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Tesla shares new Cybertruck features: Diff locks, Baja Mode, CyberTent Mode, and more

Credit: Cybertruck/X

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Tesla has provided a list of new features that are rolling out to the Cybertruck soon. From a dedicated Baja Mode to locking differentials and a CyberTent mode, the Cybertruck is receiving a series of features that are designed to make the all-electric pickup truck into an even more capable off-road adventure vehicle. 

Tesla announced the list of the Cybertruck’s upcoming features in a post on the all-electric pickup truck’s official account on X. As per the EV maker, the features it listed will be rolling out soon. Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill also noted that the update with the Cybertruck’s new features is now being installed on Wave 1 vehicles

Following are the new features that are being rolled out for the Cybertruck. 

Off-Road Mode

Overland Mode – More consistent handling & better overall traction while driving on rock, gravel, deep snow, or sand.

Baja Mode – Vehicle balance is improved & the vehicle handles more freely when Stability Assist is set to Minimal.

Locking Differentials (Dual Motor AWD) | Off-Road Mode 

On uneven or slippery terrain, if a wheel has limited or no traction, Cybertruck can direct that torque to the opposite wheel.

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In Off-Road Mode, choose from Locking Differentials options on the vehicle status area or in the Off-Road app.

Front Locking Differential (Cyberbeast Tri Motor) | Off-Road Mode 

Go to Off-Road Mode > Overland to enable Locking Differential feature. Cyberbeast tri motor has a virtual rear locked differential which is always working in overland mode.

Trail Assist | Off-Road Mode

It’s like cruise control, but for off-roading. Trail Assist helps maintain a set cruising speed so you can focus on steering. Trail Assist works as both a hill ascent and descent control helping to keep the wheels from slipping.

Off-Road Mode > Trail Assist

Slippery Surface | On-Road 

Better traction control on snowy, icy, wet, or slick roads to distribute traction evenly across all tires.

Dynamics > Slippery Surface 

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Dynamics > Engage Rear Locking Differential for increased traction (should be used temporarily only) 

Ride and Handling with a Load | On-Road 

Adaptive suspension now estimates payload more accurately & automatically adjusts damping to deliver a more comfortable ride & more consistent, confident handling.

CyberTent Mode

Levels the suspension so you can sleep comfortably on a flat surface in your CyberTent.

Also keeps the tonneau cover open to accommodate your tent. Lights, AC & outlets will stay on as well if enabled.

An apparent video of the Cybertruck’s new features, or at least some of them, were shown in a recent video from Top Gear. As could observed by the Top Gear hosts, Tesla’s Cybertruck update did make the all-electric pickup truck a competent off-roader that could stand toe-to-toe to the Rivian R1T, a vehicle that could, in a way, be considered as the current standard for all-electric off-road adventures. 

Watch the Cybertruck’s new features in action in the video below. 

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

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Model Y L gets suspension complaints in over odd issue China

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Credit: @TeslaNewswire/X

The Tesla Model Y L is arguably the most hyped trim of the all-electric crossover, other than the Performance configuration that comes with white-knuckle speed and sports car-level handling.

However, it is not all perfect. Tesla owners in China who took delivery of the Model Y L, denoted with an L to highlight its longer wheelbase, are experiencing what they are referring to as “collapsing” of the rear wheels, as suspension issues appear to be an issue with some of the builds.

The gap between the wheel arch and tire has narrowed to the point that “not even a single finger” could fit, according to a report from Car News China. The failures are not tied to a specific mileage, as one owner said that after just 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles), they noticed the suspension issue when their car was fully loaded.

Another one had the issue at 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) and noticed that the wheel gap shrank to two fingers, so not as drastic as the person who reported a similar issue at 9,000 km.

Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment

Along with the visual recognition of the issue, others are saying the sagging is causing abnormal wear on the inside of the tires. Extra weight and instant torque already provide additional stress on the tires in electric vehicles during normal operation, so it is no surprise that this is another complaint.

There has been no recall issued by Tesla, and the company has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.

Some are suggesting that owners use a “finger test” to self-diagnose whether there is an issue with the suspension. There should be four fingers between the tire and the wheel well; anything less than that starts to get dicey.

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Tesla Cybercab event gains steam ahead of massive launch

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Credit: TechOperator | X

Tesla is starting to truly tease and hype its groundbreaking Cybercab event, which takes place tomorrow in Austin, Texas. It will be the first time members of the public will be able to ride in a Cybercab, a vehicle without any manual controls, on public roads.

Tesla has been dropping some hype on X over the past several days, but this morning, the excitement has truly started to build up for the event. Although Cybercab has been unveiled before, this is truly Tesla’s announcement that it is ready to start offering autonomous rides for public passengers in its new ride-hailing-geared vehicle for the first time.

The hype has started with a variety of different social media posts that are a true indication that Tesla is preparing for something big. Teasing so much of the potential of Cybercab, including its ability to truly revolutionize how people hail rides for local travel, is what the big idea for the event entails. The time that many Tesla owners, fans, and investors have been waiting for is potentially here:

The event has remained slim on details. Even invitees are still awaiting true details about what the event will entail, where they’ll go, and what is in store for the evening. This is pretty typical for an event run by Tesla; they keep things under wraps for the most part until the very last minute.

However, there is no secret about what the real intention of Tesla is for this event: it is going to be a huge reveal party for a vehicle that has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is a truly massive step for the company moving forward.

Speculation persists as to whether this is going to be an event that simply announces that rides will begin with the Cybercab, or it will be something more substantial. Tesla has said in the past that they plan to sell the Cybercab to the general public in what could become a great way to earn passive income by adding it to a more global fleet of Robotaxi-geared vehicles.

Tomorrow, the show begins in Austin, and the Cybercab goes live at some capacity; we just don’t know exactly how quite yet.

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SpaceX tells the FCC that Starship Flight 14 is going to orbit

SpaceX filed with the FCC for Starship Flight 14, its first true orbital launch attempt.

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SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to fly Starlink terminals during Starship’s fourteenth flight test, and the filing lays out a genuine trip to orbit, something the program has never attempted.

Every Starship flight so far, including Flight 13’s successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean on July 24, has flown a suborbital arc that ends with the ship reentering the atmosphere within the same hour it launches. The FCC paperwork describes a mission profile built around an actual orbital insertion instead.

The payload is the other half of the story. Flight 13 carried 20 production Starlink V3 satellites, but because that mission never reached orbit, the satellites reentered along with the ship rather than joining the constellation, something Teslarati covered in detail after SpaceX released footage shot from one of those satellites as it drifted away from Starship in space. Flight 14 is designed to close that gap. If the orbital insertion holds, the roughly 20 V3 satellites onboard would separate into an operational orbit and could eventually go into service, each one rated for about 1 terabit per second of downlink capacity by SpaceX’s own account.

SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’

Elon Musk first flagged the orbital attempt during SpaceX’s August 4 earnings call, the company’s first as a public entity following its June IPO under the ticker SPCX. He also floated catching the ship with the Starbase tower on the same flight, an idea he walked back on August 20, saying the catch attempt would more likely come “in a few months,” as Teslarati reported at the time. Flight 14 will instead target a splashdown for the ship in the Indian Ocean, the same recovery method used since Flight 12.

Hardware has been catching up to the ambition. Booster 21 completed a full 33-engine static fire on August 28, and Ship 41 finished its own six-engine test the week before. An airspace briefing circulated to pilots on August 20 listed September 15 as the target date, later than the end of August window Musk mentioned on the earnings call, though SpaceX has not confirmed a launch date publicly and Starship schedules routinely slip while hardware and FAA paperwork line up.

The FCC filing itself does not guarantee a launch date. It covers communications authority, and not flight readiness, considering SpaceX still needs Ship 41 fully stacked and cleared by the FAA before Flight 14 can fly. But the filing is a real marker of intent and it puts a specific regulatory process behind what had so far only been Musk’s word on the earnings call.

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