New Launch Mode - firmware 2.9.40

[msnow]

Can anyone confirm if this will be available to those of us with non "P" models?

All I want for Christmas from Tesla is my lost range from the first two months of ownership. I'd be happy with that!

 

[Andyw2100]

The car launches a lot harder now. The pedal dance is also incredibly easy to do. Simply press the brake with your left foot. Floor then release then floor (can be done very quickly) then side step the brake and she goes. There is absolutely no wait and you can do the sequence as fast as you can press and release the pedals because the system does not have to do (much of any) spooling up. You do feel the car load up against the brakes when you floor it the second time before side stepping the brake. I tried not to leave it like that very long and found the car launched just as hard even when doing the sequence very quickly. Put differently, the pre-loading against the brakes happens as fast as you can get the throttle to the floor and side step the brake.

Very nicely done Tesla.

Thanks for the report, lola.

Why do you think Tesla is including the requirement that Max Battery Power be enabled in order for Launch Mode to work?

It's been demonstrated that Launch Mode will work immediately after Max Battery Power is enabled, meaning the battery does not have to reach some temperature level in order for Launch Mode to work. Do you think something is actually going on hardware-wise, or do you think it could just be Tesla trying to help people get the most out of their cars, figuring that if someone wants to use Launch Mode, they are also going to want to use the Max Battery Power option, so by requiring it Tesla is making sure people don't just "forget."

Interested in your thoughts, because if it is the latter, it seems like a needless step. If it is the former, it would be interesting to know just what Max Battery Power is actually doing other than heating the pack, and how it relates to Launch Mode.

 

[andrewket]

We know max battery tells the BMS to get and hold the pack to the optimal temperature to reduce resistance. It does this at the expense of energy/range. It's possible max battery also sets the thermal management system to be more aggressive. Rather than wait for the pack to get hot from aggressive driving (launching for example) before trying to cool, perhaps max battery changes the thresholds so maximum cooling engages faster, which should increase the amount of time the car can be driven hard before going into power reduction mode.

 

[Andyw2100]

We know max battery tells the BMS to get and hold the pack to the optimal temperature to reduce resistance. It does this at the expense of energy/range. It's possible max battery also sets the thermal management system to be more aggressive. Rather than wait for the pack to get hot from aggressive driving (launching for example) before trying to cool, perhaps max battery changes the thresholds so maximum cooling engages faster, which should increase the amount of time the car can be driven hard before going into power reduction mode.

That could definitely be on the money, Andrew! Taking what you just suggested and factoring in the info below, (assuming it is accurate), I bet you are correct.

This is also why you only have 4 seconds to launch the car. The power going into the motor that is pre-loading everything is being 100% wasted as heat until the launch occurs, so you are heating the stator and the rotor pretty heavily. After 4 seconds, the temperature will have built up and you need to either launch or stop current flow.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

It's nice for P85D and P90D owners, but not so much for P85 and P85+ owners...

 

[DDarrow]

Has anyone else not received this software update yet? I've got a 6 month old P85D and no sign of an update yet.

 

[Andyw2100]

Has anyone else not received this software update yet? I've got a 6 month old P85D and no sign of an update yet.

Most people have not received the update.

You can see the trends in firmware updates by checking the Firmware Upgrade Tracker here:
Tesla Firmware Upgrade Tracker Web App

You can also help by including your data.

 

[Caligula]

Not expecting this to be included with my 85D... but it would be a lot cooler if it did!

 

[Cyclone]

Thanks for taking the video and posting it! I'll try it again in a bit but that's pretty much how I was trying to engage it.

Did you try rebooting the car?

 

[Caligula]

Did you try rebooting the car?

 

[Cyclone]

Can anyone confirm if this will be available to those of us with non "P" models?

The "Max Battery Power" option is only on PDs, so I doubt it.

 

[musicious]

New Launch Mode- 2.6s 0-60 on P90DL

Please post drag times here using launch mode on a P90DL to see the best possible times now for 0-60 & 1/4th mile, with ideal conditions (90% battery, max battery mode ready, warm weather, smooth dry roads, good tires etc.)

The easiest way to use launch mode in just a couple seconds is:
* You must first enable max battery mode *

1. Press the brake firmly all the way with your left foot and hold

2. While still holding the brake, use your right foot to quickly press the accelerator all the way down, let go completely (the dash should say Launch Mode Enabled at this point but you can immediately do the next step), press down all the way again & hold it down (kind of like how the ICE cars rev their engine when they're about to drag race against you).

3. Finally, while still holding both pedals, let go of the brake within 4 seconds and it will launch at optimal speed

 

[Config]

Wow!

 

[Niclas]

why does Tesla focus on 0-60, but disregard all the more important things that need to be better, like the horrible nav and so on. Sigh...

 

[Knobby]

why does Tesla focus on 0-60, but disregard all the more important things that need to be better, like the horrible nav and so on. Sigh...

Agree!

 

[Brass Guy]

Thanks for taking the video and posting it! I'll try it again in a bit but that's pretty much how I was trying to engage it.

With no experience to back me up, I'd guess you didn't let off the accelerator soon enough. Try a quick stab.

 

[tstafford]

why does Tesla focus on 0-60, but disregard all the more important things that need to be better, like the horrible nav and so on. Sigh...

I think there are a lot of reasons - mostly marketing related. But I get you point. I'm surprised they are releasing this new Launch Control functionality. Seems kind of gimmicky to me. But there are a lot of posts expressing enthusiasm about it, so maybe I'm in the minority.

 

[sillydriver]

We know max battery tells the BMS to get and hold the pack to the optimal temperature to reduce resistance. It does this at the expense of energy/range. It's possible max battery also sets the thermal management system to be more aggressive. Rather than wait for the pack to get hot from aggressive driving (launching for example) before trying to cool, perhaps max battery changes the thresholds so maximum cooling engages faster, which should increase the amount of time the car can be driven hard before going into power reduction mode.

I wonder if max battery power might also temporarily raise either the thermal limit, time-at-current limit or even the maximum current limit (after all, the new fuse is microprocessor controlled, and thus might be under software control). Their thought might be that max battery power is only occasionally engaged, and that the likely number of uses over the life of the car is not going to reduce the longevity of the pack. But if those limits were raised permanently, so they were exceeded every time the driver accelerated hard for passing, etc., then they would cumulatively damage the pack and reduce longevity.

 

[lolachampcar]

My GUESS is that Max Bat is simply a barrier to usage given launch is available right after turning max bat on (before it could have any conditional effect). By doing this, Tesla ensures launch mode is only available and used after the owner takes the time to turn on the max bat feature. This would be a safety feature (you need to consciously enter max bat before you can do your pedal dance) and help to reduce usage of launch mode. I know I would use it a lot more if I did not have to do the whole max bat thing. I'd just get a wild hair at a traffic light and do a quick pedal dance to play if I was not required to play with settings in the display first.

 

[andrewket]

My GUESS is that Max Bat is simply a barrier to usage given launch is available right after turning max bat on (before it could have any conditional effect). By doing this, Tesla ensures launch mode is only available and used after the owner takes the time to turn on the max bat feature. This would be a safety feature (you need to consciously enter max bat before you can do your pedal dance) and help to reduce usage of launch mode. I know I would use it a lot more if I did not have to do the whole max bat thing. I'd just get a wild hair at a traffic light and do a quick pedal dance to play if I was not required to play with settings in the display first.

Completely reasonable/logical guess.