lines are a good ROI at this point.

 

[ecarfan]

As this is a "firmware" thread, it'd probably useful to point out that it's very likely that guidelines on the backup camera can't be accomplished without a hardware change, as the system appears to use a hardware video overlay for the video image, and thus graphics can't be composited on top of it (which is why the image disappears if menu drops down over it).

Agree, and would like to emphasize this as it seems that every few months someone complains about the "missing lines" without stopping to consider the possibility that it may be a hardware limitation and not a lack of software.

And thanks to Bonnie for her attempts to get this thread back on track and injecting some much needed perspective.

 

[apacheguy]

Agree, and would like to emphasize this as it seems that every few months someone complains about the "missing lines" without stopping to consider the possibility that it may be a hardware limitation and not a lack of software.

Oh, I considered that possibility. But there is no official word from Tesla. Is is all speculation on our part. Until Tesla definitively states that guidelines are not possible, we are free to continue to push for it.

 

[ecarfan]

Based on the fact that when the rear camera video display is at the top of the center screen and disappears when the Homelink menu overlays it, it is very likely that what I described is true. But I am not a graphics hardware/software expert.

 

[apacheguy]

Right, so I think it's evident the current implementation uses hardware overlay. But what's to say they can't feed it through the Nvidia graphics chip and process the raw image? It would require new code, sure, but shouldn't be impossible. Heck, my cheap $80 Foscam is able to overlay the current date and time on the image. Don't understand why a superior hardware product with greater processing power wouldn't be able to. Then again, I'm also no graphics expert.

 

[joefee]

Hope this is part of the highly touted "trip planner" that factors in elevation and conditions.

+1,000

 

[bonnie]

Hope this is part of the highly touted "trip planner" that factors in elevation and conditions.

So I'm sure I missed this somewhere. Did Tesla advertise they'd have this? Or has this been something we've talked about on the forum until it became fact? Not that that ever happens, of course.

 

[apacheguy]

So I'm sure I missed this somewhere. Did Tesla advertise they'd have this? Or has this been something we've talked about on the forum until it became fact? Not that that ever happens, of course.

Yep. Elon mentioned it at a press conference it Europe. He said something like "The car will be able to go online to look up weather info and calculate the effect on range."

Also, the cross country team had this feature baked into the software release they were running.

 

[bonnie]

Yep. Elon mentioned it at a press conference it Europe. He said something like "The car will be able to go online to look up weather info and calculate the effect on range."

Also, the cross country team had this feature baked into the software release they were running.

Fair enough. But definitely doesn't qualify for 'highly touted'. But I'll go with 'highly anticipated' .

 

[tliving]

Next month we'll release new firmware so that the car can automatically recognize if it has insufficient range to get to your next charging opportunity. The car will warn you and offer directions to the nearest supercharger.

Its a tough call. A few weeks ago I was looking at a situation with a very tight margin to the next SC or a local J1772 and a very long charge time to add any range. How does a software algorithm make that call? I went for the SC and made it but it had me on edge. If you could control the options (like rate of charge) and filter out the lesser charge points it could help. Still, here on the east coast there's not much between a J1772 and a SC.

 

[Todd Burch]

Its a tough call. A few weeks ago I was looking at a situation with a very tight margin to the next SC or a local J1772 and a very long charge time to add any range. How does a software algorithm make that call? I went for the SC and made it but it had me on edge. If you could control the options (like rate of charge) and filter out the lesser charge points it could help. Still, here on the east coast there's not much between a J1772 and a SC.

Making that call in software's not too hard. Charging rate is known based on type of charger and expected SOC at arrival. Travel speed is known (at least based on the speed used to predict time to destination). The car could present a list of options based on a threshold above or below the speed limit en route and, for each scenario, present which charger you should go to in each case.

 

[JohnQ]

Calculating this stuff is relatively straightforward, it's getting the right UX that's tough. In tliving's example above, I would simply slow to 5 mph below the speed limit so that I could make the distance, negating the painful wait at the L2 charger. As Todd mentioned, the car has to provide options to select from. Slowing down is almost always the fastest option if you can't supercharge but can also be dangerous depending on how much you need to slow down.

Having a prediction of remaining rated range based on prevailing weather conditions. topography and most recent average speed (or average speed above the speed limit) would be quite useful. It could then show me the remaining range at 5 mph and 10 mph below my current speed. Current/projected temps and surface winds are easily available from public sources.

 

[bob_p]

A simple feature would be to use the distance to destination (especially if it is a known charging location) and the average energy consumption over the last 5 miles, and issue a warning to the driver to begin slowing down to conserve energy.

And, the sooner the warning is issued, the smaller the adjustment that's needed - so it would help considerably for the onboard software to do this - as early as a potential problem is detected.

 

[jvonbokel]

My wife is one of these people (range anxiety). Despite the fact that we have had our S for about 18 months and I have done some long distance travel, she still has been reluctant to embrace my desire to become an all TM/EV family. We are swapping her SUV for a 'D' next month and this along with a long desired 'Grasshopper' mode would make an excellent firmware 7.0 New Year's eve gift from TM.

What's "Grasshopper" mode?

 

[AlMc]

What's "Grasshopper" mode?

Grasshopper mode is TMs jargon for the ability to limit the acceleration and/or top speed of the car and appeared at one time on someone's car that was in for service where the tech(s) left on one of the technical screens that we can not access.

Essentially, I would look at it as a 'valet' mode where you can use a passcode that allows you to put limitations on valets to keep them from going for a 'joy ride' in your car.

I would like to see it not only for that purpose but to set limits on the car's performance for teen/inexperienced drivers.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

To be fair, Elon said the same thing about the nav system in December of 2013. I can't take him seriously anymore when he says stuff like this.