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How to use the Tesla Model S cruise control system

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Tesla Model S Cruise Control

Tesla Model S Cruise Control StalkThe entire Tesla Model S cruise control system is managed through a dedicated “stalk” situated on the upper left hand side of the steering wheel column. Pressing the stalk in will toggle cruise control on and pressing it again will turn it off. A LED lights up on the stalk when cruise control is activated and unlit when it’s deactivated. Tesla added a nice touch to the cruise control by remembering the previous on and off state across sleep, wake and charge cycles.

[Video Demo] New Tesla Firmware 6.1 shows first signs of Autopilot

Pushing up or down on the cruise stalk will initially set your cruise speed as long as you’re traveling at 17 MPH or above. I have no idea why they chose to add in this minimum speed threshold. To me it would have been more convenient if it allowed me to resume my previous cruising speed from any point.

Using Cruise Control

The cruise control stalk has a 2-step toggle similar to that of the turn signal. A lighter nudge will enable a 1 MPH increase or decrease in cruising speed depending in which direction you nudge it. Pushing the stalk with a bit more pressure will click it into a higher change in speed at 5 MPH.

Resuming cruise control is as simple as pulling the stalk towards you. The car will quickly accelerate back to the set cruising speed but in a controlled manner, never exceeding 80kW of acceleration. I tested a 20 to 70 MPH cruise resume and found it to be very smooth and safe feeling.

Tesla Model S Cruise Control Stalk

Canceling the cruise control, but not turn it off, requires a forward push on the stalk. This can be quite jarring for your passengers since the car will suddenly slow down without much notice due to the regenerative braking.

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Tip:  Offset the regenerative braking by keeping your foot on the accelerator pedal and applying some gentle acceleration before canceling cruise control. This takes time to master but is well worth the effort.

Cruise Display

There’s a small marker on the outer trim of the digital bezel that indicates the speed at which cruise control is set at. You’re not constrained to this speed so you can always accelerate past that marker by depressing the accelerator pedal or cancel cruise control all together by pushing the stalk away from you.

Tesla Model S Cruise Control Marker

Efficiency

Theory suggests that cruise control will improve energy efficiency in the Tesla Model S by helping the vehicle maintain a set speed while it tackles elevation changes. People tend to accelerate and decelerate when not entirely needed therefore wasting energy. Regenerative braking reclaims 70% of this wasted energy but, even at that, using cruise control will ensure that you’re using energy efficiently.

Summary

The high-mounted location of the Tesla Model S cruise control stalk takes some getting used to. Canceling cruise control also requires practice as it kicks off regenerative braking the second you toggle the stalk forward. But overall Tesla did a great job building out the cruise control system. In fact it’s one of the best cruise control systems I’ve ever used!

Happy cruising!

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"Rob's passion is technology and gadgets. An engineer by profession and an executive and founder at several high tech startups Rob has a unique view on technology and some strong opinions. When he's not writing about Tesla

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Tesla pushes crazy ‘Luxe’ incentive package on flagship Model S and X

Tesla is pushing more customers to the Model S and Model X with a new incentive package.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has pushed a crazy new incentive package, known as the “Luxe Package,” on the flagship Model S and Model X, along with a $10,000 price increase on each trim level.

The move aims to likely bolster margins for the company on the two cars while also giving those who choose to buy the Tesla lineup mainstays a variety of awesome advantages, including Free Supercharging, Full Self-Driving, and other add-ons.

Tesla is offering a crazy Supercharging incentive on its two ‘sentimental’ vehicles

Last night, Tesla launched the “Luxe Package” for the Model S and Model X, which includes the following four add-ons:

  • Full Self-Driving (Supervised) – Your car will be able to drive itself almost anywhere with minimal driver intervention
  • Four-Year Premium Service – Wheel and Tire Protection, Windshield Protection, and Recommended Maintenance
  • Supercharging – Charge for free at 70,000+ Superchargers worldwide
  • Premium Connectivity – Listen to music, stream movies, monitor live traffic, and more – no Wi-Fi needed

Full Self-Driving is priced at $8,000. Free Supercharging for the life of the car is between $10,000 and $15,000 over the life of the vehicle, although Tesla has valued it at $5,000 in recent promotions.

Free Premium Connectivity is roughly $1,000, and the four-year tire, wheel, windshield, and maintenance plan is about $3,200.

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In all, the value is over $25,000, but this is loosely based on usage.

The Model S and Model X are low contributors to Tesla’s overall sales figures, as they make up less than five percent of sales from a quarterly perspective and have for some time.

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As they are certainly the luxury choices in Tesla’s lineup, the Model 3 and Model Y are the bigger focus for the company, as a significantly larger portion of the company’s sales is made up of those vehicles.

The Luxe Package is an especially good idea for those who drive high-mileage and plan to use the Model S or Model X for commuting or long drives. The free Supercharging makes the deal worth it on its own.

As for the price bumps, each of the vehicles are now priced as follows:

  • Model S All-Wheel-Drive: $94,990
  • Model S Plaid: $109,990
  • Model X All-Wheel-Drive: $99,990
  • Model X Plaid: $114,990
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Tesla takes first step in sunsetting Model S and X with drastic move

Tesla won’t be taking custom orders of the Model S or Model X in Europe any longer.

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Credit: @supergeek18 | X

Tesla has seemingly taken the first step in sunsetting two of its older vehicles, the Model S and Model X, by ending international orders.

The flagship sedan and SUV from Tesla are the two oldest cars in the company’s lineup. They account for a very small portion of overall sales, and several years ago, CEO Elon Musk admitted that Tesla only continues to build and sell them due to “sentimental reasons.”

Earlier this year, there were calls for Tesla to end the production of the two cars, but Lars Moravy said that the Model S and Model X were due to get some love later in 2025. That happened, but the changes were extremely minor.

Tesla launches new Model S and Model X, and the changes are slim

Some took this as an indication that Tesla has kind of moved on from the Model S and Model X. A handful of people seemed to think Tesla would overhaul the vehicles substantially, but the changes were extremely minor and included only a few real adjustments.

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In Europe, customers are unable to even put a new order in on a Model S or Model X.

We noticed earlier today that Tesla pressing the ‘Order’ button on either of the flagship vehicles takes you to local inventory, and not the Design Studio where you’d configure your custom build:

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Tesla simply does not make enough Model S or Model X units to justify the expensive logistics process of shipping custom orders overseas. It almost seems as if they’re that they will essentially build a bunch of random configurations, send them overseas every few months, and let them sell before replenishing inventory.

Inversely, it could also mean Tesla is truly gearing up to sunset the vehicle altogether. It seems unlikely that the company will fade them out altogether in the next couple of years, but it could absolutely think about ending international orders because volume is so low.

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Tesla confirms massive hardware change for autonomy improvement

Tesla has confirmed that a recent change made to some of its recently refreshed vehicles is, in fact, a strategy it will use to improve its suite as it continues to work toward autonomy.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has confirmed that a recent change made to some of its recently refreshed vehicles is, in fact, a strategy it will use to improve its suite as it continues to work toward autonomy.

Tesla first introduced a front-facing camera on the front bumper with the Cybertruck.

Then, the Model Y “Juniper” received the hardware update. The Model S and Model X both received the front-facing camera with its latest update, which was officially revealed last week.

Tesla used new language with the release of the front-facing cameras on the Model S and Model X, confirming they will assist with several things, including “using Autopilot and Actually Smart Summon capabilities”:

“Enhanced visibility when parking or using Autopilot and Actually Smart Summon capabilities.”

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This tiny feature on the new Tesla Model Y is perhaps its biggest addition

This is the first time Tesla has used this sort of language, as it was a completely different description with the launch of the new Model Y in January.

When Tesla launched this vehicle, it said the front bumper camera “provides a wider field of view for automatic assisted driving and advanced Smart Summon.”

Tesla switched from using cameras and sensors to only cameras with the launch of Tesla Vision several years ago. The company’s utilization of cameras comes from Tesla’s belief that Ultrasonic Sensors (USS) are not needed for self-driving efforts:

“Along with the removal of USS, we simultaneously launched our vision-based occupancy network – currently used in Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised) – to replace the inputs generated by USS. With today’s software, this approach gives Autopilot high-definition spatial positioning, longer range visibility and the ability to identify and differentiate between objects. As with many Tesla features, our occupancy network will continue to improve rapidly over time.”

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CEO Elon Musk has said that sensors were only a crutch and that self-driving would be solved through the use of cameras:

“When your vision works, it works better than the best human because it’s like having eight cameras, it’s like having eyes in the back of your head, beside your head, and has three eyes of different focal distances looking forward. This is — and processing it at a speed that is superhuman. There’s no question in my mind that with a pure vision solution, we can make a car that is dramatically safer than the average person.”

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