Nav System: A brief look

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Many people have mentioned tethering their phone to to car to get the internet connection. Not everyone can do that. I can't do that. I have the iphone with "unlimited" data via ATT. Tethering is not permitted on the "unlimited" plan. I'm sure many people ar in the same situation.

Yeah, got that unlimited plan grandfathered in for my iPhone 5 as well. It'd be a bummer to have to give up the unlimited part for the sake of tethering, particularly with the superb 4G LTE speeds and the temptation to download more! Got to consider jailbreaking later on

 

[AnOutsider]

Can't you guys root and do it?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Can't you guys root and do it?

Yes. Seems like it was achieved by the "jailbreak community" on day one itself.

iPhone 5 Jailbroken According To iOS Hacker @chpwn | TechCrunch

Will jump in as soon as I get my S

 

[ddruz]

Anyone not getting the Tech Package have any updates on what kind of nav system comes standard?

Last I heard from my rep it will be just a static Google maps via Internet like on your PC where you enter start and stop addresses and a route is displayed--no pointer to your location and no sense of where you are on the map. This is not the same as the dynamic Google maps app on smartphones where your location is marked and moves along as you travel to show you where you are. I was told no GPS would be installed in cars without the Tech Package.

From a few comments on the forums I get the idea some people have a different impression, that the standard nav system will be more like the dynamic Google maps on smartphones, but since that's not what I heard from my rep a month or so ago I'm curious if there has been a change. Thanks.

 

[Electric Machete]

Many people have mentioned tethering their phone to to car to get the internet connection. Not everyone can do that. I can't do that. I have the iphone with "unlimited" data via ATT. Tethering is not permitted on the "unlimited" plan. I'm sure many people ar in the same situation.

Jailbreaking the iPhone is easy and legal. It opens up a number of possibilities that Apple won't grant. There are a few programs that turn the iPhone into a wifi hotspot. I use MyWi, which cost $20 in the Cydia store. Cydia is the App Store for jailbroken apps.

The iPhone 5 isn't yet jailbroken. It has been publicized that someone has done it with their iPhone 5, but I wouldn't hold my breath until it is released for public consumption. When it is jailbroken, I will upgrade. I'll be able to keep my unlimited data plan and have the benefit of 4G streaming.

MyWi allows streaming through bluetooth, the USB port, and can also turn the phone into a WiFi hotspot with WEP and WPA2 security options. I have a soft confirmation from Tesla that the USB will be able to be used for streaming data, with the added benefit of keeping the phone charged. Hopefully this is true.

 

[Citizen-T]

Jailbreaking the iPhone is easy and legal. It opens up a number of possibilities that Apple won't grant. There are a few programs that turn the iPhone into a wifi hotspot. I use MyWi, which cost $20 in the Cydia store. Cydia is the App Store for jailbroken apps.

The iPhone 5 isn't yet jailbroken. It has been publicized that someone has done it with their iPhone 5, but I wouldn't hold my breath until it is released for public consumption. When it is jailbroken, I will upgrade. I'll be able to keep my unlimited data plan and have the benefit of 4G streaming.

MyWi allows streaming through bluetooth, the USB port, and can also turn the phone into a WiFi hotspot with WEP and WPA2 security options. I have a soft confirmation from Tesla that the USB will be able to be used for streaming data, with the added benefit of keeping the phone charged. Hopefully this is true.

Be warned that Jailbreaking does void your warranty though. A risk that I was willing to take back in the day when I had an iPhone, but something to keep in mind.

 

[ElSupreme]

I tried using "direction of travel" and didn't like it. My guess is that's because of all the years I spent using paper maps. Different strokes...

I am with you on this one Jerry. I can't stand rotating maps. I want up as North. And a compass on my dash.

Which brings up a question I don't know the answer to. Does the Model S have a compass display somewhere on the instrument cluster?

 

[AnOutsider]

Throw me in the group that likes the map to point in the direction I'm traveling -- especially when it's giving me directions like "turn left". What do I care which direction North is at that point?

 

[wycolo]

> ModelS is a limited range car (wycolo) [Todd Burch]

Was mostly thinking of 'delivery day euphoria' where we blast away following our noses, and hours later, awake in a strange neighborhood at a low SOC, wondering how this all happened. Thinking? Try 'projecting'.:wink:
--

 

[ckessel]

Throw me in the group that likes the map to point in the direction I'm traveling -- especially when it's giving me directions like "turn left". What do I care which direction North is at that point?

Yep, same here. I vaguely recall reading an article that the preference on "POV up" vs "north up" has something to do with how people visualize things in their head.

 

[arg]

Throw me in the group that likes the map to point in the direction I'm traveling -- especially when it's giving me directions like "turn left". What do I care which direction North is at that point?

I think it depends on how you relate to the Nav app:

If you totally trust the nav, and just follow its directions to turn left when they come, then up=direction-of-travel is natural: you are using the map to prepare yourself for the next few directions, or to see how far you've gone/how much further to go.

On the other hand, if you don't trust the nav and want to do your own navigation - as a check to what the nav is doing, or totally driving your own route with the nav turned off or just running as a backup in case you take a wrong turn, then you want the map on screen to match the map in your head and so need up=north.

 

[AnOutsider]

My in head map usually has the direction I'm going as north. Perhaps it's a product of growing up in the digital age. I can't remember ever using a paper map. When I look at my current nav (has google earth just like the S), I like it to face the direction I'm heading in so I can see what's coming up and around me quickly.

 

[Robert.Boston]

So the conclusion is clear: whether the map shows driving direction or north as up needs to be a user-controlled setting.

FWIW, I agree with @arg's analysis. I love maps (the paper sort), and have a very strong sense of direction. I love the idea that the touchscreen will show a north-up map while the dash shows turn-by-turn 3-D navigation.

 

[Todd Burch]

Latest info from my Tesla rep, received just a few hours ago:

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.

The Tech Package includes turn-by-turn navigation powered by Garmin/Navigon. Garmin/Navigon maps are stored in the onboard flash memory and displayed as a bird’s eye view on the instrument panel. The Tech Package also includes 7 years of free updates from Garmin/Navigon to ensure these maps are always up to date. Other manufactures charge $200, on average per update.

It is important to note that Google maps is a service entirely separate from the Tech Package and the navigation system. Google maps are not stored in the car’s flash memory - Google maps are downloaded (on the fly from the internet) and thus require connectivity to access. In the future, Google maps performance will be improved in poor coverage areas through the process of more aggressive map cashing.

When a car is equipped with the Tech Package and internet connectivity, the Navigation system leverages Google maps and Google search technology in the Nav application. Google search is used to provide dynamic text search and results, which are displayed on a Google map, however the true Nav app is only is activated when the user taps the “Navigate” button. When this happens, the Google search result is automatically transferred to the Garmin/Navigon control unit for mapping and the bird’s eye view map is displayed on the Instrument Panel along with turn-by-turn voice guidance.

Without an internet connection, the Tech Package Nav app utilizes a more traditional input method: state, city address, to search and will not show Google maps. The next turn instruction is displayed on the Instrument Panel and a list of future instructions is displayed on the touchscreen where Google maps is displayed in connected cars. Eventually, we plan to display the bird’s eye Garmin/Navigon maps on the touchscreen when a car is not internet connected.

We do not have a POI database or bookmarks. Instead we have a History reference. In addition, if your telephone contacts have an address, it acts as a bookmark which you can navigate to.

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.

I was unfortunately unable to get a definitive answer for this. It is indeed a great feature addition idea, but I cannot confirm whether it will ever be an added feature.

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?

The Garmin/Navigon maps are semi-3D and displayed in a bird’s eye view with “tracking up.” Again, this is because Garmin/Navigon maps represent the Nav function. We aim to introduce “tracking up” in Google maps in a future release but this is not part of Nav or the Tech Package.

 

[AnOutsider]

Hmm...

The Tech Package also includes 7 years of free updates from Garmin/Navigon to ensure these maps are always up to date. Other manufactures charge $200, on average per update.

He said the Tech Package includes, not "Signature owners get". So now the 7 years is standard for everyone?

Eventually, we plan to display the bird’s eye Garmin/Navigon maps on the touchscreen when a car is not internet connected.

Good. So weird its basically 2 systems. Almost as if they HAD to use Google since they'd shown it or since Larry/Sergei invested...

 

[mnx]

Wasn't it always 7 free years of map updates for everyone with the tech package?

Hmm...
He said the Tech Package includes, not "Signature owners get". So now the 7 years is standard for everyone?

 

[AnOutsider]

Wasn't it always 7 free years of map updates for everyone with the tech package?

*doh* you're right. I was thinking the 3G

 

[Trnsl8r]

The Tech Package also includes 7 years of free updates from Garmin/Navigon to ensure these maps are always up to date. Other manufactures charge $200, on average per update.

:-/ I remember paying Garmin about $130 for a "lifetime" supply of map updates for my unit. Many units come with that included now.

 

[AnOutsider]

:-/ I remember paying Garmin about $130 for a "lifetime" supply of map updates for my unit. Many units come with that included now.

Haven't had to do it on our Audis so far, but VW used to charge 150-200 for a map update every year

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Thanks, Todd, for the comprehensive update!

It all fits now; looking forward to the update with the Navigon maps on the touchscreen.

How did they not think to put it there in the first place?

if (showMaps) { if (internet) { display(kGoogle); } else { display(kNavigon); } }

- QED! I guess they didn't factor in cheapskates such as myself who cannot stand paying more dough to wireless carriers!

If I don't get the Internet connectivity plan (or tether to my iPhone), I guess I'll park the media player and the permanent rear view camera display on the touchscreen in lieu of Google Maps.