Firmware 5.8

[cinergi]

I agree with you completely.

I have had 5.8 for two days now, and noted:

1. I have yet to see regen stronger that 30 Wh/km, even with full release of the pedal from 100 kph (set to standard).
2. In stop & go traffic that I get essentially no regen slowing when down to 5-6 kph, whereas before it would slow me down nicely to 1 kph (I just had to tap the brakes to come to a full stop).

I need to use the brakes at every stop / light now... (and because it's light use, they squeak!)

If you're only getting 30 kW of regen from 100 km/h then something's wrong. I still get 60 kW of regen. In fact, I've noticed no changes in regen.

Keep in mind that if there's a regen limit between 45-60 kW, it will not show on the display. Meaning, temperatures in these areas have been cold enough to create some regen limitation which may be what you're experiencing. (though 30's still too low at 100 km/h if you don't have the yellow dashed regen-limit line)

 

[Puyallup Bill]

Add me to those that are not pleased with the new regen. In addition to the "softness", it sure seems to me that 60 kW of regen from 70 mph now, does not slow the car the same as before.

Also, and this probably has been covered, but what happened to the brake lights on the car picture?

 

[apacheguy]

Tesla if you are reading this, what the hell did you do to regen? PLEASE GO BACK TO THE OLD REGEN SETTINGS!

Ditto for the accelerator mapping.

+1. Or at least give us the option of the old setting. I understand that some prefer the new performance settings, which is why an option would be perfect.

 

[Doug_G]

In other news, the cruise control increment speeds have been fixed for US cars using metric units. It will now increment in 1 km/h (half) and 5 km/h (full) steps, compared to the previous 1 mph and 6 mph steps.

Confirmed! I asked Tesla for this almost a year ago. Thank you!!!

Also having gone directly from 4.5 to 5.8... I'll note it's now possible to read the navigation maps at night. It really is a major improvement.

 

[yobigd20]

Are you coming from 5.6 before or 4.5?

4.5

 

[Zythryn]

Add me to those that are not pleased with the new regen. In addition to the "softness", it sure seems to me that 60 kW of regen from 70 mph now, does not slow the car the same as before.

Also, and this probably has been covered, but what happened to the brake lights on the car picture?

I find it fascinating numerous people are reporting this while others are not.
I measured overall stopping distance using regen (well, down to 5mph) on exits I am very familiar with and the distance is as close to identical as I can tell. I like the smoother regent as I disliked the 'brake check' suddenness of the old.

Have you guys, experiencing the lack of regen, spoken with your service center or ownership?

 

[bareyb]

Just to clarify… Do the Cars (since the update) sit 5/16" higher all the time now, even when Parked? Do people with Gas Shocks cars' sit higher than the people with coil springs now?

 

[deonb]

Have you guys, experiencing the lack of regen, spoken with your service center or ownership?

There is no internal communication between engineering & Ownership / SC.

So unless it's specified inside a release note, it won't help talking to them.

 

[bosgig]

In fact, I've noticed no changes in regen.

I find it a little confusing that many of us--myself included--have noticed a significant and undeniable change in the regen profile, while others haven't noticed a thing (I assume anyone contributing to this discussion is using standard regen and not low). I've also confirmed the change in regen to my satisfaction by watching numerous occassions where I've been at 45kW of regen under conditions that would have maxed out before the upgrade to 5.6/5.8. Even without that, though, the change is brutally obvious. It's pretty clear from all of the various bugs over the past 17 months that software changes don't seem to affect all cars equally--some cars get glitches while others don't--hard as that is to believe. Could there indeed be a difference in how this upgrade is affecting the regen profiles of different cars?

 

[Kraken]

1. Bug eater, Stopping distance (emergency stopping) likely doesn't change more than a few inches with the new regen. Yes you used to feel more momentum shift in that split second, but the actual speed lost is minimal in the time it takes to move your foot. The distance lost in that split second is minimal if any. The actual braking action of actual brakes is much sharper and absorbs all the energy. The regen braking does very little with the actual brakes jammed (think about the fact that the wheel isn't spinning much, just what the ABS allows, thus nothing is going into the inverter. Regen braking isn't there for emergency stopping and provides minimal input.

2. Yobigd20, there is no way that the braking action required now at under 10 mph is "killing" anyone brakes. E=mv^2 . Low speeds have almost no effect on brakes, no matter how many times you use them. Think about how often any other car you've owned has had to go 50 - 0 and all it has is minimal friction with the ground and brake pads. It would take 100 stops of 5-0 to equal the energy absorbed in one 50-0 stop that cars without regen braking are doing with less performance capable brakes.

3. The squeak - the sc noticed my squeak when test driving. They switched to newer brake pads without the squeak. I hadn't even thought of asking about the squeak because I was told performance brakes squeaking isn't rare in any performance car. E sc also recommended a hard stop if the squeak did show up again. A hard stop every now and then will not destroy these performance brakes (or any other brake).

it is annoying that I do have to use a little more brake now and that the accelerator needs to be let go slightly sooner (maybe a second), but it was also annoying brake checking all the time and having my brake lights light up. That is an even trade off in annoyances, but this way has very little detrimental effects on the brakes and saves the drive train.... Sounds more like a win.

 

[jomo25]

I'm sure a poll is coming, if one doesn't already exist. But I like the new regen settings. I still can get 60 kW, its just a smoother very slightly delayed ramp to it now. It took me a day to adjust but now I don't find I use the brakes any more than I did before. So if you don't get past 30 kW, somethings up with your car.

 

[SuperCoug]

I'm sure a poll is coming, if one doesn't already exist. But I like the new regen settings. I still can get 60 kW, its just a smoother very slightly delayed ramp to it now. It took me a day to adjust but now I don't find I use the brakes any more than I did before. So if you don't get past 30 kW, somethings up with your car.

Wow, I'm shocked to hear there is a controversy over the regen on 5.8 because I hadn't noticed ANY difference at all. In general, I love 5.8 because I made the jump from 4.5 and I really enjoy all the new features. Really significant update.

Here is the funny thing about the regen. Yesterday I was thinking to myself how perfectly in tune I am with the car while I was navigating rush hour traffic in Seattle. I was zipping around, starting, stopping, etc. and the entire time I was mentally patting myself on the back for how effortlessly I was able to modulate my speed with the accelerator pedal alone. There is nothing like that feeling of being really connected to your car and its capabilities. Since I've only had 5.8 for a few days I think I would have noticed if my car behaved differently given that I drive aggressively and still have very little need for the brake pedal.

 

[dirkhh]

I'm sure a poll is coming, if one doesn't already exist. But I like the new regen settings. I still can get 60 kW, its just a smoother very slightly delayed ramp to it now. It took me a day to adjust but now I don't find I use the brakes any more than I did before. So if you don't get past 30 kW, somethings up with your car.

I am quite unhappy with the new regen behavior. No more single pedal driving.
Yes, I get 60kW, but it feels nowhere near to what it did with 4.5. I drive the same commute every day. This is frustratingly different. I have to hit the breaks All. The. Time.
I dislike the fact that they took one of the things that I enjoyed the most about my car away from me. And there is no recourse.
That's not what I had in mind when I heard that I'd get upgrades over time. :-(
Not happy.

 

[Al Sherman]

Wow, I'm shocked to hear there is a controversy over the regen on 5.8 because I hadn't noticed ANY difference at all.

Could there indeed be a difference in how this upgrade is affecting the regen profiles of different cars?

Wow! This is starting to get interesting. Very experienced Model S drivers are NOT experiencing any difference in regen under 5.8. To those of you who are NOT experiencing a difference: please be advised that it's truly there for the folks who are reporting it. If you don't notice any difference at all, you DON'T have it. It's so significant that you notice it the first time you take your foot off the pedal if you've been driving with standard regn since the beginning and are used to it. Some folks like/love it, and some don't like/hate it but it IS there for many.

I'm actually starting to think that there may be quite a few unintended behaviors under 5.8.

 

[yobigd20]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before but with v5.8 the J1772 adapter never unlocks from the vehicle.

Previously, when I unplug the charge point, the J1772 would always just come right out with it.

Now, it stays locked to the car, and the only way to unlock it is to go to the console and manually push the unlock charge port button.

The thing that I don't know what the behavior of this pre-v5.8 if you didn't have your key fob with you. I just assumed that the adapter would always stay locked to the car unless you have the key fob within range.

Regardless of that previous behavior, now the adapter is always locked and only can be unlocked via the console screen. It doesn't matter if you have the key fob within range. The door handles extend so I know the car detects the key fob. Even manually unlocking the car with the key fob doesn't release the adapter. You always have to use the console screen now which I find slightly annoying. I have to unplug the car, open the door, lean in, push the charge point button, then get out and pull the adapter out.

I'd prefer the adapter to stay locked to the car, but it should unlock when I am within range.

As it seems natural the unplug the car first (instead of unlocking from the console screen) I wonder if they made this change so that people would stop leaving their adapters attached to the charging station plug.

Again, this is a behavior that should be configurable in a menu - not Tesla dictating its behavior to us. It's annoying.

 

[Mayhemm]

Again, this is a behavior that should be configurable in a menu - not Tesla dictating its behavior to us. It's annoying.

Yes, Tesla seems to flip-flop between treating us like responsible adults (functioning on-screen browser, always-on backup camera) and know-nothing children (disabling video on said browser).

 

[Jeeps17]

If you're only getting 30 kW of regen from 100 km/h then something's wrong. I still get 60 kW of regen. In fact, I've noticed no changes in regen.

Keep in mind that if there's a regen limit between 45-60 kW, it will not show on the display. Meaning, temperatures in these areas have been cold enough to create some regen limitation which may be what you're experiencing. (though 30's still too low at 100 km/h if you don't have the yellow dashed regen-limit line)

Good point Cinergi,

I will repeat my experiment when my car has not been cold soaked / rewarmed.

 

[mnx]

The changes to traction control are a massive improvement. There is a much shorter delay to restoring power after kicking in. If you floored it on a corner previously the car would wait until you were pointed dead straight before resuming the application of power to the rear wheels. Now it happens much quicker, ie. mid corner. I believe you can feel the tires slip with the power cutting in and out many times per second now. I think this will also be a huge help on icy hills in the winter.

Thanks Tesla!

 

[Doug_G]

Wow, I'm shocked to hear there is a controversy over the regen on 5.8 because I hadn't noticed ANY difference at all. In general, I love 5.8 because I made the jump from 4.5 and I really enjoy all the new features. Really significant update.

For people on cold climates, this is the time of year when you don't get full regen. I'm wondering if that's part of the mix. Certainly I can't tell the difference, because my regen is always backed off - either a lot or a little. I have to drive for at least half an hour to get full regen back, and as it gets colder I won't ever get to full power.

Keep in mind that if there's a regen limit between 45-60 kW, it will not show on the display.

+1. Personally, I think the dotted yellow line is displayed in the wrong position. You have a power limit for much longer, and more of a limit, than the display indicates. You'll immediately notice this is true if you look while decelerating at highway speed. The green line never reaches the yellow dotted line.

 

[bosgig]

For people on cold climates, this is the time of year when you don't get full regen. I'm wondering if that's part of the mix. Certainly I can't tell the difference, because my regen is always backed off - either a lot or a little. I have to drive for at least half an hour to get full regen back, and as it gets colder I won't ever get to full power.

I can state definitively that this is not the issue in my case.