News
Tesla China launches ‘New Year of the Ox’ software update: TikTok, QQ Music Lyrics, and more
Tesla China has formally rolled out the 2021.04.05 Software Update, celebrating the Chinese New Year. “The Year of the Ox” update includes new features like TikTok, QQ Music Lyrics for sing-a-long capabilities, and improved voice recognition functionality.
The Chinese New Year has officially begun on Friday, February 12th in China, marking the beginning of “the Year of the Ox.” The Ox applies to anyone born in 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, or 2021, and denotes someone with diligent, dependable, strong, and determinated personality traits, China Highlights said.
Tesla has offered a new software update to celebrate the beginning of the New Year, passing along several new features to owners who have embraced the company’s full-fledged effort to dominate the country’s electric vehicle market.
牛年大吉!
Happy Chinese New Year. pic.twitter.com/bMPRxX8bmY— Tesla Greater China (@teslacn) February 11, 2021
Tik Tok
Vehicles will now equip a new entertainment feature with the widely-popular TikTok application. Tesla owners will now have the ability to watch, like, comment, and share TikToks from their all-electric vehicles, a new feature that will only add to the options available to drivers at times of leisure. Entertainment options have been a focus of Tesla’s primarily due to the downtime that is required when Supercharging, but it also opens the door for more activities upon the release of the company’s Full Self-Driving suite. Tesla expects Level 5 autonomy to be released later this year in the U.S., but there is no timeline for China.

QQ Music Lyrics
Tesla also added QQ Music Lyrics, a separate feature from the company’s notorious “Caraoke” feature. At the touch of a button, Tesla owners will now be able to pull up lyrics to their favorite songs, another entertainment option that many drivers are sure to enjoy. The lyrics will support any song on the QQ Music Streaming application.

Improved Voice Recognition Capability
Improvements to Tesla’s Voice Recognition were also added to the update, giving drivers a wider range of possibilities of commands for its vehicles. Tesla displayed several examples in a video it shared to its Weibo account. One of the most standard features in most vehicles today is voice recognition or voice command features. It alleviates the need for the driver to take their hands off of the steering wheel to perform a task, making traveling safer for those who are in need of completing other tasks, like inputting a new destination for navigation, or sending a text message, while operating the car.

Tesla has become the most-popular EV brand in China since beginning deliveries of the Model 3 in January 2020. In 2020, the Model 3 was the most popular EV in China, selling over 139,000 units, holding 11% of the total electric car market share in the country. Tesla also recently began deliveries of the Made in China Model Y in January.
News
Tesla launches its new branded Supercharger for Business with first active station
Tesla has officially launched its first branded Supercharger just months after initiating a new program that allows third-party companies to brand their own charging piles.
The site opened in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, and features eight V4 Supercharging stalls offering up to 325 kW of charging speed. It appears it was purchased by a company called Suncoast Credit Union. This particular branch is located Northeast of Tampa, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.
It features graphics of Florida animals, like alligators:
Here’s a video of the graphics being installed on the Tesla Superchargers at this site: https://t.co/oIfEPNZjAH pic.twitter.com/ENWakZ2qT9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 20, 2025
Tesla launched this program back in September, and it basically was a way to expand its Supercharger presence and also allow companies to pay for the infrastructure. Tesla maintains it. When it announced the “Supercharger for Business,” it said:
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business. Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
The program does a few things. Initially, it expands EV charging infrastructure and makes charging solutions more readily available for drivers. It can also attract people to those businesses specifically.
Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love
The chargers can also be branded with any logo that the business chooses, which makes them more personalized and also acts as an advertisement.
The best part is that the customers do not have to maintain anything about the Supercharger. Tesla still takes care of it and resolves any issues:
“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance, and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”
It appears the Superchargers will also appear within the in-car nav during routing, so they’ll be publicly available to anyone who needs to use them. They are still available to all EVs that have worked with Tesla to utilize its infrastructure, and they are not restricted to people who are only visiting the business.
Cybertruck
Tesla reveals its Cybertruck light bar installation fix
Tesla has revealed its Cybertruck light bar installation fix after a recall exposed a serious issue with the accessory.
Tesla and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated a recall of 6,197 Cybertrucks back in October to resolve an issue with the Cybertruck light bar accessory. It was an issue with the adhesive that was provided by a Romanian company called Hella Romania S.R.L.
Tesla recalls 6,197 Cybertrucks for light bar adhesive issue
The issue was with the primer quality, as the recall report from the NHTSA had stated the light bar had “inadvertently attached to the windshield using the incorrect surface primer.”
Instead of trying to adhere the light bar to the Cybertruck with an adhesive, Tesla is now going to attach it with a bracketing system, which will physically mount it to the vehicle instead of relying on adhesive strips or glue.
Tesla outlines this in its new Service Bulletin, labeled SB-25-90-001, (spotted by Not a Tesla App) where it shows the light bar will be remounted more securely:
The entire process will take a few hours, but it can be completed by the Mobile Service techs, so if you have a Cybertruck that needs a light bar adjustment, it can be done without taking the vehicle to the Service Center for repair.
However, the repair will only happen if there is no delamination or damage present; then Tesla could “retrofit the service-installed optional off-road light bar accessory with a positive mechanical attachment.”
The company said it would repair the light bar at no charge to customers. The light bar issue was one that did not result in any accidents or injuries, according to the NHTSA’s report.
This was the third recall on Cybertruck this year, as one was highlighted in March for exterior trim panels detaching during operation. Another had to do with front parking lights being too bright, which was fixed with an Over-the-Air update last month.
News
Tesla is already expanding its Rental program aggressively
The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.
Tesla is looking to expand its Rental Program aggressively, just weeks after the program was first spotted on its Careers website.
Earlier this month, we reported on Tesla’s intention to launch a crazy new Rental program with cheap daily rates, which would give people in various locations the opportunity to borrow a vehicle in the company’s lineup with some outrageous perks.
Along with the cheap rates that start at about $60 per day, Tesla also provides free Full Self-Driving operation and free Supercharging for the duration of the rental. There are also no limits on mileage or charging, but the terms do not allow the renter to leave the state from which they are renting.
🚨🚨 If you look up details on the Tesla Rental program on Google, you’ll see a bunch of sites saying it’s because of decreasing demand 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WlSQrDJhMg
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2025
The program has already launched in a handful of locations, specifically, it has been confined to California for now. However, it does not seem like Tesla has any interest in keeping it restricted to the Golden State.
Job postings from Tesla now show it is planning to launch the Rental program in at least three new states: Texas, Tennessee, and Massachusetts.
The jobs specifically are listed as a Rental Readiness Specialist, which lists the following job description:
“The Tesla Rental Program is looking for a Rental Readiness Specialist to work on one of the most progressive vehicle brands in the world. The Rental Readiness Specialist is a key contributor to the Tesla experience by coordinating the receipt of incoming new and used vehicle inventory. This position is responsible for fleet/lot management, movement of vehicles, vehicle readiness, rental invoicing, and customer hand-off. Candidates must have a high level of accountability, and personal satisfaction in doing a great job.”
It also says that those who take the position will have to charge and clean the cars, work with clients on scheduling pickups and drop-offs, and prepare the paperwork necessary to initiate the rental.
The establishment of a Rental program is big for Tesla because it not only gives people the opportunity to experience the vehicles, but it is also a new way to rent a car.
Just as the Tesla purchasing process is more streamlined and more efficient than the traditional car-buying experience, it seems this could be less painful and a new way to borrow a car for a trip instead of using your own.