Tesla has made a handful of small changes to its owner’s manuals with the recent holiday update, including a shift to how Autopark works, cabin radar monitoring, and an expansion of certain construction details, among other edits still.
On Monday, Not a Tesla App spotted and reported a handful of the changes seen in Tesla’s owner’s manuals that were not reported in the company’s holiday update release notes. Some of these include subtle feature changes or hints as to what other features may be coming, while many of them simply have different wording than was previously in the manual.
Typically, Tesla will make changes to the owner’s manuals when it debuts new software updates, and although the recent holiday update has offered owners a number of new features, some of those that weren’t reported by the company may be equally important.
You can check out the unlisted updates to the owner’s manual below, complete with new rules for Autopark, the removal of a previously-retired regen braking mode, expansions to certain navigation construction information, and more.
Note: the links navigate to various sections of Tesla’s Model Y owner’s manual, though these updates can be seen across the company’s lineup.
Tesla’s recent changes to the owner’s manual, both big and small
Cabin Radar now used for occupancy, rather than seat sensors
Tesla’s Cabin Radar, located just above the rearview mirror in the latest of the company’s vehicles, is now being used to detect cabin occupancy instead of the individual seat sensors, as was changed earlier this year. Over the summer, Tesla switched from using the seat sensors to using the cabin radar to monitor occupancy, as part of a response to a recall mandating closer passenger and driver monitoring.
The section now also includes a warning that blocking or obstructing the device will disengage Autopilot or Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD). You can see the entry for cabin radar in Tesla’s owner’s manual here.
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Camp Mode: text added to indicate that ports still work
While Tesla has already changed its vehicles so that the USB and 12V ports still work when Camp Mode is engaged, the company has also now updated the owner’s manual text to indicate this. You can see the company’s new details on Camp Mode here, under its section on Operating Climate Controls.
Construction and Accident Alerts to expand
Tesla has been adding additional icons to the map for road closures, accidents, and construction, and while the text in this section previously said they were limited to the U.S., this section has now been removed—suggesting that Tesla could be looking beyond North America with these in the near future.
Not a Tesla App also points out that, in all likelihood, Tesla will just need to wait for more data providers to partner with the company to add this information in other markets than the U.S. and Canada. You can check out this part of the owner’s manual here, in the Maps and Navigation section under the Online Routing section.
Desiccant Bags details removed
Tesla has removed details on its desiccant bag in the heat pump’s A/C section, which previously required a replacement every four years. This could suggest that this service may not be necessary after all, as the hardware likely lasts far more than four years in most cases. You can see the Maintenance Service Intervals section that previously had the instructions here.
Front Camera Window Cleaning
Tesla now points out that owners should clean the inside of the windshield within the front camera housing every so often. This was not previously a required maintenance option, and Tesla now says owners should schedule a service appointment to have the cleaning done when necessary.
There’s also a DIY option for this cleaning, and details for this can be found in the service manual under “Quad Camera Cover – Upper (remove and replace).” You can find the new text for cleaning inside the windshield here in the Maintenance Service Intervals section, listed under Periodic Checks.
Parental Controls now auto-set to these features
Tesla has made the default speed limit setting “Relative” with an offset of plus 5 mph. Additionally, when drivers select “Require Safety Features” in the parental controls, the system now automatically enables the following options, without the ability to change or remove them:
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- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Obstacle-Aware Acceleration
- Automatic Blind Spot Camera
- Blind Spot Collision Warning Chime
- Automatic 911 Call
- Allow Mobile Access
- Park Assist Chimes
- Lane Departure Avoidance: Set to Assist.
- Speed Limit Warning: Set to Chime.
- Speed Limit: Set to Relative.
- Offset: Set to +5 mph (8 km/h).
- Forward Collision Warning: Set to Early.
You can find the Safety and Security Settings here, with the above options now located under Parental Controls.
Regenerative Braking options ‘January 2024’ wording removed
While Tesla removed the low regenerative braking setting for new vehicles in January, opting for the higher-efficiency option as default, the company’s owner’s manual has removed a section saying that the low options wouldn’t be available after January 2024. This suggests that Tesla could someday re-introduce multiple regen options in the future in some way, shape, or form.
Tesla’s regenerative braking instructions can be found here, as part of the Braking and Stopping section.
Steering Wheel Weight
Tesla has changed the name of the steering wheel weight option from “Medium” to “Standard,” which you can see here under the Steering Wheel Weight section.
Strikes No Longer Count Against Autopark
Vehicles that include a cabin camera can get as many as five strikes before banning Autopilot features, while those without one can get up to three strikes. However, Tesla has apparently removed the Autopark system from these strike-out rules, meaning that striking out won’t disqualify drivers from the automated park system. You can see Tesla’s Autopark section here.
Valet Mode Privacy Improvements
Tesla has improved the privacy features of its Valet Mode, now preventing access to a handful of features while it is engaged, such as showing text messages even if the owner is still connected to Bluetooth. The vehicle will now also remove home and work address access in this mode, and it will restrict access to driver profiles and a number of other features that could potentially compromise someone’s privacy.
You can check out the Tesla owner’s manual’s section on Valet Mode here, under the larger Driver Profiles section.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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Tesla rolls out new commands feature for better connectivity
Need accessories for your Tesla? Check out the Teslarati Marketplace:
Tesla flexed the new features of the Model Y L with a dedicated media event at the company’s Diner on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The Model Y L is the extended-wheelbase version of the all-electric crossover, which has been voted the best-selling car in the world on three occasions. The vehicle is already rolling off production lines at Gigafactory Texas, and first deliveries are slated to take place later this year.
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Teslarati was invited to the event, but due to some scheduling conflicts, we could not make it to Los Angeles. Instead, we will have our hands on a media unit sometime in August, so we’ll be able to spend some more extended time with the Model Y L.
However, plenty of those who made it to LA shared some cool features that set the Model Y L apart from the Model Y.
Multi-Row Climate Control
Tesla fitted the Model Y L with full climate control on all three rows on the front screen. It can be adjusted by selecting which row you’d like to modify on the right-hand side of the touch screen:
The Model Y L has a little row of icons on the right side of the climate screen so the front passenger can more quickly jump to whatever row they want to control. pic.twitter.com/uJS44mgCvk
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 30, 2026
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Better Rear Window Visibility
One of the strangest things about the Model Y, especially the Juniper iteration, is the rear window has extremely limited visibility when looking into the rearview mirror.
Tesla has improved upon this with the Model Y L:
This is a drastic difference. https://t.co/wTdhitD5aA pic.twitter.com/z6hFs0Jkss
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 30, 2026
PowerShare will be included
Model Y L will come with PowerShare in North America, with an 11.5kW output to your home. Tesla said it would require Powerwall 3 for operation.
Wireless Charging Pad
There has been some speculation that Tesla would upgrade the wireless charging pads in the United States, but this is not the case.
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Tesla owner fixes common feature complaint with crafty DIY retrofit
Tesla confirmed that it does not come with the cooled pads as the Y L in China does. This is because North America has not adopted Qi charging yet.
Thermal Management Improvements
These improvements in the Model Y L were seen with thermal management:
- Up to 15% faster cabin cooling
- +23% thermal efficiency gained in hot weather, 7 miles of real-world range gained
- 8x more solar energy reflection off of glass roof
- 30% reduction in solar energy entering the cabin
Some of the thermal management improvements in the new Model Y L Premium:
• Up to 15% faster cabin cooling
• Up to 15 min faster cabin cooling in sunny conditions
• +23% thermal efficiency gained in hot weather +7 miles of real-world range gained
• +10 miles recovered after… pic.twitter.com/jZirFWFdtO— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 31, 2026
Demand
Tesla said the Model Y L is almost sold out in the U.S. It comes with
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- 1 year of FSD Supervised
- 1 year of Supercharging
- 1 year of Premium Connectivity
- Free exterior paint color, interior, and wheel option at no additional cost
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media platform X on Thursday night to deny a ridiculous rumor regarding the sale of the company’s Chinese vehicle production plant, Gigafactory Shanghai.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, claimed in a scathing new report that Tesla was exploring a potential sale of the entire China business in an effort to help bolster a potential merger between SpaceX and Tesla.
Musk immediately denied the rumor not once but twice, initially calling it “fake news,” and then calling it “absurdly fake news” in a separate post just a few moments later:
This is fake news
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2026
The original poster of the Wall Street Journal article that Musk saw deleted the initial post sharing the headline and the rumored sale of Tesla’s China business.
This has never even come up in a discussion ever.
Absurdly fake news.
-People should assume news is fake until proven otherwise.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2026
The report seemed absolutely and unequivocally false to begin with; Tesla’s business in China is among the most important pieces of the company’s business. Not only does the factory supply vehicles for the domestic market, but also for various other markets in Asia and Europe.
China is also one of the largest automotive markets in the world, and Tesla has performed well there despite the robust competition.
The speculation regarding a Tesla and SpaceX merger has started to gain steam this year as the space exploration company went public just a month ago. There has been speculation that Musk will bridge all of his companies under one “umbrella company,” and analysts believe this could happen before the end of the decade.
The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building
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This is the latest iteration of Musk’s very evident war on mainstream media. Reports regarding any of Musk’s companies are quick to get the dreaded “false” or “fake news” response from the CEO when they are unfounded.
Elon Musk
Tesla AI boss reveals how big Optimus is going to get
Tesla’s Optimus chief corrected himself on X, confirming a staggering 10 million robot production target.
![Tesla Optimus Gen 3 [Credit: Tesla]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tesla-optimus-gen3-diner.jpg)
Tesla’s Optimus program has a new number attached to it, after Ashok Elluswamy, the executive who has run the humanoid robot program since June 2025, posted a three word correction on X Thursday, “Correction, 10 million robots.”
The line clarifies the long term annual capacity Tesla is building toward its planned second Optimus production line at Gigafactory Texas, a figure Musk has cited repeatedly since last year’s shareholder meeting.
The scale is worth noting, because ten million robots a year would mean Tesla building more units annually than most countries sell in new cars. Tesla has framed this as a second line, not the first. The buildout is happening in two phases: a roughly one million unit per year line inside Tesla’s Fremont factory, installed on the floor space vacated when Model S and Model X production ended earlier this year, and a much larger dedicated facility under construction at Giga Texas that broke ground on its first steel structure in May. That Texas facility is the one Elluswamy’s correction refers to, and is expected to reach volume production sometime in 2027.
Correction, 10 million robots https://t.co/0z4nyQNTzp
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 30, 2026
Tesla Optimus project fires up as Musk sees production line progress
Elluswamy took over Optimus from Milan Kovac last summer and has spent the months since talking up the program’s trajectory. Elon Musk has also floated the ten million figure at Tesla’s 2025 shareholder meeting.
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Ending Model S and Model X production to make room for the first Optimus line was one of the more consequential manufacturing decisions in the company’s recent history, retiring two flagship vehicles in favor of a robot that has yet to enter mass production. Musk has previously estimated per unit production costs at $20,000 to $25,000 once Tesla reaches a million units a year, though he hasn’t said what that cost looks like at ten times the volume.
Tesla Model Y L’s new features flexed at unveiling event at Diner
Tesla CEO Elon Musk denies ridiculous Gigafactory Shanghai rumor
![Tesla Optimus Gen 3 [Credit: Tesla]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/tesla-optimus-gen3-diner-80x80.jpg)
