Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Isn't this already available? I've seen tons of videos of people adjusting the volume on the center console (lower right corner of the touchscreen).
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Model S Software/Firmware wishlist
- Thread starter dsm363
- Start date
Isn't this already available? I've seen tons of videos of people adjusting the volume on the center console (lower right corner of the touchscreen).
Firmware wishlist for me so far:
Charging options.
I don't usually drive very far, and I can always plan at least overnight before driving extra-far. So does it "coddle" the battery more to keep it at a state of charge even lower than 85%? If so I'd like to do that.
I'd like to have timed charging (like everyone else); although I don't have time-of-day metering, I'd prefer to schedule charging when I'm not running all the other heavy electrical loads in the house.
I'd like to have a user-settable rate of charging, though apparently that's already present. Good work, Tesla!
I'd like to be able to turn off creep, and apparently that will remain possible. Good work, Tesla!
I'd like to be able to program the hard buttons on the steering wheel to handle:
(1) headlights on/off
(2) foglights on/off
(3) front window defogger on/off
I want to do these on short notice while moving and they apparently don't have hard buttons of their own.
Given what people have reported, I definitely want a volume control with high granularity (I care about that).
Hmm. How about downloadable, electronically signed firmware updates, so that I can download them and install them myself *without* wireless connectivity, using my USB stick?
----
Oh, and of course I've said this before, but the GPL-licensed components of the firmware needs to have its source code released, including any local modifications and any configuration files (both the Linux kernel and Busybox have many configuration options).
I have reminded Tesla about this and if they don't provide source I will contact the Softtware Freedom Conservancy to have them sued. Compliance is easy and costs nothing, so there's no excuse not to comply. (See BusyBox ) But Tesla has failed to comply for over 4 years with the Roadster; I think Elon needs to get his act together on the "legal compliance" end of things.
Charging options.
I don't usually drive very far, and I can always plan at least overnight before driving extra-far. So does it "coddle" the battery more to keep it at a state of charge even lower than 85%? If so I'd like to do that.
I'd like to have timed charging (like everyone else); although I don't have time-of-day metering, I'd prefer to schedule charging when I'm not running all the other heavy electrical loads in the house.
I'd like to have a user-settable rate of charging, though apparently that's already present. Good work, Tesla!
I'd like to be able to turn off creep, and apparently that will remain possible. Good work, Tesla!
I'd like to be able to program the hard buttons on the steering wheel to handle:
(1) headlights on/off
(2) foglights on/off
(3) front window defogger on/off
I want to do these on short notice while moving and they apparently don't have hard buttons of their own.
Given what people have reported, I definitely want a volume control with high granularity (I care about that).
Hmm. How about downloadable, electronically signed firmware updates, so that I can download them and install them myself *without* wireless connectivity, using my USB stick?
----
Oh, and of course I've said this before, but the GPL-licensed components of the firmware needs to have its source code released, including any local modifications and any configuration files (both the Linux kernel and Busybox have many configuration options).
I have reminded Tesla about this and if they don't provide source I will contact the Softtware Freedom Conservancy to have them sued. Compliance is easy and costs nothing, so there's no excuse not to comply. (See BusyBox ) But Tesla has failed to comply for over 4 years with the Roadster; I think Elon needs to get his act together on the "legal compliance" end of things.
YES! I can't believe I hadn't noticed that. It's not like it's small or anything. But it's down by the climate controls so I didn't really pay attention. Thank you!
From what I understand, since you don't drive far it's better to just plug it in each night and let it charge in standard mode. There is no 'storage' mode in the Model S and trying to keep the car at 50% SOC is really only good for storage, not for driving so better to just get in the habit of plugging it in each night so you don't forget.
STxTesla
Sig #1278
Speech function....
Have the ability of listening to a computer voice read the information on your screen to you as you drive along.
Have the ability of listening to a computer voice read the information on your screen to you as you drive along.
Turns out it has this! I asked and was pointed to a zoom control in nav settings. Works great! Wonder whatever I've missed (that's two items I wished for that were already there).
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
My post here could go in many threads, but I guess this one seems the most appropriate.
I just sent a very long email (copied below) to Tesla asking for a lot of answers to specific questions. I try to (politely) chide Tesla for the lack of communication as well, hoping it will improve things in the future
. I'll post any new tidbits of info that I get, of course. For reference, here's the email:
Hello,
I have Model S reservation #P1577 and am hoping to receive my car within a few months.
I am very impressed, for the most part, with what Tesla has been able to achieve with the Model S from designing and building the car, all the way up to ramping up the production line. However, I have to admit that I am disappointed by Tesla's level of communication with its reservation holders, particularly about fairly major features even after deliveries have started. Features promised to be on the cars in the past are not showing up in delivered signature vehicles. While I can understand that these features are under development on the software side--and while I have no problem with gaining promised features through software updates--I am very concerned that features Tesla employees have mentioned as being on the car may never end up being available--or will only be available for a fee.
I feel that improved communication along this front would really go a long way toward settling those who have signed MVPAs, encouraging additional reservations, and stopping existing reservation holders who have not yet signed their MVPA from cancelling their reservation. (Not to mention that the early reservation holders have demonstrated the most faith in Tesla!)
So on this front, I'd like some answers to questions (please) which I would like to post to teslamotorsclub.com to answer many of our customer questions there:
1. Is voice control planned for a future software update? If so, when is the expected release of that feature? Elon demonstrated it at the event in October but nobody's seen or heard anything since.
2. Many Tesla reps have mentioned that the Tech package includes onboard hard drive storage of Google maps. Can you clarify how this works, and when it will be available? Some signature reservation holders who have received their car already have reported that the Google maps display goes entirely blank in areas of poor cell coverage...implying that onboard maps are clearly not available in the current release. Also some clarification about whether points of interest (POIs) and navigation bookmarks are planned to be stored onboard would be useful.
3. Will the maps support display of speed limits, and warnings when the car exceeds these limits (as a setting)? This is common in inexpensive GPS devices, and honestly it's expected on the Model S infotainment system.
4. Is a release planned which supports "tracking up" instead of "North up" map orientations? If so, when is this release expected? Any plans for a "3D" view as seen on many navigation systems?
5. There has been mention of backup camera features (such as turn/guide lines) being planned for a future update. Is this in work, and if so when is the expected release?
6. Is support for video playback (when the car is in park) such as .MOV files or MP4 video files in the works? Playback from external hard drives, perhaps the internal hard drive, or via the internet? Several lower end infotainment systems have this, and we customers are expecting such support in the Model S. If so, can you provide an estimate as far as when it will be ready? (I understand that video support cannot necessarily be enabled when the car is not in park or is moving). I'd love to watch a movie with surround sound on the touchscreen/sound studio package while my car is charging!
7. What about support for multichannel sound files (such as a surround encoded flac file)? Is it in work or planned?
8. When is the Model S Owner's Manual expected to be ready for download for reservation holders?
9. What is the plan for the panoramic roof sunscreen? Many customers, after taking test drives, have determined that the screen is not needed if it adds bulk to the bar in the middle of the pano roof.
10. What is the current status of the little shelf below the touchscreen? George Blankenship has mentioned it will be a standard free feature, but it is not appearing on signature-delivered cars. I'm concerned about this due to the complete lack of storage in the cabin.
11. What is the status on the "opportunity console" development? Again, this is a concern due to the lack of concealed storage in the Model S. This console has been promised but we haven't heard anything from Tesla for months about it.
I am fully aware that some of the expected dates for these questions are subject to change...but as someone who has committed to buying an expensive car without all of the promised features being ready, I am getting a little nervous about the lack of public information on this front.
I know there are a lot of questions here, but if Tesla communicated more of these details to customers (via emails or the website), they could be avoided. (It would be much more efficient than answering questions individually too, of course!) I can understand if you can't answer questions regarding unannounced features...but most of my questions above involve features mentioned by Tesla reps at one time or another, so I feel they deserve answers.
A little bit of feedback that I noticed from some early customer reports that I thought I'd pass on to help the developers/engineers:
1. The day/night mode decision for the display appears to be made by an external ambient light sensor. A signature customer reported that incorporating time of day would be more effective. There were cases where (in the daytime) the screen went into night mode in the garage in the middle of the day, and at night went into day mode while in a well-lit tunnel. In both cases, the driver would have preferred that the mode not change.
2. There are consistent reports that the 0-11 volume control on the Model S (LOVE this Spinal Tap reference!) is too coarse...a change of one notch in the volume setting is too large a change in sound level. Is there an expected software release that adds more fine control to the volume (maybe instead in increments of 0.5 or 0.25 instead of 1.0), and if so, when is it expected to be released?
One suggestion: In my opinion (and the opinion of many other customers as evidenced on teslamotorsclub.com), Tesla needs to dramatically increase the volume of communication to its reservation holders so that we know where things are at. I am aware of reservation holders who are getting frustrated and cancelling due to the lack of communication, and I hate seeing that because I want to love this car company! Here I am, about to spend $85k on a car (am I crazy!) and I don't even know exactly what I'm getting for the money!
Thank you for your answers in advance...and to the entire Tesla team. I know you guys are working your butts off and we all appreciate it! We just need more communication!
Thanks,
Todd Burch
P1577
I just sent a very long email (copied below) to Tesla asking for a lot of answers to specific questions. I try to (politely) chide Tesla for the lack of communication as well, hoping it will improve things in the future
. I'll post any new tidbits of info that I get, of course. For reference, here's the email:Hello,
I have Model S reservation #P1577 and am hoping to receive my car within a few months.
I am very impressed, for the most part, with what Tesla has been able to achieve with the Model S from designing and building the car, all the way up to ramping up the production line. However, I have to admit that I am disappointed by Tesla's level of communication with its reservation holders, particularly about fairly major features even after deliveries have started. Features promised to be on the cars in the past are not showing up in delivered signature vehicles. While I can understand that these features are under development on the software side--and while I have no problem with gaining promised features through software updates--I am very concerned that features Tesla employees have mentioned as being on the car may never end up being available--or will only be available for a fee.
I feel that improved communication along this front would really go a long way toward settling those who have signed MVPAs, encouraging additional reservations, and stopping existing reservation holders who have not yet signed their MVPA from cancelling their reservation. (Not to mention that the early reservation holders have demonstrated the most faith in Tesla!)
So on this front, I'd like some answers to questions (please) which I would like to post to teslamotorsclub.com to answer many of our customer questions there:
1. Is voice control planned for a future software update? If so, when is the expected release of that feature? Elon demonstrated it at the event in October but nobody's seen or heard anything since.
2. Many Tesla reps have mentioned that the Tech package includes onboard hard drive storage of Google maps. Can you clarify how this works, and when it will be available? Some signature reservation holders who have received their car already have reported that the Google maps display goes entirely blank in areas of poor cell coverage...implying that onboard maps are clearly not available in the current release. Also some clarification about whether points of interest (POIs) and navigation bookmarks are planned to be stored onboard would be useful.
3. Will the maps support display of speed limits, and warnings when the car exceeds these limits (as a setting)? This is common in inexpensive GPS devices, and honestly it's expected on the Model S infotainment system.
4. Is a release planned which supports "tracking up" instead of "North up" map orientations? If so, when is this release expected? Any plans for a "3D" view as seen on many navigation systems?
5. There has been mention of backup camera features (such as turn/guide lines) being planned for a future update. Is this in work, and if so when is the expected release?
6. Is support for video playback (when the car is in park) such as .MOV files or MP4 video files in the works? Playback from external hard drives, perhaps the internal hard drive, or via the internet? Several lower end infotainment systems have this, and we customers are expecting such support in the Model S. If so, can you provide an estimate as far as when it will be ready? (I understand that video support cannot necessarily be enabled when the car is not in park or is moving). I'd love to watch a movie with surround sound on the touchscreen/sound studio package while my car is charging!
7. What about support for multichannel sound files (such as a surround encoded flac file)? Is it in work or planned?
8. When is the Model S Owner's Manual expected to be ready for download for reservation holders?
9. What is the plan for the panoramic roof sunscreen? Many customers, after taking test drives, have determined that the screen is not needed if it adds bulk to the bar in the middle of the pano roof.
10. What is the current status of the little shelf below the touchscreen? George Blankenship has mentioned it will be a standard free feature, but it is not appearing on signature-delivered cars. I'm concerned about this due to the complete lack of storage in the cabin.
11. What is the status on the "opportunity console" development? Again, this is a concern due to the lack of concealed storage in the Model S. This console has been promised but we haven't heard anything from Tesla for months about it.
I am fully aware that some of the expected dates for these questions are subject to change...but as someone who has committed to buying an expensive car without all of the promised features being ready, I am getting a little nervous about the lack of public information on this front.
I know there are a lot of questions here, but if Tesla communicated more of these details to customers (via emails or the website), they could be avoided. (It would be much more efficient than answering questions individually too, of course!) I can understand if you can't answer questions regarding unannounced features...but most of my questions above involve features mentioned by Tesla reps at one time or another, so I feel they deserve answers.
A little bit of feedback that I noticed from some early customer reports that I thought I'd pass on to help the developers/engineers:
1. The day/night mode decision for the display appears to be made by an external ambient light sensor. A signature customer reported that incorporating time of day would be more effective. There were cases where (in the daytime) the screen went into night mode in the garage in the middle of the day, and at night went into day mode while in a well-lit tunnel. In both cases, the driver would have preferred that the mode not change.
2. There are consistent reports that the 0-11 volume control on the Model S (LOVE this Spinal Tap reference!) is too coarse...a change of one notch in the volume setting is too large a change in sound level. Is there an expected software release that adds more fine control to the volume (maybe instead in increments of 0.5 or 0.25 instead of 1.0), and if so, when is it expected to be released?
One suggestion: In my opinion (and the opinion of many other customers as evidenced on teslamotorsclub.com), Tesla needs to dramatically increase the volume of communication to its reservation holders so that we know where things are at. I am aware of reservation holders who are getting frustrated and cancelling due to the lack of communication, and I hate seeing that because I want to love this car company! Here I am, about to spend $85k on a car (am I crazy!) and I don't even know exactly what I'm getting for the money!
Thank you for your answers in advance...and to the entire Tesla team. I know you guys are working your butts off and we all appreciate it! We just need more communication!
Thanks,
Todd Burch
P1577
AndyM
Member
My post here could go in many threads, but I guess this one seems the most appropriate.
I just sent a very long email (copied below) to Tesla asking for a lot of answers to specific questions. I try to (politely) chide Tesla for the lack of communication as well, hoping it will improve things in the future
...
Thanks,
Todd Burch
P1577
Thanks, Todd. Many of these are already in the fledgling FAQ (see my sig line, below), and I'll add the new ones you suggested.
contaygious
Active Member
From car connection review:
Portable storage devices connect to play digital music through the Model S audio system, though web apps like Pandora, Spotify, and Switcher aren't yet implemented (but they're coming, Tesla says).
Portable storage devices connect to play digital music through the Model S audio system, though web apps like Pandora, Spotify, and Switcher aren't yet implemented (but they're coming, Tesla says).
Electric Machete
P#3820
+1 Todd Burch.
It is absolutely maddening that Tesla offers no roadmap for the future of their updates. I need to sign my MVPA by the 26th, or else I begin to "walk" back by one day for each day I hold off. I actually got a phone call from Tesla last night since they realized that I haven't signed it yet. I haven't called back. I doubt anyone tasked with the job of tracking down orders will have any clue what improvements to this current, busch league version of the nav system will come in the future. They won't know why the wifi system doesn't work yet. They won't be able to tell me if I'll be able to tether my phone through the USB port or if I'll have to turn on the wifi hotspot on my phone each time I get into the car. What kills me is that I know that someone is actively working on these items right now. I don't even care much about time frame, just let me know the plans and how grandiose they are. <end rant>.
It is absolutely maddening that Tesla offers no roadmap for the future of their updates. I need to sign my MVPA by the 26th, or else I begin to "walk" back by one day for each day I hold off. I actually got a phone call from Tesla last night since they realized that I haven't signed it yet. I haven't called back. I doubt anyone tasked with the job of tracking down orders will have any clue what improvements to this current, busch league version of the nav system will come in the future. They won't know why the wifi system doesn't work yet. They won't be able to tell me if I'll be able to tether my phone through the USB port or if I'll have to turn on the wifi hotspot on my phone each time I get into the car. What kills me is that I know that someone is actively working on these items right now. I don't even care much about time frame, just let me know the plans and how grandiose they are. <end rant>.
Electric Machete
P#3820
I just got off of the phone with Tesla and I learned a few things.
1. Tethering is possible through the USB connection (or at least, it will be eventually, not sure about whether it is currently possible as everyone who has a Sig has a year free 3g)
2. Tonight is the first "over the air" update in the OS. This feature is currently enabled. Model S owners will get a notification in their car that they can update to the newest OS.
3. Navigation system is Garmin Navigon. The person I spoke with felt that all options available to Navigon users will ultimately become available to the Model S.
4. Maps are preloaded into the Model S navigation system. Google maps and the traffic overlay is reliant upon internet connectivity.
5. The next "major" update in the OS is 6-10 weeks away.
Still no explanation for why there is still no wifi enabled. No information regarding rerouting in regards to traffic using the nav system.
1. Tethering is possible through the USB connection (or at least, it will be eventually, not sure about whether it is currently possible as everyone who has a Sig has a year free 3g)
2. Tonight is the first "over the air" update in the OS. This feature is currently enabled. Model S owners will get a notification in their car that they can update to the newest OS.
3. Navigation system is Garmin Navigon. The person I spoke with felt that all options available to Navigon users will ultimately become available to the Model S.
4. Maps are preloaded into the Model S navigation system. Google maps and the traffic overlay is reliant upon internet connectivity.
5. The next "major" update in the OS is 6-10 weeks away.
Still no explanation for why there is still no wifi enabled. No information regarding rerouting in regards to traffic using the nav system.
NigelM
Recovering Member
Signpost: Discussion and information on actual software update started here - Model-S-Software-Updates
Electric Machete
P#3820
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
FYI, I received an initial response from Tesla regarding my post #47 above. The Tesla rep said that he was in the process of gathering answers for all of my questions and will respond when he has them . Hopefully those answers won't be "We can't tell you". :wink:. Also, hopefully when he said "when he has them" that doesn't mean 3 months from now!
Hopefully when I get the full response back I'll have plenty of new information to share here.
. Hopefully those answers won't be "We can't tell you". :wink:. Also, hopefully when he said "when he has them" that doesn't mean 3 months from now!Hopefully when I get the full response back I'll have plenty of new information to share here.
If someone at Tesla is reading this thread please consider this my request that you add Pandora to the available built-in streaming music options. All questions of fidelity aside, Pandora one is cheaper than Slacker Premium and I, for one, have been using it for a number of years and have several custom channels that I really like. I know that it is available via BT streaming but that's something of a cludge when compared to integration with the infotainment system.
- TIA.
- TIA.
I've rebooted exactly twice (other than updates and intentionally exploring reboot behavior) in a month of ownership. Either you're exaggerating heavily or you got a significantly worse roll of the dice than the typical owner, IMO.
As for "buggy", I haven't run across many non-cosmetic legitimate bugs. It has definite room for enhancements but "buggy" is very overstated ... at least for my vehicle.
I guess I'm lucky too. Other than the google maps issue on delivery day, I haven't had to reboot either. Perhaps I'm better off not having 4.0
William, I think things would have been far buggier with android, and more "meh" with iOS. Tesla designed this from the ground up to work for its application: in car use. I think they did a great job and will definitely improve.
William, I think things would have been far buggier with android, and more "meh" with iOS. Tesla designed this from the ground up to work for its application: in car use. I think they did a great job and will definitely improve.
Similar threads
