One of the features of Tesla cars is their ability to be updated via software. In days gone by you were stuck with the car as delivered ... it was never going to improve. Tesla's cars really do change over time, features are added ... and at no cost. We have now moved from a time when nothing could ever change without workshop attention to a time when drivers of Teslas expect a whole lot of changes ... preferably with a new instalment every couple of weeks! For all the frustration that we may feel it's worth looking at what has happened with the Model 3 in the UK over the past couple of years purely via free software updates.
I should have more carefully noted the changes as they occurred but although I don't have a definitive list I do have a note of quite a number of things that have been added via software since September 2019 (when I got my car). This list clearly doesn't take account of the much greater number of changes that are made "under the hood". Unfortunately we rarely get much detail about those, but that's potentially another list, though one which would be more difficult to substantiate.
So here we go:
“What has Tesla ever done for me?”
5% increase in power
addition of “hold” for true one pedal driving
user profiles save more settings
Tesla Theatre .. Netflix, Youtube etc
“Caraoke” entertainment feature
umpteen games !
“Joe Mode” for slightly quieter bing bongs
Scheduled departure setting in charging controls
auto navigation setting available from linked calendar
notifications to app if car is left unlocked or windows open - windows auto close feature
visualization items increased eg cones, bins, pedestrians, traffic lights
increased CCS peak charging rate (from 100kW to 170kW for SR+)
more voice controls (needs excellent LTE connectivity to work)
auto closing of windows left open
wiper performance improvements (still work to do)
Supercharger preconditioning when navigating to site
car now shows if Superchargers are out of order or site is busy
ability to wake for externally timed charging
reverse camera views now includes views from side cameras
ability to detect speed limit signs (not on motorways)
Pin to drive: only number required now without confirmatory button press
rear camera on dash cam footage
in-car screen viewer of recorded dash cam clips
ability to format data drives for dash cam
TACC able to set at current speed rather than just at speed limit
car data e-sim changed to UK (from NL) for access to iPlayer etc
ability to set mirror dimming manually
car wash mode
ability to tap battery icon to instantly swap between showing percentage or miles
navigation can now have waypoints
Blind spot camera display when indicating
ability to switch miles or battery percentage with a tap on battery icon
Specifically App related:
ability to unlock boot and frunk
notifications to app if car is left unlocked or windows open - windows auto close feature and via app
Battery heater temperature icon in app shows when pre-conditioning
ability to change charging parameters via the app e.g. amps and timer
live view from car cameras in app when Sentry Mode is on
charging stats graphing and “savings” through EV charging Vs fuel pricing
(“2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD Front” by Vauxford is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.)
I should have more carefully noted the changes as they occurred but although I don't have a definitive list I do have a note of quite a number of things that have been added via software since September 2019 (when I got my car). This list clearly doesn't take account of the much greater number of changes that are made "under the hood". Unfortunately we rarely get much detail about those, but that's potentially another list, though one which would be more difficult to substantiate.
So here we go:
“What has Tesla ever done for me?”
5% increase in power
addition of “hold” for true one pedal driving
user profiles save more settings
Tesla Theatre .. Netflix, Youtube etc
“Caraoke” entertainment feature
umpteen games !
“Joe Mode” for slightly quieter bing bongs
Scheduled departure setting in charging controls
auto navigation setting available from linked calendar
notifications to app if car is left unlocked or windows open - windows auto close feature
visualization items increased eg cones, bins, pedestrians, traffic lights
increased CCS peak charging rate (from 100kW to 170kW for SR+)
more voice controls (needs excellent LTE connectivity to work)
auto closing of windows left open
wiper performance improvements (still work to do)
Supercharger preconditioning when navigating to site
car now shows if Superchargers are out of order or site is busy
ability to wake for externally timed charging
reverse camera views now includes views from side cameras
ability to detect speed limit signs (not on motorways)
Pin to drive: only number required now without confirmatory button press
rear camera on dash cam footage
in-car screen viewer of recorded dash cam clips
ability to format data drives for dash cam
TACC able to set at current speed rather than just at speed limit
car data e-sim changed to UK (from NL) for access to iPlayer etc
ability to set mirror dimming manually
car wash mode
ability to tap battery icon to instantly swap between showing percentage or miles
navigation can now have waypoints
Blind spot camera display when indicating
ability to switch miles or battery percentage with a tap on battery icon
Specifically App related:
ability to unlock boot and frunk
notifications to app if car is left unlocked or windows open - windows auto close feature and via app
Battery heater temperature icon in app shows when pre-conditioning
ability to change charging parameters via the app e.g. amps and timer
live view from car cameras in app when Sentry Mode is on
charging stats graphing and “savings” through EV charging Vs fuel pricing
(“2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD Front” by Vauxford is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.)
