Web Browser Useless

[EVnut]

Yesterday I was getting lunch at a place and I had a sandwich reward on my iPhone.

When I parked and went to load the app, my phone was not on.

Holding the power button down didn't start, it, and I didn't remember exactly how to do a hard reset.

I went to my Tesla web browser to look for instructions, and it was really fast. I was surprised.

I got my free sandwich

OK, now I've heard it all. If the Tesla browser has managed to be more helpful than a smartphone, then we may have finally arrived on this!

I'm glad you didn't starve.

 

[blecchus_rex]

FWIW, I just received 2018.50.6 4ec03ed (having been on 2018.48.12.x) and the web browser is showing signs of life upon cursory inspection...

 

[StellarRat]

I think the browser is working much better now. I did notice it doesn't seem to be able to handle embedded video streams, but it will open standard pages OK.

 

[israndy]

Yeah, no video is a feature, not a bug. They don't wanna pay for the data rates required to playback video over cellular. Though Elon has tweeted that Netflicks or YouTube are likely in the future of the car, though probably WiFi only.

-Randy

 

[CarterStC]

Thought I'd throw this in the mix:

 

[EVnut]

Thought I'd throw this in the mix:

Yikes. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[israndy]

What does that site Tesla-Screen.com do?

-Randy

 

[CarterStC]

What does that site Tesla-Screen.com do?

-Randy

Its an in-car browser-app that I'm working on to enable features that currently do not exist or are poorly implemented. Currently has 3 simple features:

• Date & time (larger font than ui)
  
• Interior (cabin) temperature
  
• Charging setting with exact percent displayed

I'm also working on adding Supercharger queuing with a messaging system that indicates when it is your turn, and it tracks vampire drain accurately without adding to it. I'm also interested in any features our community is interested in.

You can check it out, but I still need to add an SSL cert to the site, so I wouldn't recommend using it to request a Tesla API token until I do. I still need to put in some error handling with some of the functions as well.

 

[notAnExpert]

Its an in-car browser-app that I'm working on to enable features that currently do not exist or are poorly implemented. Currently has 3 simple features:

• Date & time (larger font than ui)
  
• Interior (cabin) temperature
  
• Charging setting with exact percent displayed

I'm also working on adding Supercharger queuing with a messaging system that indicates when it is your turn, and it tracks vampire drain accurately without adding to it. I'm also interested in any features our community is interested in.

You can check it out, but I still need to add an SSL cert to the site, so I wouldn't recommend using it to request a Tesla API token until I do. I still need to put in some error handling with some of the functions as well.

Didn't try it. But you have an excellent idea. Using the otherwise useless browser (at least to me) to be the backdoor app to offer better in-car UI with a web app.

Since you listed temperature control as one of the features and asked for suggestions...

One thing that I don't like with the current console GUI is how many steps it takes to turn on/off a rear seat warmer without turning on the cabin heater. It takes some 5-6 touches to do that. Turning on/off the front seat warmers is easy because they have direct buttons, but the rear seat control takes too many touches. I think you can make that a lot easier with your web app.

btw, how do you track vampire drain without adding to it? Would that involve having to launch the browser every time you get in the car so you can poll the charge at the start of browser and at shutdown? I'm curious.

 

[CarterStC]

Didn't try it. But you have an excellent idea. Using the otherwise useless browser (at least to me) to be the backdoor app to offer better in-car UI with a web app.

Since you listed temperature control as one of the features and asked for suggestions...

One thing that I don't like with the current console GUI is how many steps it takes to turn on/off a rear seat warmer without turning on the cabin heater. It takes some 5-6 touches to do that. Turning on/off the front seat warmers is easy because they have direct buttons, but the rear seat control takes too many touches. I think you can make that a lot easier with your web app.

btw, how do you track vampire drain without adding to it? Would that involve having to launch the browser every time you get in the car so you can poll the charge at the start of browser and at shutdown? I'm curious.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was considering that feature and I believe it will be one of the next to be implemented. I don't like having to turn on the climate control to heat up a rear seat either.
As far as tracking vampire drain, I've found that there are certain apis that only respond when the car is not sleepiing, but do not wake it up. Pinging the api regularly and tracking the responses can give enough data to determine when the car is asleep vs. awake.

 

[notAnExpert]

...
As far as tracking vampire drain, I've found that there are certain apis that only respond when the car is not sleepiing, but do not wake it up. Pinging the api regularly and tracking the responses can give enough data to determine when the car is asleep vs. awake.

That's cool. Come to think of it, when the Tesla phone app says the car is sleeping, I guess it must have done that sort of non-waking ping to know that the car is sleeping. Anyway, keep us posted. Best wishes.

 

[EVnut]

I’m thinking we need a new thread now!

I’ll tell you an important feature I want: let me tap a headlight icon to turn the headlights on and off without having to go into the light menu

 

[israndy]

Yeah, create a thread and link it here.

I would be interested in a way to isolate known draw vs phantom. If I am sitting in the car after I put the car in park and run the heat and radio, that isn't phantom but it also isn't part of the drive.

-Randy

 

[CarterStC]

I’m thinking we need a new thread now!

I’ll tell you an important feature I want: let me tap a headlight icon to turn the headlights on and off without having to go into the light menu

I like that idea - let me try to get the site up and ready this week. If you guys are willing to try it, that would be a great help!

 

[EVnut]

Its an in-car browser-app that I'm working on to enable features that currently do not exist or are poorly implemented. Currently has 3 simple features:

• Charging setting with exact percent displayed

Let us know when you create a new thread. In the meantime, one more suggestion in this area: I've always wondered why I have to choose between showing battery percentage or the estimate of range on the gage part of the screen. I'd like to have BOTH simultaneously.

When I route somewhere, it will show me that when I arrive, I'll have 22% of my range left. Meanwhile, my "fuel tank" shows that I have 265 miles of range left. I'd like to see them in the same units. And I see *no* reason why Tesla makes me choose between miles and percentage.

Oh! And yet another! Add a lifetime wh/mile meter! Mine was deleted when I had my CPU changed, but I'm sure that info is still available.

 

[CarterStC]

I scanned the API for options to control the headlights and the seat heaters. I can read the values, and I can flash the headlights, but I don't see an option to turn them on & off. I'll keep looking. Love the idea of mile + % displaying continually.

 

[notAnExpert]

I can read the values, and I can flash the headlights, but I don't see an option to turn them on & off. I'll keep looking.

There are some commits for the seat heater settings.
See Add remote seat heater requests by jor-dan · Pull Request #106 · timdorr/tesla-api

 

[TEG]

I like that idea - let me try to get the site up and ready this week. If you guys are willing to try it, that would be a great help!

I stopped at the part where you want my Tesla account and sign-in to get the API token.
Is there some way we could generate the token ourselves and upload it to your site rather than giving you our Tesla credentials ?

 

[CarterStC]

I stopped at the part where you want my Tesla account and sign-in to get the API token.
Is there some way we could generate the token ourselves and upload it to your site rather than giving you our Tesla credentials ?

Yes, it is supported and I prefer that anyone using the site do that.

But it has the option to pass the credentials to Tesla and save the API key for those who don't wish to do it themselves. I haven't built in the error handling for that feature yet, but it works if the correct credentials are entered.

I've also added SSL as of this evening.
The battery percentage / range feature is now added as well. Heated rear seats are next.

The screenshots I'm adding are squished a bit horizontally so the text is wrapping, the cards are more consistent on the Tesla screen.

Also showing the code to generate an API token - its passthrough only, but again, just a convenience feature. Generate your own and paste it in.

 

[Anjumhameed]

they haven't updated their browser from a couple of time ago, that's why it is too much lagging and takes time to input characters, wait for some new update and again check it.