Tesla is contacting those who have pre-ordered the “Refreshed” versions of the Model X crossover, communicating that they should prepare for delivery between February 15th and March 15th.
Model S and Model X Refresh
In December, Tesla shut down production lines of the Model S and Model X at its Fremont, California, production facility, indicating that a refresh, or updating, of its two flagship vehicles would take place. After heavy speculation, Teslarati, in conjunction with the Kilowatts, located new builds of the Model S at the Fremont Factory’s test track. The car was sporting a wider body among several other external modifications. However, the car wasn’t subjected to a complete overhaul on the outside. This wasn’t the case for the interior.
Upon the release of the company’s Q4 2020 Earnings Update Letter, Tesla revealed new pictures of the Model S interior and expanded on its website that the same changes would be made to the Model X. Along with a new touchscreen design, the rest of the interior saw some major renovations, including the addition of a rear screen for passengers, tri-zone climate controls, similar to the Model 3 and Model Y, and a new Yoke steering wheel.
Production of the past Model S and Model X builds has evidently halted, according to the Tesla Parts Catalog. It appears that Raven S and X builds, which pack the 100 kWh battery pack with the powerful permanent magnet synchronous reluctance rear motor, has been halted, as production dates have been given their closing production month of January 2021.
The expected delivery of the refreshed S/X begins the second to the third week of this month as shared by Elon during the last earnings call, so this has been our hunch.
The Tesla parts website also just updated to list the Raven S/X as ending "April 2016 to January 2021". ✅ https://t.co/fXmsKWPeaz pic.twitter.com/5zBY4Sxw4z
— Teslascope (@teslascope) February 10, 2021
Model X Refresh First Deliveries
After the production of Model S and Model X was halted to update production lines, it was evident that Tesla was looking to refresh the car. After they announced it during the Earnings Call, CEO Elon Musk stated that he anticipated deliveries beginning this month for the Model S, and later for the Model X.
Musk said:
“We’re super excited to announce the new Model S and Model X Plaid — are in production now and will be delivered in February. So we’ve been able to bring forward the fab, Model S and X. And Model S will be delivered in February and Model X a little later.”
Tesla’s Design Studio for the United States indicates deliveries won’t start until April. However, Tesla is updating the accounts of those who have pre-ordered the Model X, by telling them an estimated delivery date of “February 15 – March 15.”
One pre-orderer, known as Joe, told Teslarati that his account has been updated and he is to expect delivery of his new car between February 15th and March 15th. He shared the photo of his account, indicating that delivery should be taking place within the next month.
Credit: @ Joe13644982 | Twitter
It is expected that Model S deliveries will take place first, according to Musk. However, the Model X could begin deliveries relatively soon after the Model S, especially based on the message Tesla is providing to owners on their account page. An exact date has not yet been given to owners, but we can confirm that Tesla’s timeline is pretty close to what Musk detailed during the Earnings Call.
Tesla’s refreshed Model X comes in two variants currently: a Long Range Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive for $89,990, and a Tri-Motor All-Wheel Drive “Plaid” variant, for $119,990. Both prices are before potential savings.
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Tesla FSD v14.2.2 is getting rave reviews from drivers
So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.
Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 is receiving positive reviews from owners, with several drivers praising the build’s lack of hesitation during lane changes and its smoother decision-making, among others.
The update, which started rolling out on Monday, also adds features like dynamic arrival pin adjustment. So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.
Owners highlight major improvements
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD user @BLKMDL3 shared a detailed 10-hour impression of FSD v14.2.2, noting that the system exhibited “zero lane change hesitation” and “extremely refined” lane choices. He praised Mad Max mode’s performance, stellar parking in locations including ticket dispensers, and impressive canyon runs even in dark conditions.
Fellow FSD user Dan Burkland reported an hour of FSD v14.2.2’s nighttime driving with “zero hesitations” and “buttery smooth” confidence reminiscent of Robotaxi rides in areas such as Austin, Texas. Veteran FSD user Whole Mars Catalog also demonstrated voice navigation via Grok, while Tesla owner Devin Olsen completed a nearly two-hour drive with FSD v14.2.2 in heavy traffic and rain with strong performance.
Closer to unsupervised
FSD has been receiving rave reviews, even from Tesla’s competitors. Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng, for one, offered fresh praise for FSD v14.2 after visiting Silicon Valley. Following extended test drives of Tesla vehicles running the latest FSD software, He stated that the system has made major strides, reinforcing his view that Tesla’s approach to autonomy is indeed the proper path towards autonomy.
According to He, Tesla’s FSD has evolved from a smooth Level 2 advanced driver assistance system into what he described as a “near-Level 4” experience in terms of capabilities. While acknowledging that areas of improvement are still present, the Xpeng CEO stated that FSD’s current iteration significantly surpasses last year’s capabilities. He also reiterated his belief that Tesla’s strategy of using the same autonomous software and hardware architecture across private vehicles and robotaxis is the right long-term approach, as it would allow users to bypass intermediate autonomy stages and move closer to Level 4 functionality.
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Elon Musk’s Grok AI to be used in U.S. War Department’s bespoke AI platform
The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel.
The U.S. Department of War announced Monday an agreement with Elon Musk’s xAI to embed the company’s frontier artificial intelligence systems, powered by the Grok family of models, into the department’s bespoke AI platform GenAI.mil.
The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel, with initial deployment targeted for early 2026 at Impact Level 5 (IL5) for secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information.
xAI Integration
As noted by the War Department’s press release, GenAI.mil, its bespoke AI platform, will gain xAI for the Government’s suite of tools, which enable real-time global insights from the X platform for “decisive information advantage.” The rollout builds on xAI’s July launch of products for U.S. government customers, including federal, state, local, and national security use cases.
“Targeted for initial deployment in early 2026, this integration will allow all military and civilian personnel to use xAI’s capabilities at Impact Level 5 (IL5), enabling the secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in daily workflows. Users will also gain access to real‑time global insights from the X platform, providing War Department personnel with a decisive information advantage,” the Department of War wrote in a press release.
Strategic advantages
The deal marks another step in the Department of War’s efforts to use cutting-edge AI in its operations. xAI, for its part, highlighted that its tools can support administrative tasks at the federal, state and local levels, as well as “critical mission use cases” at the front line of military operations.
“The War Department will continue scaling an AI ecosystem built for speed, security, and decision superiority. Newly IL5-certified capabilities will empower every aspect of the Department’s workforce, turning AI into a daily operational asset. This announcement marks another milestone in America’s AI revolution, and the War Department is driving that momentum forward,” the War Department noted.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) v14.2.2 starts rolling out
The update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.
Tesla has started rolling out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2, bringing further refinements to its most advanced driver-assist system. The new FSD update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.
Key FSD v14.2.2 improvements
As noted by Not a Tesla App, FSD v14.2.2 upgrades the vision encoder neural network with higher resolution features, enhancing detection of emergency vehicles, road obstacles, and human gestures. New Arrival Options let users select preferred drop-off styles, such as Parking Lot, Street, Driveway, Parking Garage, or Curbside, with the navigation pin automatically adjusting to the user’s ideal spot for precision.
Other additions include pulling over for emergency vehicles, real-time vision-based detours for blocked roads, improved gate and debris handling, and extreme Speed Profiles for customized driving styles. Reliability gains cover fault recovery, residue alerts on the windshield, and automatic narrow-field camera washing for new 2026 Model Y units.
FSD v14.2.2 also boosts unprotected turns, lane changes, cut-ins, and school bus scenarios, among other things. Tesla also noted that users’ FSD statistics will be saved under Controls > Autopilot, which should help drivers easily view how much they are using FSD in their daily drives.
Key FSD v14.2.2 release notes
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 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 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!
- Added automatic narrow field washing to provide rapid and efficient front camera self-cleaning, and optimize aerodynamics wash at higher vehicle speed.
- Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.
Upcoming Improvements:
- Overall smoothness and sentience.
- Parking spot selection and parking quality.
Tesla FSD v14.2.2 is getting rave reviews from drivers
Elon Musk’s Grok AI to be used in U.S. War Department’s bespoke AI platform
