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Non-Tesla Supercharger access details teased in app update, includes “anti-ICE-ing” reminder

Credit: @olympusdev_/Twitter

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Earlier this year, Elon Musk noted that Tesla would likely open its expansive Supercharger Network to non-Tesla EVs by the end of the year. According to the CEO, non-Tesla drivers who wish to access the Supercharger Network would simply need to use the company’s mobile app to connect to an available charging stall to initiate a charging session. Based on the code of version 4.2.3 of the Tesla mobile app, it appears that the company is doing what it can to make these features a reality in the near future. 

The code of the Tesla app’s 4.2.3 update revealed a number of key references about the upcoming Supercharger service. The update’s code, for one, indicated that Tesla would be promoting its Supercharger Network as the “largest global charging network” in the market. The company would also be encouraging users to “save on (your) monthly charging costs with a Membership.” It remains to be seen what this Membership entails, but such an initiative would likely encourage more EV drivers to use the Supercharger Network. 

Similar to previous versions of the Tesla app, the company would be promoting its vehicles and merchandise for mobile users. Advertisements for the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y are visible, and the option to order any of the company’s existing vehicle lineup seems to be available as well. This marketing strategy could help Tesla expand its reach to more customers, as EV drivers would likely see the company’s offerings while charging their non-Tesla electric cars. 

Image assets found in the new Tesla mobile app update provided hints at some of the options and menus that would be presented to mobile users as well. Based on a set of images retrieved by Tesla advocate @olympusdev_ on Twitter, it appears that non-Tesla owners would be able to perform searches for available Superchargers from the app itself. And just like what Musk hinted at earlier this year, non-Tesla drivers would simply need to indicate the Supercharger stall number they wish to use before initiating a charging session. 

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Interestingly enough, the Tesla app also seems to include some useful reminders for non-Tesla owners when they use the company’s Supercharger Network. These include a reminder not to park their EVs sideways when Supercharging, as this would result in other stalls being blocked. This is a pretty good more on Tesla’s part, as it would discourage non-Tesla owners from inadvertently “ICE-ing” a Supercharger stall. 

While “ICE-ing” pertains to the practice of blocking an EV charging stall by an internal combustion-powered vehicle, incidents involving electric cars blocking other EVs have unfortunately become quite commonplace as battery electric cars became more mainstream. With this in mind, the company’s gentle reminder in its mobile app could be seen as an effort to avoid potential EV charging station blocking incidents, especially when the Supercharger Network is opened to non-Tesla electric cars.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to tips@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Phone? Not quite, but close: analyst

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elon musk phone
Photo: Boss Hunting.com.au

For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.

Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.

It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.

Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.

The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.

Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.

The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.

SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.

There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.

The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.

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Tesla reveals huge Cybercab detail in new guide for First Responders

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla revealed a major new Cybercab detail in a guide it released for First Responders, showing new territory in its beliefs and intentions for the ride-hailing-focused vehicle that entered production in April.

The First Responders Guide is released to give fire departments, paramedics, and other emergency personnel the proper guidance on what to do in the event of an accident, entrapment, or other situation that would require immediate attention.

On one of the pages of the First Responders Guide, Tesla revealed a stark detail about the Cybercab, which could help personnel enter the vehicle more easily in case of an emergency.

Tesla Cybercab has one important piece that AI4 cars might need for FSD

It shows Tesla has no intention of releasing any Cybercab units that were initially proposed for ride-hailing services for the general public with any manual controls, meaning a steering wheel or pedals:

“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or acceleration and brake pedals.”

This is a major development for those who continue to believe Tesla planned to release the Cybercab with any sort of manual controls so that passengers could take over if needed. However, when Tesla started manufacturing production versions of the Cybercab in Giga Texas earlier this year, they were spotted without a steering wheel or pedals.

It essentially confirms the company has no intentions of bringing manual controls to the car’s production versions. Some have argued that the likelihood of Tesla having something

There still are some Cybercab units out there with a steering wheel and pedals, and as Tesla said, these cars are engineering or test vehicles, which have Safety Monitors on board to help the car out of a precarious situation or emergency.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ Release Notes: new capabilities and features

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(Credit: Megan Gale/Twitter)

Tesla released the Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ suite to owners of Hardware 3 or AI3 vehicles today, adding several new features to the vehicles that were once believed to be capable of unsupervised self-driving.

Now, Tesla has released this modified suite to older Tesla vehicles, adding plenty of new features and capabilities.

Here are the full release notes for the suite:

  • Distilled the intelligence from HW4 V14 into HW3. This allows HW3 to directly learn how to handle scenarios using HW4 V14 as a guide. This process unlocks the improvements that have been made to HW4 including Reinforcement Learning (RL) and offline models for HW3.
  • Improved both proactive and reactive responsiveness across a wide variety of categories including navigation handling, merges and forks, pedestrian interactions, traffic lights, and vehicle cut-in scenarios.
  • Improved general comfort in nominal scenarios through fewer false slowdowns, smoother steering and more consistent lane centering.
  • Introduced parking, unparking, and reversing capabilities.
  • Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, or at the Curbside.
  • Speed Profiles are now available at all times, to further customize driving style preference.

These improvements, according to Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, help distill the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute configurations of AI3.

Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ for older cars finally gets released

He added:

“It includes destination options and speed profiles on city roads, but more importantly significantly improved safety. We hope you’ll enjoy it, once the build ships wide.”

Tesla will continue to roll out the v14 Lite suite more widely in the coming weeks, the company said.

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