Tesla has rolled out a new Adaptive Air Suspension widget display on the Instrument Panel of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV. The addition came with the 2020.36 Software Update, which was released to owners on August 29th, 2020.
In mid-August, Tesla released improvements to the Adaptive Suspension system by adding a real-time visualization feature to the Model S and X. The feature was available on the dash screen, allowing drivers to see exactly what was going on with their car’s suspension in real-time for an immersive and detailed update of the vehicle’s activity.
Now, Tesla has moved the visualization to the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, more conveniently positioned for driver’s to keep up with the suspension system’s response to unruly terrain during navigation.
Reddit member u/Udarag shared an image of the Suspension visualization feature on his Model S Long Range Plus instrument panel.
According to TeslaScope.com, Tesla released the Suspension Instrument Panel Display to every market where the Model S and Model X are available. The company states in the release notes that:
“The real-time visualization shows how the suspension system is dynamically adjusting each wheel’s damping to account for changing road conditions. This can now be displayed on the right or left side of the instrument panel. To view, hold the respective steering wheel scroll button briefly until the available instrument panel options are displayed. Roll the scroll button to choose Suspension.”
Tesla performed the initial rollout of the Suspension Visualization on August 21st, and the improvements were aimed toward increasing driver awareness of what stress the vehicle’s systems were under at all times. In addition to the visualization, the update also introduced a simplified suspension control logic that allowed vehicles to support both temporary and permanent ride heights.
The Model 3 and Model Y do not have any Adaptive Air Suspension features because they equip a different shock system than the Model S and the Model Y. Teslarati reported in February that the Model 3 and Model Y both had Air Suspension harnesses listed within the company’s Parts Catalog. However, CEO Elon Musk told us that there were no plans to give the two mass-market vehicles this functionality, at least for now.
Allowing owners to see what the suspension system is doing in real-time will give drivers a good sense of what is going on with the vehicle while it is traveling over heavy terrain. Snow and unpaved roads that are challenging for cars to navigate over will give owners an excellent opportunity to see how the shocks respond to dips and divots within the driving surface.
