Tesla owners are reporting that they are now receiving update 2024.14.3, which is the 2024 Spring Release. The Spring Release includes user interface V12, Audible support, hands-free trunk, and sentry mode previews, among others. It also includes a number of new features for the Cybertruck.
Tesla previewed a number of the Spring Release’s updates in a post on X earlier this month. While Tesla did not indicate the exact release that would include the new features would be rolled out, the announcement was appreciated by electric vehicle owners nonetheless. Notable software updates, after all, are among the most unique parts of the Tesla ownership experience.
Your Tesla gets better while you sleep
Highlights from our upcoming Spring Release below
—
Visual updates (Model 3/Y with AMD chip)
– Immersive full-screen vehicle controls when parked
– Large playback controls & quick access to Recents, Favorites & Up Next in media player… pic.twitter.com/bwL53UhVUB— Tesla (@Tesla) April 16, 2024
As per Tesla software tracker Not A Tesla App, the Spring Release has started rolling out to customers. The Tesla software tracker also shared the release notes for the update, which could be found below. Interestingly enough, only AMD-based vehicles would be receiving some of the update’s new features, like the new V12 UI that’s similar to the Cybertruck.
Following are the release notes for software update 2024.14.3.
Visual Updates
User Interface v12 elevates your visual experience with the following updates:
- Immersive full-screen vehicle controls when you’re parked
- Large playback controls and quick access to Recents, Favorites, and Up Next in the media player
- Expandable Autopilot driving visualizations, with a smaller map in the top right for trip guidance
- A sleeker and more compact drive mode strip and refined driving readouts
Audible
Listen to thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts. Pick up where you left off and listen seamlessly between your device and Tesla.
Scan the QR code to log in to your Audible account, or try it out with a selection of free audiobooks and podcasts. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Tesla update 2024.14.3 is now rolling out to customers!
This is the huge Spring update that includes the visual overhaul for AMD-based vehicles, Audible support and much more.
Check out the update below:https://t.co/EB1tFlFxxChttps://t.co/EB1tFlFxxC— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) April 30, 2024
Hands-Free Trunk
Open your trunk even when your hands are full. Stand still behind your trunk with Phone Key unobstructed, listen for the chimes, and the trunk will open on its own.
To enable this feature, go to your vehicle settings > Locks > Hands-Free Trunk. Ensure your phone settings allow Nearby Interactions for the Tesla app, or open the app and go to Phone Key > Upgrade. Keep people and clothing clear of moving parts.
Requires iPhone 11+ and Tesla app 4.31.0+. A future update will extend this feature to Android users.
Preview of Sentry Mode Recordings
When Sentry Mode triggers your vehicle alarm and records an event, you can immediately preview a brief clip of the recording on your phone.
Press and hold the notification to watch the recording. In your vehicle settings, you must have Safety > Dashcam turned on.
Requires a USB with sufficient memory plugged into the vehicle, Tesla app 4.31.5+ on iPhone, and Premium Connectivity. Preview videos are end-to-end encrypted and can’t be accessed by Tesla.
Trip Progress Bar
Below the turn-by-turn list in your navigation, you’ll now see a progress bar that changes as you drive closer to your destination or next stop.
The progress bar also reflects live traffic conditions on your route if you have Online Routing turned on.
For real-time traffic and road conditions to appear on your routes, the setting at Navigation > Online Routing must be turned on. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Spotify Queue and Playback Speed
You can now sync your Spotify queue across vehicles and devices, and adjust playback speed.
Better Route Available
Navigation now shows you, at the top of your turn list, if a faster route becomes available. It will reroute unless you decline before the option expires.
To choose how often you see these suggestions, adjust the number of minutes saved.
In your vehicle settings, go to Navigation > Online Routing > Reroute to save. To use this feature, you must have Online Routing turned on.
Wiper Controls
Scroll Wheel — When you press the wipers button to view wiper controls, you can now adjust wiper speed by moving the left scroll wheel up or down.
Wipers Button — When you have the wipers set to I, II, III, or IIII, you can press the wipers button to cycle through speeds.
Other Updates
- When you’re parked, you can expand the browser to full screen.
- Access Car Wash Mode more quickly in vehicle settings > Controls.
- Rear passengers can now see the current trip details, time, and temperature at the top of the rear touchscreen, except when Entertainment apps are using the full screen.
- You can now swipe to delete Sentry Mode recordings in the Dashcam app on your vehicle touchscreen, or at Security > Sentry Mode Alarm Previews in the Tesla app 4.32.0+.
- When you have Valet Mode on, and your vehicle is unlocked or shifted out of Park, you’ll receive a notification on your phone.
- The Vampire Survivors game in Arcade now has the “Space 54” and “Deeploreble” updates.
- Arcade includes the latest game update for Polytopia “Path of the Ocean.”
- If you have no passengers in the back seat, the rear touchscreen now turns off when you shift out of Park, to reduce unnecessary energy use.
Speed Camera Chime
To hear a chime when you’re approaching a speed camera, turn on Navigation > Speed Camera Chime in your vehicle settings.
You must have Online Routing turned on. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Average Speed Zones
When driving through an average speed zone, you now see your average speed in the zone and the distance to the end of it.
You must have Navigation > Online Routing turned on. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Adaptive High Beams
High beams now adapt to reduce glare for other drivers and cyclists.
By detecting other road users, and selectively dimming individual pixels of the headlight, your high beams stay on more often for greater visibility at night.
To turn them on, in your vehicle settings go to Lights > Adaptive High Beams.
Beach Buggy Racing 2
Drive your own kart racer in an action-packed race to the finish. Careen through Egyptian pyramids, dragon-infested castles, pirate shipwrecks, and experimental alien bio-labs. Blast your opponents with an arsenal of fun and wacky Powerups.
When you play games, Cybertruck’s steer-by-wire system lets you turn the steering wheel without moving the tires.
To play, go to your vehicle settings > Entertainment > Arcade > Beach Buggy Racing 2.
Cabin Overheat Protection
For hot days or parking in direct sun, Cabin Overheat Protection helps maintain the temperature you set for up to 12 hours after you park. It will turn off at 20% battery to conserve range.
In your vehicle settings, go to Safety > Cabin Overheat Protection. Never leave children or pets unattended.
Customize Scroll Wheel Functions
Do more with the left scroll button on the steering wheel. You can perform actions like raise or lower ride height, open the glovebox, or save Dashcam footage, and adjust settings like brightness and drive mode.
Press and hold the left scroll button to open the menu and choose a function. Next time, the button will perform the most recent function you chose.
To choose a function any time you use this feature, go to vehicle settings > Display > Scroll Wheel Function, and choose Ask Each Time.
Cybertruck Colorizer
Customize how your Cybertruck appears on the touchscreen and Tesla app.
In your vehicle settings, go to ToyBox > Colorizer.
Improved Turning Circle
Your Cybertruck’s turning circle is improved by 1.6 feet, making parking and low-speed maneuvers easier. This is achieved by an increase in the turning angle of the front and rear wheels.
Front Passenger Air Vent
You can now open or close the front passenger air vent separately, with the rest of your vehicle Climate still on.
Tap the temperature to open Climate controls, touch the front passenger air wave on the touchscreen, and follow the instructions.
New Lock Sounds
You’ll hear new signature sounds from your Cybertruck when you lock and unlock.
You can enable or disable the sounds in your vehicle settings at Locks > Lock Confirmation Sound.
Zoom
Attend video calls with Zoom using the interior cabin camera.
Open the app directly, or join meetings from your Calendar. Shift to Park to use participant video and screen sharing. If you drive, then meetings switch to audio only.
Driver has sole responsibility to consult and comply with all local regulations while using Zoom. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Security Improvements
This update includes important security fixes and improvements.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Tesla reveals Optimus Academy, where robots teach themselves
Tesla has begun building production quality Optimus robots in Fremont and revealed its training plan.
Tesla has started building Optimus on the high volume line it set up inside its Fremont factory, and the company says the robots coming off it are the first that meet the bar for a real product. “The bots coming off this line are the first production-quality bots that we have manufactured,” Tesla wrote in its third quarter shareholder letter, adding that it has “proven that the current manufacturing process for Optimus is suitable for a commercial product.”
The line sits in space that built the Model S and Model X until this spring. Tesla cleared the old vehicle line in 46 days, as Teslarati reported in July, to make room for robot production sized for one million units a year. On Wednesday’s earnings call, Elon Musk said most of the equipment for that capacity is already in Fremont, with output set to climb toward roughly 20,000 robots a week as the line ramps.
Musk described the ramp as a classic S curve. “The growth of Optimus is an S curve, but the initial curve is a shallow slope,” he said. The team is now refining the robot’s AI, electromechanical design, reliability and service life, and Musk expects that work to be finished by the end of next year, when Tesla plans to start delivering Optimus to outside companies for dangerous, repetitive and around the clock jobs.
The most interesting part of the call was how Tesla plans to teach the robots. Its cars send real driving data back to the AI team from millions of vehicles, but Optimus has no fleet like that yet. “A big difference with Optimus versus the cars is we don’t have this vast fleet of cars from which we can gather training data,” Musk said. Tesla’s answer is an Optimus Academy, where 10,000 to 20,000 robots will practice a wide range of tasks and feed what they learn into the next version of the model. Every unit off the Fremont line becomes a source of that training data.
Smarter hardware is on the way too. Tesla plans to put its AI5 chip into Optimus next year, and Musk said a new Optimus video should arrive within one or two months showing the robot completing tasks driven by AI rather than preprogrammed motions. He took aim at rival humanoid demos that only run scripted routines, saying those would not hold up in the real world.
The supply chain is lining up behind the program. In September, Tesla certified Tuopu, Joyson and Sanhua as mass production partners for Optimus components. A far larger Optimus factory is also rising at Giga Texas, where drone footage from Joe Tegtmeyer showed the steel frame nearing completion, and Musk has pegged that plant’s long term target at 10 million robots a year.
Tesla executives also said Optimus production costs are trending toward the expected manufacturing cost of Cybercab, a sign the robot is being engineered for volume from the start. The hands remain the toughest piece of the design, a point Musk also made at the X Takeover event earlier this month, as Teslarati covered at the time, and that is where much of the current engineering effort is focused.
Elon Musk
The Starship moon landing number NASA and Elon Musk can’t agree on
Musk disputes NASA estimate of 22 Starship launches for Moon landing, predicting 6 to 8.
Elon Musk is disputing a new NASA safety panel estimate of how many Starship launches it will take to put astronauts on the Moon, saying the real number will be less than half the panel’s figure.
On Thursday, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel held its quarterly public meeting. Panel member Charlie Precourt, a former NASA astronaut, flagged the fueling process for SpaceX’s lunar lander as a major risk for Artemis IV, the mission planned to land a crew on the Moon in 2028. “We need to keep our eyes on numerous required fuelings for the lander,” Precourt said, according to Ars Technica. “I think the last estimate is around 22 flights.”
Ars Technica’s Eric Berger posted the comment on X, and Musk replied. “That’s way too high,” Musk wrote. “Actual number will be more like 6 to 8.”
The disagreement comes down to a basic problem with sending a ship as large as Starship to the Moon. Starship burns nearly all of its propellant just reaching Earth orbit, so it cannot continue on to the Moon without stopping for a refill. SpaceX’s answer is a gas station in space. First, a Starship that works as a storage tank, called a depot, is launched into orbit. Then a series of tanker Starships launch one at a time, dock with the depot and pump their leftover propellant into it. Once the depot is full, the lunar lander version of Starship launches, docks, fills up and heads for the Moon.
Every tanker trip is its own full rocket launch, which is why the count matters. More launches mean more time, more cost and more chances for something to go wrong before astronauts ever leave Earth. Berger estimated that even if SpaceX reaches twice weekly Starship launches by the end of 2027, filling a depot at the panel’s number would still take roughly three months.
How many tankers are needed depends mostly on how much propellant each one can carry to orbit and how much is lost along the way. Starship’s fuel and oxygen are stored at extremely cold temperatures, and some of it slowly boils off while waiting in orbit. More is lost in each transfer. NASA appears to be working from what Starship can lift today, while Musk’s range assumes a more capable rocket.
Musk has pushed back on higher counts before. In 2021, after a government document suggested 16 launches, he called that “extremely unlikely” and said eight tankers would be the most required.
Much of the answer depends on hardware SpaceX has not finished flying. As Teslarati noted earlier this year, the company plans to carry out the refueling process with its upgraded V3 Starship, and Precourt described Artemis IV as carrying “a large number of firsts.” He also praised NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s team for working to clear obstacles for both SpaceX and Blue Origin, whose Blue Moon lander does not rely on orbital refueling for its first mission.
Elon Musk
Tesla’s secretive “Project Crystal Sun” gets a big green light in Texas
Fort Bend County approved four incentive agreements Thursday for Tesla’s proposed $10.1 billion solar factory.
Fort Bend County commissioners on Thursday approved a package of tax incentives for Tesla’s proposed $10.1 billion solar cell factory near Needville, Texas, giving the company one of the last local approvals it needs before it decides where to build. All four Tesla agreements passed 4 to 0.
The votes covered a property tax abatement inside Reinvestment Zone No. 34, a Chapter 381 economic development agreement, a foreign trade zone non-objection paired with payments in lieu of certain taxes, and a separate payment in lieu of taxes “true up” agreement, according to agenda notes from the Fort Bend Commissioners Court meeting.
The project, known internally as “Project Crystal Sun,” would make solar cells and finished modules on roughly 3,000 acres near FM 762 and FM 1994, south of the Brazos River. As Teslarati reported when the filing first surfaced in August, Tesla’s application under the state’s JETI Act splits the investment into $1.5 billion in real property and $8.6 billion in equipment, with 9,712 permanent jobs projected by 2033 and commercial operations targeted for the first quarter of 2029. The plant would handle the full chain from ingot and wafer production through cell testing.
Inside Tesla’s secretive $10 Billion “Project Crystal Sun” filing
Thursday’s approval does not lock in the site. Tesla has told the Texas Comptroller it is still weighing other locations, and site selection adviser David Dennison told Lamar Consolidated ISD trustees in September that the race had narrowed to Fort Bend and one out of state rival with a “very compelling package,” according to the Houston Chronicle. Tesla hopes to decide before the end of 2026, and the incentives still need sign off from the Comptroller and the Governor’s office.
Local officials have now done nearly everything within their control. Commissioners created the reinvestment zone in an August 24 special meeting, with Interim County Judge Daniel Wong formally withdrawing himself over his engineering firm’s past work with Tesla. Lamar CISD trustees voted 7 to 0 on September 15 to advance a JETI agreement that would tax Tesla’s qualifying property at 50 percent of its value for maintenance and operations from 2029 through 2038.
The plant lines up with a target Elon Musk set on Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings call in January, when he said the company would “work toward getting 100 GW a year of solar cell production, integrating across the entire supply chain from raw materials all the way to finished solar panels.” In March, Tesla was reported to be negotiating a $2.9 billion purchase of Chinese solar manufacturing equipment bound for Texas. The Houston area already hosts Tesla’s Megafactory in Brookshire, where Megapack 3 production has started. Tesla said on its Q3 call that Megapack supply for 2027 is nearly sold out, and Musk wrote on X Thursday that the company is “increasing production of Megapacks as much as possible,” as demand from data centers climbs.
Tesla reveals Optimus Academy, where robots teach themselves
The Starship moon landing number NASA and Elon Musk can’t agree on
