Restrictions on Hong Kong Model S spec

[Tam]

...Tesla was told about the calendar issue back in 2014...

I agree with @stopcrazypp that 2014 was not about the calendar but it was about a generic legal requirement for a visual display which of course should make lots of Tesla features illegal as mentioned by @markwj such as phone, music art icon display, address book...

Even if Calendar was indeed declared illegal, it is not wrong to say that your car can have a calendar or you can drive 155 mph or your car does not have an engine so it's very quiet.

Just because the TD declares that it's illegal to drive 155 mph, it does not mean your car is incapable of running that fast.

Just because your car is quiet, it can also mean that it is quite loud in some places where a government makes laws to require your car to become very noisy....

Owners can complain to Tesla but I think that is quite mis-directed because Tesla does not make laws in Hong Kong. It follows the laws.

 

[markwj]

"Hence, the decision made by Tesla this time to remove the calendar app from the new model and Tesla vehicles in use is based on legal requirements"

"In processing an application for type approval of a new Tesla model recently, the TD found that the visual display unit on the vehicle has displayed the calendar functional images. The TD then reminded Tesla that the new model must comply with the above legal requirement, otherwise it would not be able to comply with the requirements for type approval."

In other words, the decision by Tesla to remove the calendar App was entirely Tesla's choice. Transport Department merely informed Tesla it was illegal (subject to fines per infraction, imprisonment, etc), and they wouldn't allow Tesla to put new cars on the road with that feature there. Entirely up to Tesla. Yeah, right.

 

[markwj]

When all over the world, all have agreed to leave the Calendar on Tesla 17" display screen alone and then there's one single case in the whole world who finds that it's against legal requirements, then uniqueness does raise questions.

The same findings should be applicable to AM/FM Radio, Internet Music, USB music player, Blue Tooth Music player on Tesla 17" display screen as well, but yet there's no objection to those things.

This act of Calendar prohibition seems to suggest an ability to pick and choose which features that are in compliance and which are not.

Yes, exactly.

And, how is Tesla to know what is illegal and what is not? When other things like audio, phone integration, date, time, temperature, are equally illegal (but seemingly TD turns a blind eye to)?

I have been asking TD for four months whether Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are illegal here. They just keep referring me to CAP374A Section 37. But that doesn't help because according to that, every modern car in Hong Kong has an illegal in-car display.

 

[bignoodle]

This shows Tesla does respect the laws of Hong Kong and it does take those directives from TD seriously.

No doubt, and really, that's fine.

I just question the decision to communicate the message via software update. I mean, this update didn't remove the calendar -- it had already been removed weeks ago. The update didn't contain a single ounce of substance, aside from that message. I mean, I appreciate the message I guess, all I'm saying is, wouldn't an email have been easier?

Then again I'm sure I'm being overly niggly about it. Who cares how trivial the update is, when it happens overnight. Just can't get it out of my head that it's a tad silly to put the car through an update/reset cycle to push nothing more than 2 sentences of text.

 

[Tam]

...whether Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are illegal here...

Those Android Auto and Apple CarPlay certainly have more features that should be more illegal than Tesla Calendar. For example: Audio Book Reading, E-mail/Texting reading and dictation...

Android Auto wouldn't use the "Calendar" word. It prefers to call it as Google Reminders.

 

[Tam]

...I just question the decision to communicate the message via software update...

We don't know Tesla operation internally so your questioning is fine.

There are some possibilities:

1) Tesla first communicated the Calendar discontinuation by a software update. TD then corrected Tesla that Tesla's "driveability" rationale is wrong. So, it might be best to do a correction the same way. Software update would have a success rate of 100% while e-mail might not be delivered perfectly due to typos or obsolete addresses or spam filters...

2) There might be some computer coding that needs to be revised. There might be some thing as simple as comments left in the codes that need to be taken off.

 

[Silverbird]

we should write a petition to the CE CY Leung and ask him to instruct the Secretary for transportation to see the need of amending the prevailing law to suit the trend of the innovation made by the whole automobile industry or he should stop his so called Department of innovation and technology. The whole automobile industry is moving so fast now that it is a must to amend the law from time to time to accommodate the new technology.

 

[mattse]

I was told BYD E6 has a calendar. But not sure if that is in the HK spec car or not.

Will talk to someone driving BYD E6 next time I meet one in car park with BYD chargers, this would be the best example showing the unfairness in calendar case

A slew of new cars came out this year that are sporting new revised/ overhauled tech which i'll be looking into.
COMAND (S-Class), MMI and Virtual cockpit (TT and Q7), Volvo Sensus (T90), iDrive (7series).

Infiniti InTouch DOES have calendar functionality with Google Calendars but don't know if it's disabled for HK

Will look into it too

 

[mattse]

I just question the decision to communicate the message via software update. I mean, this update didn't remove the calendar -- it had already been removed weeks ago. The update didn't contain a single ounce of substance, aside from that message. I mean, I appreciate the message I guess, all I'm saying is, wouldn't an email have been easier?

Then again I'm sure I'm being overly niggly about it. Who cares how trivial the update is, when it happens overnight. Just can't get it out of my head that it's a tad silly to put the car through an update/reset cycle to push nothing more than 2 sentences of text.

The firmware gets some "minor" updates or fixs every week

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once said that Tesla continues to improve on their vehicles making sometimes twenty engineering design changes per week, with many of them being released via over-the-air software updates
Exploring Details Behind the Tesla Model S Update​

Quite a few of these are not noticeable to users, just like few months back I received two to three OTA updates with the same release notes (and no noticeable difference in my eyes), they may have fixed something important this time, they may not have fixed anything, only engineers can tell

 

[Ben H]

Anyone got any news about potentially having web browser and calendar back?

Just ridiculous!

 

[Lerxt]

Web browser? It was never here in the first place. But hey, the TD with their 2000km of roads knows better than the US authorities with their 6,500,000 km of roads.

 

[markwj]

Web browser? It was never here in the first place.

Actually, strictly speaking it was. I few lucky early owners had it for a few weeks before Tesla removed it.

Restrictions on Hong Kong Model S spec

 

[Ben H]

Actually, strictly speaking it was. I few lucky early owners had it for a few weeks before Tesla removed it.

Restrictions on Hong Kong Model S spec

Just out of curiosity, is Hong Kong the only place with the web browser restricted?

 

[markwj]

Just out of curiosity, is Hong Kong the only place with the web browser restricted?

Australia also.

Hong Kong seems to the only place with calendar restricted.

 

[Ben H]

Australia also.

Hong Kong seems to the only place with calendar restricted.

HAHAHAHA calendars are very dangerous

 

[FequalsMA]

Has anyone got release notes for the latest update from yesterday?

Did the dictators just ban AP again due to the recent stateside accidents?

 

[Lerxt]

Has anyone got release notes for the latest update from yesterday?

Did the dictators just ban AP again due to the recent stateside accidents?

No. When the genius's at the TD banned it, it was done without a software update prompt. It just suddenly didn't work.

 

[bignoodle]

Release notes are identical to the one I posted earlier (somewhere in this thread). Exactly the same wording re calendar being removed and Tesla working w TD to restore the functionality.

So what this probably means is that the people in charge of managing and pushing HK Tesla software updates are not bothering to update the release notes with every release. (i.e. I'm sure this update contained fixes of some kind, we're just not being told what they are.)

 

[lx3h]

After meeting with TD's Assistant Commissioner/Administration and Licensing Mr Reginald Chan and his colleagues, we were explicitly told that if browser is only enabled at Park, then they will seriously consider allowing it, but first, Tesla will have to produce this.
Facebook

 

[808?]

After meeting with TD's Assistant Commissioner/Administration and Licensing Mr Reginald Chan and his colleagues, we were explicitly told that if browser is only enabled at Park, then they will seriously consider allowing it, but first, Tesla will have to produce this.
Facebook

Australia has the browser like this already I believe?