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Tesla’s 12V batteries set to receive major improvements through software update

Credit: The Car Colony <a href="https://thecarcolony.com/how-long-do-teslas-last/

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The Tesla ownership experience is intended to be as convenient as possible, with the vehicles themselves needing very little maintenance and practices like charging being effortless with the Supercharger Network’s plug-and-play nature. Yet even amidst all these conveniences, Tesla owners have cited a notable pain point in their ownership experience: their cars’ 12V battery.

RELATED: Tesla 12V Lithium-Ion battery replacement (up to 70% lighter, 4x life)

Similar to traditional vehicles, Teslas utilize a conventional 12V battery to power components like emergency blinkers, airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, and the infotainment system. Typical 12V batteries last about 3-4 years under normal use in a fossil fuel-powered vehicle, but among Tesla owners, especially those who drive frequently, the lifespan of 12V batteries have been reported to go down to as short as 1-2 years.

Adding to the inconvenience is the fact that Teslas currently do not have a feature that notifies owners about the health of their cars’ 12V batteries. Tesla owners have responded to this by requesting for an update that would allow them to view the current state of their vehicles’ 12V batteries. One such request was posted on Twitter recently, with Tesla enthusiast @TeslaVibes stating that such a feature needs to be implemented in a future update.

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Interestingly enough, Elon Musk completely agreed with the Tesla enthusiast’s request. The Tesla CEO added that major software improvements are set to be released for vehicles’ 12V batteries, which should allow them to last longer. “Couldn’t agree more — major software improvements are already in place to extend its life & more coming,” Musk wrote.

Considering Musk’s post, it seems that an update that would include 12V battery health warnings is all but confirmed. Such a feature will likely be universally appreciated by Tesla owners, as it could address a particularly infuriating part of the electric car ownership experience. Such a feature, if any, would definitely reduce the instances of owners running into major inconveniences when their vehicles’ 12V battery dies.

Elon Musk’s Twitter post suggests that Tesla is well aware of the limitations that 12V batteries still bring to the EV ownership experience. With this in mind, it would not be surprising if the company comes up with a superior alternative for 12V batteries in the coming years. Tesla, after all, is known for its quick pace of innovation, and the 12V battery is certainly an area that is in great need of some innovation.

It should be noted that the earliest versions of the original Tesla Roadster did not use a traditional 12V battery. Instead, Tesla opted to utilize a portion of the vehicle’s main lithium-ion battery pack to supply 12V for the all-electric sports car’s accessories and lights. The system was quite novel, but the idea was later dropped in favor of a more traditional 12V battery. Conventional 12V batteries were initially used for the original Roadster 2.0, and in every vehicle that Tesla has released since.

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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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Cybertruck

Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.

The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.

Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.

That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.

Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says

Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.

It features:

  • Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
  • Powered tonneau cover
  • Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
  • Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
  • Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
  • Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
  • 6’ x 4’ composite bed
  • Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
  • Powered frunk

Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt

Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.

Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.

In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. 

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“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified. 

His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.

SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable. 

Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. 

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The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars. 

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.

“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated

“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”

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Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions. 

The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. 

In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.

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