Tag: Tesla Model X

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Tesla EVs equipped with pothole detection and suspension height adjustment

Get ready for your pothole nightmares to go away with a pothole scanning system and suspension adjustment features arriving for specific Tesla models.

According to Electrek, Tesla Model S and Model X will feature a “tough road map” which will include pothole detection and an ‘Adaptive Suspension’ feature which will adjust vehicle suspension accordingly when using the ‘rough road map’ feature.

However, this is not a surprise to many Elon Musk followers, as the Tesla CEO tweeted in 2020 that Tesla cars would soon have these features. “This adjustment may occur at various locations, subject to availability, as the vehicle downloads rough road map data generated by Tesla cars,” he tweeted.

In order to enable the features in the Model S and Model X, you’ll need to make sure you’re on the latest update 2022.20, “Controls > Suspension > Active Suspension Damping, and select the Comfort or Auto Setting,” as noted by Tesla.

Tesla also notes, “the instrument cluster will continue to indicate when the suspension is raised for comfort.”

Tesla will join Ford as the only current automakers to install pothole scanning technology, with Ford being the first to do so with plans to install individual pothole detection and instant suspension damping.

Image credit: Tesla

Source: Electrek Via: Engadget

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Video of Tesla Model S fitted with motorized swivel screen appears

A video showing a Tesla Model S with a functioning motorized tilting screen has been published online. Tesla has a tumultuous history with swivel screens, though this could be an indication that the EV company might support this feature set in the near future.

Twitter user Larry Li published a video showing him tilting the screen of his Model S. The screen’s motorized swivel functionality sees the display moving left, right, and back to the centre. The system seems to be controlled by a simple button command on-screen.

The use-case scenario of a swivel display could provide benefits to the driver. For example, rather than have the screen remain in a locked position in the centre, drivers can prioritize the visibility of the screen by positioning it towards their field of view.

Tesla seems to have considered motorized swivel screens in the past. In 2021, Tesla said that a central display with a “left-right tilt” would be featured in its refreshed Model S and Model X vehicles. However, as Drive Tesla Canada notes, references have since been removed from the website. However, the swivel display feature does exist as an aftermarket modification.

Li does clarify in his replies that the swivel display is not an aftermarket mod. Li claims that it is from the Tesla factory directly. He says his Model S was delivered recently on April 29th. This gives further evidence that Tesla may be ramping up production on Model S and Model X vehicles featuring these displays.

On April 29th, IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey, who also hosts the Tesla podcast Ride the Lightning, tweeted that “the latest Model S and Model X cars built have the long-awaited center-screen tilting functionality.” McCaffrey clarifies that at the very least the hardware is built-in and the official support to the UI could release as a future software update.

Image credit: Tesla

Source: @TeslaFrunk Via: The Verge

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Tesla to disable Passenger Play feature while driving

Tesla has agreed to disable its Passenger Play feature while its vehicle is in use and in motion. The feature has faced obvious criticisms as it enabled the ability to play games when the car was being used.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently launched an investigation. It appeared to have encouraged Tesla to react and make meaningful changes to the way the feature would operate. Through a software update, Passenger Play will no longer be enabled when the vehicle is in motion, NHTSA confirmed to The New York Times, via BBC.

“Passenger Play will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion,” NHTSA said to The New York Times. Tesla has not made an official statement on the matter.

The NHTSA investigation began after Tesla owner Vince Patton filed a complaint when he discovered he could play games while driving. The US safety body felt as though Passenger Play “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash”. All four Tesla models (S, X, Y, and 3) were probed as a part of the investigation.

The feature is fully integrated into Tesla’s touchscreen and OS. Initially, the Tesla Passenger Play was available when the car was not in motion. However, in December 2020, Tesla changed that and allowed users to play games when the vehicle was being driven. Tesla intended for it to be used by the passenger. However, nothing stopped the driver from accessing the games at their leisure as well.

Over the past year, this feature began to cause worry as it could unintentionally encourage distractions while the driver is controlling a Tesla.

Tesla’s electric vehicles offer more than 20 games to play when parked and three that were enabled when the car was in motion. The three games are Solitaire, Sky Force Reloaded, and Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise.

Source: BBC