Connect with us

News

Tesla adds Model 3 Cabin Air Filter to online shop

Tesla's Air Filter for the Model 3. (Credit: Tesla.com)

Published

on

Tesla has added Cabin Air Filters for the Model 3 sedan to the company’s online shop. The filters are currently up for purchase individually, although the vehicle requires two filters to filter the air within the cabin properly.

Available for $17 on the company’s online shop, the filters are the first available Tesla manufactured cabin filters available for the Model 3. The company currently sells High-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, grade filters for the Model S and Model X, but Model 3 filters were never available through the Tesla.com shop until now.

The filters Tesla has released for the Model 3 are not HEPA grade, but they can protect those in the vehicle from outside sources of pollution. The description of the Model 3 Filter suggests it can “prevent pollen, industrial fallout, road dust, and other particles from entering the cabin through the vents.”

Previously, Tesla Model 3 owners who required a cabin filter replacement were to purchase it from third-party distributors like Amazon or eBay. Some even opted for a much more expensive HEPA option from notable Tesla enthusiast Rich Rebuilds’ website, evtuning.com.

While the Model 3 does not have Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode feature, it does not mean the car cannot protect owners from polluted air outside the vehicle. One Model 3 owner with a standard air filter, the vehicle’s “recycle air” setting turned on, and the fan set to speed 5 reported an improvement in-cabin air quality from 135 μg/m3 to 5 μg/m3 within nine minutes during California’s intense wildfires in 2018. Not bad for a vehicle with a filter that Elon Musk described as “good.”

Advertisement

Tesla has also described step-by-step instructions on how owners can remove old filters and replace them with newly purchased ones. Tesla states each owner should replace the filters every two years to keep the air inside the cabin as clean as possible.

Owners on the r/TeslaModel3 subreddit have speculated as to why the electric car maker has decided to sell the filters individually, even though the Model 3 requires two filters to filter cabin air properly. One user stated this could end up being more convenient for owners if the vehicle has a damaged filter for any reason; the owner will only have to purchase the number of filters they need.

To keep air quality to a maximum within the cabin, Tesla recommends that Model 3 owners “set manual recirculating air and turn up the blower speed.”

Tesla owners will now have the original equipment manufacturer air filter available to them because of the carmaker’s decision to release an in-house cabin filtration system. The filter can be purchased on Tesla’s shop website here.

Advertisement

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

News

Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

Advertisement

Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Tesla is improving this critical feature in older vehicles

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to improve a critical feature that has not been present in older vehicles with a new update.

Tesla vehicles feature a comprehensive suite of driver assistance features, some of which aid in driving itself, while others support the vehicle’s surroundings.

One of those features is that of Driver Visualization, and with the rollout of a new update, owners of Intel-based Tesla vehicles are receiving an upgrade that will come with a simple software update.

Tesla plans to use Unreal Engine for driver visualization with crazy upgrade

The update will provide new visualizations while Intel-based vehicles are in reverse, a feature that was not previously available, but will be with Software Update 2025.32.2.

Advertisement

The improvement was spotted by Not a Tesla App via TheBeatYT_evil:

Advertisement

Previously, vehicles Tesla built were equipped with Intel-based processors, but newer cars feature the AMD chip, which is capable of rendering these visualizations as they happen. They were capable of visualizations when driving forward, but not in reverse, which is what this change resolves.

It is a good sign for those with Intel-based vehicles, as Tesla seems to be paying attention to what those cars are not capable of and improving them.

This was an undocumented improvement associated with this particular update, so you will not find any mention of it in the release notes that Tesla distributes with each update.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

Published

on

Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla is looking to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market, as the company was spotted testing validation vehicles in one region where it has not yet launched its ride-hailing service.

After launching Robotaxi in Austin in late June, Tesla followed up with a relatively quick expansion to the Bay Area of California. Both service areas are operating with a geofence that is expansive: In Texas, it is 173 square miles, while in the Bay Area, it is roughly 400 square miles.

Tesla has been transparent that it is prioritizing safety, but it believes it can expand to basically any geographical location within the United States and find success with its Robotaxi suite. CEO Elon Musk said it could be available to half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

There have been plenty of reports out there that have speculated as to where Tesla would land next to test Robotaxi, and Nevada, Florida, Arizona, and New York have all been in the realm of possibility. These regions will need to approve Tesla for regulatory purposes before Robotaxi can officially operate.

Tesla is still testing and performing validation in several regions, and in Tempe, Arizona, things are moving forward as a Model Y with a LiDAR rig was spotted performing ground truth for the platform:

Advertisement

With the LiDAR unit, many followers of the self-driving and autonomy space might wonder why Tesla uses these apparatuses during validation, especially considering the company’s stance and vision-based approach.

LiDAR is used for “ground truth,” which is basically a solidification or confirmation of what the cameras on the car are seeing. It is a great way to essentially confirm the accuracy of the vision-based suite, and will not be used on Robotaxi units used within the ride-hailing suite.

The Robotaxi platform was made available to the public earlier this month, as Tesla launched its app for iOS users.

Advertisement

Tesla Robotaxi app download rate demolishes Uber, Waymo all-time highs

Downloading the app allows you to join a waitlist, giving you the opportunity to utilize and test the Robotaxi platform in either Austin or the Bay Area.

Continue Reading

Trending