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Tesla Hacker adds Autopilot to a first-gen “classic” Model S

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Jason Hughes retrofits Autopilot onto classic Model S P85

Jason-Hughes-wk057-Yellow-Tesla-Model-S-Autopilot

White hat Tesla hacker Jason Hughes has come up with yet another amazing achievement this time adding Autopilot (AP) onto his wife’s first-generation Model S P85 which pre-dated Elon Musk’s first reveal of the D and what would-be new Model S equipped with semi-autonomous capabilities.

Hughes is no stranger to the internal workings of the Model S. Best known for uncovering references to a presumably 100 kWh battery-equipped Model S P100D buried within the vehicle’s onboard firmware, and recently recoloring the touchscreen version of the Model S to match the car’s actual color – 3M glossy yellow – Hughes has added another notch to his hacker belt by successfully retrofitting Tesla Autopilot onto a  “classic” Model S.

Hughes writes on his personal skie.net blog,

“So, a couple of months ago I decided that I would look into attempting to retrofit everything needed to make my my wife’s 2014 P85 (VIN P28xxx) autopilot capable.  Several people said I was crazy, that it would never work, it would take way too much time and effort, would cost more than just trading in towards a new car with autopilot, and all sorts of nay-saying from multiple people.  I’m not one to be easily discouraged, however.”

Hughes is certainly not easily discouraged as made evident by the extensive amount of preparation and hard work that went into the Autopilot retrofit which totaled roughly $9,000 in parts, and 50 hours of labor spread over about a week, according to his blog.

Jason-Hughes-wk057-Yellow-Tesla-Model-S-Garage“I’m not one to be easily discouraged”

Hughes acknowledges the fact that his wife’s pre-AP hardware 2014 Model S P85 now with Autopilot will likely void Tesla’s warranty and thus no longer covered by Tesla Service on those areas that he’s hacked, but believes critical components such as the motor and battery should still be covered under Tesla’s unlimited mile warranty.

Without going into all of the details of how Hughes was able to successfully retrofit Autopilot onto a classic pre-Autopilot hardware P85, which you can find under skie.net, here’s a condensed outline of what was done:

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Retrofitting Tesla Autopilot onto a classic Model S

  • Source parts from Tesla directly and salvage channels.
  • Replace steering control stalks, steering wheel buttons, instrument cluster, brake booster, ABS/ESP (traction control module), all  four wheel speed sensors, windshield, rear view mirror, parking sensor ECU, all of the parking sensors and parking sensor wiring, the entire rear bumper cover, and thermal controller module.
  • Add front radar and all related mounting, the forward camera assembly.
  • Modify front bumper cover and wheel arch liners to accommodate Tesla ultrasonic sensors.

Video of Model S Autopark with Autopilot Retrofit

Assets courtesy of Jason Hughes via skie.net
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Tesla Model 3 pickup “Truckla” gets updates and a perfectly wholesome robot charger

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(Credit: Simone Giertz/YouTube)

Back in 2019, YouTuber Simone Giertz, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Sh*tty Robots,” created a one-off Tesla Model 3 build that took the automotive world by storm. Fondly dubbed as “Truckla,” Giertz noted that the vehicle was actually her dream car — as crazy as that may sound. 

Now almost four years later, the YouTuber posted an update on Truckla. And just like every other big project that one probably started, Giertz stated that she actually stopped working on Truckla when the vehicle was about 80% complete. The car is driving though, but a lot of stuff was not really working very well. 

Thus, for her Truckla update, Giertz shared how most of her Model 3 pickup truck conversion was essentially completed. Truckla got a lot of detailing done, she got a slight lift, and she now has a functional tailgate. One has to admit, Truckla’s tailgate is pretty darn cool. 

The “Queen of Sh*tty Robots” also opted to give Truckla a friend in the form of an automatic robot charger. Unlike Tesla’s rather interesting snake charger from years past, Truckla’s charger would come in the form of a rover, thanks to her friends at robotics platform Viam. Giertz aptly named Truckla’s robot charger friend “Chargela,” which is an appropriate name for such an invention. 

Also true to form for Giertz, Chargela’s first encounter with Truckla was just a tiny bit awkward. One could say that Chargela may have just been a little bit nervous on his first try without human hands helping him. Most importantly, the system did work, so Giertz would likely keep using Chargela for her Model 3 pickup. 

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Teslas are very tech-heavy vehicles, so projects like Giertz’s Truckla are always remarkable. The fact that the Model 3 works perfectly fine despite having a good chunk of it cut off and turned into a pickup truck bed is mighty impressive any way one looks at it. Overall, Truckla will always be one of the coolest Tesla DIY projects to date, so any updates about the vehicle are always appreciated.  

Truckla’s nearly four-year update can be viewed below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Tesla fan creating ‘CyberRoadster’ using Model 3 Performance parts in epic DIY build

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Image Credit: Cyber Hooligan/YouTube

A Tesla owner is taking his hobby and love for electric vehicles to new levels by creating what could only be described as one of the coolest EV-related DIY projects to date. The idea for the project is simple: what happens when you cross a supercar with the Cybertruck? You end up with a two-seater CyberRoadster. 

Tesla owner David Andreyev, who goes by the username @Cyber_Hooligan_ on Twitter, has spent the last few months creating a Cybertruck-inspired version of the next-generation Roadster made from a salvaged Model 3 Performance. Starting with a Model 3 Performance is an inspired choice, considering that it is Tesla’s first vehicle that has a dedicated Track Mode. 

A look at Andreyev’s YouTube channel, which can be accessed here, shows the meticulous build that the Tesla owner has implemented on the project car. What’s particularly cool about the CyberRoadster is the fact that it’s being built with parts that are also from other Tesla vehicles, like its front bumper that came from a new Model S. Recent videos suggest that the project car’s rear bumper will be from a new Model S as well. 

The journey is long for Andreyev, so the completion of the CyberRoadster will likely take some more time. Despite this, seeing the Tesla owner’s DIY journey on such an epic build is more than satisfying. And considering that the CyberRoadster is evidently a labor of love from the Tesla owner, the final results would likely be extremely worth it. 

There’s a lot of crazy Tesla modifications that have been done as of late. But some, as it is with a lot of things on the internet these days, have become more silly gimmicks than serious automotive projects. Fortunately, car enthusiasts like Andreyev, who just happen to also love electric vehicles, are taking it upon themselves to create one-of-a-kind EVs that would surely capture the attention of anyone on the road. 

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Check out the latest video in the CyberRoadster’s creation below. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Tesla owner ‘charges’ Model 3 with homemade solar panel trailer

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Credit: YouTube | ItsYeBoi

A Tesla owner has demonstrated a rather novel way to charge his Model 3. In a recent video, Sean Callaghan of the ItsYeBoi YouTube channel opted to use a series of off-the-shelf solar panel sheets onto a towable trailer to create a mobile charging unit for his all-electric sedan.

Callaghan planned to use only the sun and the solar sheets purchased from e-commerce platform Wish to charge his Model 3. The solar panel sheets would collect energy from the sun and transfer it to a control panel. The control panels were connected to batteries that would hold the energy—the batteries connected to an inverter, which would then charge the Tesla Model 3.

The entire assembly would provide the Model 3 with about 800 watts of energy on a completely sunny day. However, Callaghan shot the video when weather was overcast, so the entire solar panel trailer build only managed to provide around 300 watts throughout the YouTube host’s test.

To put this into perspective, a 100 volt home wall outlet provides 1.4 kilowatts of power, or 1,400 watts. Therefore, the 300-watt solar panel assembly built by Callaghan was producing less than 25% of the energy of a typical wall outlet. This is pretty marginal compared to Tesla’s 250-kilowatt V3 Superchargers, which provides 250,000 watts, or about 833 times as much power as the makeshift solar panel build.

However, Callaghan’s goal was not to charge the vehicle quickly. He explained the idea came from a previous video where he used a $5,000 Wish-purchased wind turbine to charge his Model 3. He wanted to test the effectiveness and efficiency of the system, which was questionable due to the time it would take to charge the battery fully.

The Model 3 battery pack is 78 kWh, and with Callaghan’s 300-watt system charging his electric vehicle, it would take 260 hours to supply the Tesla’s battery to full capacity.

In the past, electric vehicle enthusiasts have asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk why the company’s vehicles do not contain solar glass roofing, which would charge the car while the owner is driving. Musk has explained that the efficiency of this idea is challenging and likely would not provide an ample amount of range.

When asked about the idea of putting solar panels on the top of Tesla’s vehicles in 2017, Musk responded that the idea was “Not that helpful, because the actual surface of the car is not that much, and cars are often inside. The least efficient place to put solar is on the car.” It also would not be cost-effective for Tesla because “the cost of the panels and electronics, R&D and assembly would never pay for itself in the life of the vehicle, compared to charging from the wall in your garage,” Quartz noted.

That being said, Tesla plans to implement solar panels onto the motorized tonneau of the upcoming Cybertruck. The idea was discussed on Twitter when Musk stated that the optional feature would add “15 miles per day, possibly more” when parked in the sunlight. Also, fold-out solar wings could help capture enough solar energy for 30 to 40 miles a day.

Watch Sean Callaghan’s video of his makeshift solar panel trailer below.

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