News
Tesla is designing an electric pump system that makes its drive units even better
Amidst Tesla’s continued efforts to usher in an era of mobility optimized for the convenience and safety of car owners, the electric car maker is exploring new ways to improve its vehicles’ systems. Recently published patent applications, for one, indicate that Tesla is working on better damage monitoring features, as well as safer seats that are capable of classifying a car’s occupants. Apart from these, Tesla is also looking into improving its vehicles’ electric pump system, which could ultimately result in better cooling and diagnostics.
The patent application, published on January 3, 2019 and titled “Electric Pump System and Method,” explores improvements that could be implemented on traditional pump systems used in automobiles. As noted by Tesla, traditional oil pumps, particularly those that are used for EV components such as the drive unit, do not have the capability to monitor oil condition. As a result, oil that is used to lubricate an electric car’s drive unit need to be changed on a regular basis (albeit very infrequently).
In the discussion section of its patent application, Tesla pointed out that traditional oil pumps are unable to accurately determine temperature, since temperature sensors are usually located outside of a conventional pump system. Apart from this, the electric car maker notes that conventional oil pumps are also large and unwieldy due to attachment mechanisms comprised of different parts. With these points for improvement in mind, Tesla has pointed out that there is a need for an “improved oil pump — in particular an electric pump system — designed to work in conjunction with an electric motor.”
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Illustrations from Tesla’s recently published patent application for an electric pump system. (Photo: US Patent Office)
Tesla’s patent describes an electric pump system that “presents methods and structures that help overcome the difficulties of operating a cooling and lubrication system, in particular, managing the transfer of heat and assessment of fluid temperature in electric pump systems.” The Silicon Valley-based carmaker describes its electric pump system design as follows.
“There is provided an apparatus that includes an electronic control unit, a mechanical pump, and a motor having a first side and a second side, the motor including: a stator, a rotor including a hollow shaft, and a housing around the stator and rotor, wherein the electronic control unit is connected to the first side of the motor, wherein the mechanical pump is connected to the second side of the motor, wherein the hollow shaft defines a shaft inlet and a shaft outlet, wherein the mechanical pump defines a first fluid passageway from a first pump inlet to the shaft inlet, wherein the housing defines an internal motor cavity, wherein the shaft outlet is in fluid communication with the internal motor cavity, wherein the mechanical pump defines a second fluid passageway from a second pump inlet to a pump outlet, and wherein the motor housing and mechanical pump define a third fluid passageway from the internal motor cavity to the pump outlet via a third pump inlet.”
“In some embodiments the apparatus according to the above-described aspect of the present disclosure or any other aspects thereof, a number of optional operations and features may be employed. One optional feature is the electronic control unit further including a thermistor to measure a temperature of a fluid exiting the shaft outlet. Another optional feature is wherein the housing defines a bypass inlet in fluid communication with the internal motor cavity. Another optional feature is at least a portion of the second fluid passageway and the third fluid passageway is common. Another optional feature is the mechanical pump is a gerotor. Another optional feature is the electronic control unit includes a microcontroller controlling the mechanical pump. Another optional feature is the electronic control unit includes cooling ribs.”
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- (Photo: US Patent Office)
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Illustrations from Tesla’s recently published patent application for an electric pump system. (Photo: US Patent Office)
With such a design, the fluid temperature inside the electric pump system could be used to control and optimize the lubrication system of a vehicle, thereby improving the efficiency of an electric drive unit. Depending on the temperature of the oil in the system, the electric pump could react accordingly, even warning the vehicle’s computers that something is wrong. The readings from the electric pump system can be used to monitor the health of a vehicle’s drive unit as well. Tesla explains this process in the following discussion.
“The fluid temperature may be controlled to achieve certain lubrication properties. For example, hotter oil has lower viscosity which reduces drag and hydraulic power to pump the fluid, which can increase efficiency. If the oil becomes too hot, however, it will not provide sufficient cooling. The fluid temperature reading feature of the oil pump can monitor the general health and performance of the fluid in the electric drive unit system. For example, if the oil is too hot, the oil pump may alert the car computer that something is wrong, for oil that is too hot can damage or/and reduce the life of some components on the drive unit.”
“Stated another way, the temperature of fluid may be used to monitor the health and performance of the drive unit. The ECU may capture other information besides the temperature, such as pump speed, pump current composition, oil pressure, or other information. The information captured by the ECU may then be fed into a proprietary algorithm that monitors oil pump and overall drive unit health. The algorithm may provide an indication of service, such as when oil must be replaced or when the drive train needs to be serviced.”
What is particularly notable is that these improvements could result in enhancements to Tesla’s drive units, which are already among the best in the industry. The Model 3’s drive unit, for one, has been lauded by veteran teardown experts such as Sandy Munro as industry-leading. In a recent appearance at Autoline TV, for one, Munro noted that Tesla’s drive units are practically a class above its competitors.
Tesla’s constant efforts to improve its vehicles are highlighted by the patent applications from the company that have been published over the past months. Among these include an automatic tire inflation system that hints at off-road capabilities for the company’s vehicles, a system that allows Tesla to address panel gaps during vehicle assembly, a way to produce colored solar roof tiles, and even a model that utilizes electric cars as a way to improve vehicle positioning, to name a few.
The full text of Tesla’s recently published patent application could be read here.
News
Tesla FSD V14.2 starts rolling out to initial batch of vehicles
It would likely only be a matter of time before FSD V14.2 videos are posted and shared on social media.
Tesla has begun pushing Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2 to its initial batch of vehicles. The update was initially observed by Tesla owners and veteran FSD users on social media platform X on Friday.
So far, reports of the update have been shared by Model Y owners in California whose vehicles are equipped with the company’s AI4 hardware, though it would not be surprising if more Tesla owners across the country receive the update as well.
Based on the release notes of the update, key improvements in FSD V14.2 include a revamped neural network for better detection of emergency vehicles, obstacles, and human gestures, as well as options to select arrival spots.
It would likely only be a matter of time before FSD V14.2 videos are posted and shared on social media.
Following are the release notes of FSD (Supervised) V14.2, as shared on X by longtime FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog.
Release Notes
2025.38.9.5
Currently Installed
FSD (Supervised) v14.2
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2 includes:
- Upgraded the neural network vision encoder, leveraging higher resolution features to further improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
- Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances.
- Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
- Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
- Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
- Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
- Improve handling of several scenarios including: unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school busses.
- Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
- Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances).
- Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
- Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
- Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
- Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
- Improve handling of several scenarios, including unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school buses.
- Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and recover smoothly from degraded operation for enhanced reliability.
- Added alerting for residue build-up on interior windshield that may impact front camera visibility. If affected, visit Service for cleaning!
Upcoming Improvements:
- Overall smoothness and sentience
- Parking spot selection and parking quality
The Tesla Model X has always been one of the company’s most loved vehicles, despite its low sales figures, which can be attributed to its high price tag.
However, the Model X has been a signature item on Tesla’s menu of cars, most notably recognized by its Falcon Wing Doors, which are aware of its surroundings and open according to what’s around it.
But recent improvements to the Model X were looking slim to none, but it appears most of the fixes actually happened under the body, at least according to Tesla’s Vice President of Powertrain, Lars Moravy.
In a recent interview with Car and Driver, Moravy detailed all of the changes to the 2026 iteration of the vehicle, which was about 400 pounds lighter than it was originally. The biggest change is a modification with the rear motor, switching from an induction-type motor to a permanent-magnet design and optimizing the half-shafts, which shed about 100 pounds.
Tesla also got “almost 80 pounds out of the interior bits and pieces,” which “included making parts thinner, different manufacturing process choices, and incorporating airbag-deployment requirements into the headliner fabric,” the report said.
Additionally, the standard five-passenger, bench seat configuration saved 50 pounds by ditching pedestal mounting. This also helped with practicality, as it helped the seat fold flat. Engineers at Tesla also saved 44 pounds from the high-voltage wiring through optimizing the wiring from the charge-port DC/DC converter and switching from copper to aluminum wiring.
Tesla makes a decision on the future of its flagship Model S and Model X
Tesla also simplified the cooling system by reducing the number of radiators. It also incorporated Nürburgring cooling requirements for the Plaid variant, which saved nearly 30 pounds.
Many Tesla fans will be familiar with the megacastings, manufactured in-house by presses from IDRA, which also saves more than 20 pounds and boosts torsional stiffness by around 10 percent. Tweaks to the suspension also saved 10 pounds.
People were truly disappointed with what Tesla did with the Model S and Model X, arguing that the cars needed a more severe exterior overhaul, which might be true. However, Tesla really did a lot to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which helps increase range and efficiency. According to Grok, every 200 pounds removed adds between 7 and 15 percent to range estimations.
This makes sense considering the range estimations both increased by 7 percent from the Model X’s 2025 configuration to the 2026 builds. Range increased on the All-Wheel-Drive trim from 329 miles to 352 miles, while the Plaid went from 314 miles to 335 miles.
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.
Tesla FSD V14.2 starts rolling out to initial batch of vehicles
Tesla Model X lost 400 pounds thanks to these changes
