Firmware 4.5

[mknox]

Maybe this is a new mode option for front defog... or maybe they've changed it so it works sensibly!

I didn't get much winter experience, but I did start to get front and side fogging on a couple of those cold and damp days we still had in early March after I got my car. What I did was manually select Front Defrost + Floor, set the temperature to a comfortable level and turned the fan up to at least 8. That worked to keep the windshield and most of the side window clear. Now again, this wasn't the depths of winter, so I'm hoping the vent re-design (which I haven't got yet) and these software tricks in 4.5 will do the trick.

 

[montgom626]

Just came back from the Munich Tesla Store. They just received a new demo car and it has 4.5 installed. Just skimmed through the release notes and here is what I remember:

- Charger locations in map (superchargers and recently used chargers for now)
- improved battery heat management
- will draw power from wall socket when heating/cooling car
- front screen defrost option

And other things which I forgot right now. Sounds the winter update came a little late

Draw power from wall is awesome!!!!!

Wish hibernate mode was implemented too.

 

[vcor]

- front screen defrost option

I wonder if this is "windscreen" front windshield or the 17" screen? Since it already has a front windshield defrost option, it almost sounds like an option for the display. I've only used defrost once, and it worked ok for me (v4.3 or v4.4), but was only needed for a couple of minutes. I not sure the 17" screen would ever need defrosting, but I guess if the car was cold enough with quite a bit of moisture inside???

 

[NigelM]

The defrost option has a toggle that means you can use it as before (hot & everything diverted to the screen) or it operates while retaining the existing AC settings.....so I've been told. ;-)

 

[apacheguy]

So no sleep mode or WIFI capability in 4.5 it seems. Could just be that nikwest perhaps did not recall these from the release notes, but these would seem to be features that are not easily forgotten.

Conclusion - 4.5 is a significant update but probably not the "big one" that introduces all the features originally promised.

 

[jomo25]

C'mon in this day and age, people dont remember to use their camera on their phone to snap pics of the release notes? What's up with that? I'll still say thanks, Nikwest, for the info, but it would have been great to have pics than to rely on memory!

Anyone else able to go to the Munich store? Press the Tesla T at the center top of the screen, then hit Release Notes and snap some pics please!

 

[nikwest]

Yeah sorry. Didn't take any pictures. I don't always carry my phone with me....

 

[NigelM]

So no sleep mode or WIFI capability in 4.5 it seems.....Conclusion - 4.5 is a significant update but probably not the "big one" that introduces all the features originally promised.

Correct. Sleep mode becomes redundant if you're plugged in as all functions will then draw from shore power. Plus improved thermal management should greatly reduce vampire load when you're not plugged in.

 

[jerry33]

Correct. Sleep mode becomes redundant if you're plugged in as all functions will then draw from shore power.

Shore power still uses electricity. I guess it uses a bit less electricity because it doesn't have to go through the battery first, but it's not zero. Or am I missing something?

 

[Vger]

Having done and managed a lot of software development myself, my sense is that they are triaging the bugs and feature requests as best they can. It seems they are "firefighting" with the smaller more frequent releases; fixing bugs that are serious/frequent, and slipping in a few easier-to-implement features that are highly sought-after like timed charging. They are then grouping bigger, more complex features, with thornier/more-invasive bug fixes into bigger releases.

Since the subject has been broached, I will say that I also heard from a credible source that there is a big one coming soon (spring), that "adds almost everything people have asked for", it will "feel like a whole new car."

Make what you will of that!

 

[Jgdixon]

Just came back from the Munich Tesla Store. They just received a new demo car and it has 4.5 installed. Just skimmed through the release notes and here is what I remember:

- Charger locations in map (superchargers and recently used chargers for now)
- improved battery heat management
- will draw power from wall socket when heating/cooling car
- front screen defrost option

And other things which I forgot right now. Sounds the winter update came a little late

I saw the release notes, and there will no longer be standard and max charging, it will be a slider to determine the % of charge
In addition sorting of phone contacts has been added.

 

[jomo25]

I saw the release notes, and there will no longer be standard and max charging, it will be a slider to determine the % of charge
In addition sorting of phone contacts has been added.

Now that's interesting. It actually kinda makes sense when you factor in the recent "no questions asked" battery guarantee. I like it because I would actually only charge to about 75% each normal night. I only need about 120 miles max on my normal routine (my home-work r/t is 60 miles. And to allow me the buffer for "spirited driving", unforeseen traffic circumstances, and unplanned detours/stops/errands during the day, I figure another 60 mi of rated range. As it is, I stop my charging each night before I go to sleep, having gotten back up to 150 mi by then and top off slightly in the AM just to get the battery "prepped" for use.

So, being able to set it at 75% would allow me to not have to stop it manually. then i can raise it to 80% in the AM to prep it. The current 93% is higher than I need and would like to have it sit.

 

[apacheguy]

Correct. Sleep mode becomes redundant if you're plugged in as all functions will then draw from shore power. Plus improved thermal management should greatly reduce vampire load when you're not plugged in.

Well I sure hope they don't use this as an excuse not to implement some form of hibernate mode. When my car is off and idle (no thermal management active) it still uses ~300 watts. As jerry33 stated this is still electricity even if it's coming from the wall and should be minimized.

 

[Zankaman]

Release note for 4.5

 

[vcor]

Thanks Zankaman for the photos! Seems strange that Norway gets the first 4.5 release, but perhaps it also has features/options required for the European market.

 

[brianman]

Nice work, Zankaman!

- - - Updated - - -

What's New in Release v4.5

New Features	Enhancements
Supercharger Locations Visited Chargers Charge Limit	Maps Contacts Sorting Front Defrost Mode Battery Support Improved Battery Heating

NEW FEATURES

Supercharger Locations
You can view a list of Supercharger locations in the Maps application by tapping the "Places" button in the upper-left corner of the window and selecting the "Superchargers" tab. Here you'll find the city and state in which the station is located as well as the approximate distance from your current location. This list will be updated automatically with new Superchargers as they become available.

1. Select one of the Supercharger entries to view the map.
2. Tap "Navigate" to generate a route to the selected location. We'll navigate you all the way to the Supercharger even in parking lots.
3. The "flag" indicating the Supercharger location will display on the touchscreen until you have reached this destination.

You can also see the Superchargers that are near you on the map.

1. Tap the lightning bolt icon in the upper-right corner of the Maps window.
2. Select the "Superchargers" option.
3. The map will zoom out to show you all the nearby Supercharger locations.

Visited Chargers
Locations where you've charged previously will also be listed in the Maps app.

1. Tap the "Places" button in the upper-left corner of the Maps app and select the "Visited Chargers" tab.
2. This list will show all the charging locations that you've ever charged at. These are sorted by proximity but are not limited to those closest in proximity.
3. Tap "Navigate" to generate a route to the selected location.
4. To view previous charging locations on your map, tap the lightning bolt icon in the upper-right corner of the Maps app and selected "Visited Chargers."

Charge Limit
Many customers have asked for the ability to adjust the Model S charge level based on individual anticipated driving needs. To provide this flexibility, charge level options, Standard and Max Range, have been replaced with a slider that allows you to specify the charge limit by percentage.

1. To adjust the charge limit, tap the "Set Charge Limit" button and slide to the desired value.
2. You can select form 30% to 100% charge.
3. The new setting will apply for scheduled and immediate charging instructions.

ENHANCEMENTS

Maps
Street labels on maps viewed in 2x magnification are displayed in a larger, higher-resolution font.

Contacts Sorting
Phone contacts can now be sorted by first or last name.

This function is independent from preferences previously set on your phone.

New Front Defrost Mode
The Front Defrost control, located left of the Climate Control button, now offers 2 distinct settings: Normal and Max.

• One tap turns the icon blue and enables Normal Defrost, which maintains the current temperature and fan speed.
• Two taps turn the icon red . . . the standard behavior . . . .

Battery Support
When Model S is plugged in but not actively charging it will draw energy from the wall rather than using energy stored in the battery, e.g., when you've turned on climate control to cool/heat the cabin or when you're sitting in your car and using the touchscreen while it's parked.

Improved Battery Heating
Battery heating when charging on low wall power grid connections has been improved to ensure the battery does not discharge to heat itself.


"New Front Defrost Mode" still remains somewhat a mystery.

- - - Updated - - -

The mystery text has been provided in this post:
Waiting for 4.5 firmware [now with release notes] - Page 17

 

[Thorbjorn]

Now lets figure out the undocumented features/fixes

 

[CraigHughes]

Front red oscillating lights like that are illegal in California. You can have any other color up there, or red on any other side of the car other than front. But front + red = no.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Tesla, you beauty! This is a cool update to look forward to, although it's not as big as some were predicting.

I think the first (blue) front defrost setting is sort of like this in other cars: diverting some air to the front windshield while still letting some air flow into the rest of the cabin.

The second (red) setting is the same as today; full blast to the windshield.

Shore power to offset the vampire load and to avoid battery drain for preconditioning the cabin is very nice. However, full hibernate support eventually to slay the vampires for good would indeed be ideal.

 

[Todd Burch]

Yay! Finally making some forward progress on the software!

I'm still on 4.3, but with the exception of a few things (door handle timing and other little glitches) the interface itself is pretty solid. I haven't had to reboot in v4.3 at all, that I can remember!