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Tesla’s latest Autopilot 2.0 update handles ‘curvy’ highways like a boss [Video]

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New videos posted to YouTube by Tesla owners receiving the latest Autopilot 2.0 software update reveal a substantially improved highway driving experience. However, Model S and Model X drivers under the new software are also giving mixed reactions when it comes to the vehicle’s ability to navigate local roads while in Autopilot mode.

The new v8.1 (17.17.4) software update arrived with several improvements, including the removal of a prior speed limit restriction on local roadways and an increase to Autosteer’s highway speed limit, from 80 mph (129 kmh) to 90 mph (145 kmh).

Håkan Forss’s latest YouTube video highlights changes made to the vehicle’s local driving capabilities. He notes that the vehicle previously performed better on local roads, citing that he drove the same route as his previous local tests. Forss provides informative commentary on Autopilot’s performance compared to previous versions. It’s worth noting that Forss’s description also states, “Not in this video but, this version seems to perform much better than previous on highways and multi-lane roads with good lane markers.”

Plenty of owners with Autopilot 2.0 have struggled to wait patiently for the vehicle’s long-awaited Enhanced Autopilot software update as Tesla continues to take a cautionary approach with releasing incremental improvements to its driving-assist feature. Older generation Model S and Model X using Autopilot 1.0 have long been equipped with Autosteering capabilities, but bear in mind that Tesla was then working with their previous partner, Mobileye (now acquired by Intel). Musk highlighted during Tesla’s recent earnings Q&A call that their Autopilot team had to recreate Mobileye’s capability after the fallout, and they were able to accomplish it in 6-months.

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In another video posted by Tesla Trip, they highlight improved Autopilot driving on curvy freeways at higher speeds. The roads used for the testing were largely one lane roads with one center lane marking. Additionally, the video shows Autopilot’s reaction to an inattentive driver.

Lastly, we have a video out of France showing Autopilot’s ability to navigate a freeway at high speeds while reacting to frequent curves on the roadway. The driver goes as far as using the Auto Lane Change capability while the vehicle is navigating a turn. It’s arguably our best look yet of how Autopilot 2.0 continues to improve.

https://youtu.be/ixT-d-jnW-8

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Christian Prenzler is currently the VP of Business Development at Teslarati, leading strategic partnerships, content development, email newsletters, and subscription programs. Additionally, Christian thoroughly enjoys investigating pivotal moments in the emerging mobility sector and sharing these stories with Teslarati's readers. He has been closely following and writing on Tesla and disruptive technology for over seven years. You can contact Christian here: christian@teslarati.com

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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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Energy

Tesla inks multi-billion-dollar deal with LG Energy Solution to avoid tariff pressure

Tesla has reportedly secured a sizable partnership with LGES for LFP cells, and there’s an extra positive out of it.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has reportedly inked a multi-billion-dollar deal with LG Energy Solution in an effort to avoid tariff pressure and domesticate more of its supply chain.

Reuters is reporting that Tesla and LGES, a South Korean battery supplier of the automaker, signed a $4.3 billion deal for energy storage system batteries. The cells are going to be manufactured by LGES at its U.S. factory located in Michigan, the report indicates. The batteries will be the lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, chemistry.

Tesla delivers 384,000 vehicles in Q2 2025, deploys 9.6 GWh in energy storage

It is a move Tesla is making to avoid buying cells and parts from overseas as the Trump White House continues to use tariffs to prioritize domestic manufacturing.

LGES announced earlier today that it had signed a $4.3 billion contract to supply LFP cells over three years to a company, but it did not identify the customer, nor did the company state whether the batteries would be used in automotive or energy storage applications.

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The deal is advantageous for both companies. Tesla is going to alleviate its reliance on battery cells that are built out of the country, so it’s going to be able to take some financial pressure off itself.

For LGES, the company has reported that it has experienced slowed demand for its cells in terms of automotive applications. It planned to offset this demand lag with more projects involving the cells in energy storage projects. This has been helped by the need for these systems at data centers used for AI.

During the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja confirmed that the company’s energy division had been impacted by the need to source cells from China-based suppliers. He went on to say that the company would work on “securing additional supply chain from non-China-based suppliers.”

It seems as if Tesla has managed to secure some of this needed domestic supply chain.

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Lifestyle

Tesla brings perhaps the coolest interior feature to cars in latest update

Tesla adds on to the “fun” aspect of its vehicles.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has brought perhaps the coolest interior feature to its cars in a new update that is rolling out to vehicles now.

The feature will require a newer vehicle that has interior ambient lighting, which is present on the new Model S, Model X, Model 3 “Highland,” and Model Y “Juniper.” The Cybertruck also has ambient lighting strips throughout.

Tesla Model Y’s ambient lighting design changes revealed in leaked video

With the Version 2025.26+ Software Update, Tesla is rolling out a new “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music” feature, which is available on the Tesla Toybox:

To enable the feature, you’ll access the Toybox, choose “Light Sync,” and then choose “Sync Accent Lights w/ Music.”

Although it does not improve the performance of the vehicle, it is yet another example of Tesla making one of the coolest cars out there. This is truly a cool add-on that can be used to impress your friends and family.

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