A recently published Tesla patent application titled “Autonomous Driving System Emergency Signaling” describes a method of quickly communicating emergency information from vehicle sensors feeding into autonomous driving software. The new communication method will improve Autopilot’s response in emergency situations, thereby reducing the probability of accidents.
Tesla’s invention takes latency in data transmission into account as an area of improvement. In general, critical information can get stuck waiting to be processed by a computer after non-critical information that’s ahead of it. Under Tesla’s US Patent Application No. 2019/0138018, critical emergency situations detected by sensors are moved to the front of the line for priority processing and response. Tesla’s invention achieves this using two main approaches.
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
First, the transmission from sensors that detect an emergency sends their findings to the main computer at a higher transmit power than other messages. Other signals at lower power transmissions are then interpreted as ‘background noise’ compared to the emergency signal. This process is described in the patent application as follows:
“When an autonomous driving emergency event is detected by an autonomous driving sensor…the [sensor] transmits the autonomous driving emergency message in a non-assigned time slot at a higher transmit power level than a transmit power level of an autonomous driving sensor…Because the autonomous driving emergency message is transmitted at a higher power level than the transmission from the autonomous driving sensor, the transmission from the autonomous driving sensor may be treated as background noise by the autonomous driving controller to thereby receive and decode of the autonomous driving emergency message.”
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
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- Tesla’s self-driving patent hints at faster collision response times. | Image: Tesla/USPTO
In a second approach, the autonomous driving sensors that encounter an emergency message are programmed to stop sending signals, and the vehicle’s main computer will direct them to resume communications after receiving the emergency message. This process is described in the patent as follows:
-->“…if an emergency transmission is detected…the autonomous driving sensor ceases transmitting autonomous driving data. Such cessation may continue for one assigned time slot, for more than one assigned slots, and/or until the autonomous driving sensor receives direction from the autonomous driving controller to continue transmitting autonomous driving data or receives a new…bus time slot assignment from the autonomous driving controller. During this time period…the autonomous driving sensor continues to collect and buffer autonomous driving data.”
Several variations of achieving these two main concepts are also described in the application and invention claims, including managing the specifics of the transmit power level differences and reassigning time slots for sensors to communicate on the data bus. Overall, this recent patent application is yet another indicator of Tesla’s continued improvement of its autonomous driving capabilities.
Tesla’s advances in the autonomous driving arena have been touted by CEO Elon Musk and industry experts alike. ARK Invest analyst James Wang recently estimated that the all-electric car maker’s decision to develop its Full Self-Driving computer chip in-house put the company four years ahead of the competition. Musk, for his part, declared the chip the best in the world at Tesla’s Investor Autonomy Day. “It seems improbable. How could it be that Tesla, who has never designed a chip before, would design the best chip in the world? But that is objectively what has occurred,” Elon touted.
While Tesla has yet to roll out the total capabilities of its Full Self-Driving suite, Musk has said on several occasions that the software will be “feature complete” by the end of 2019 with only regulatory hurdles left for full release.
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News
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
The refreshed Tesla Model 3 has won the DRIVEN Car Guide AA Insurance NZ Car of the Year 2025 award in the Passenger Car category, beating all traditional and electric rivals.
Judges praised the all-electric sedan’s driving dynamics, value-packed EV tech, and the game-changing addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) that went live in New Zealand this September.
Why the Model 3 clinched the crown
DRIVEN admitted they were late to the “Highland” party because the updated sedan arrived in New Zealand as a 2024 model, just before the new Model Y stole the headlines. Yet two things forced a re-evaluation this year.
First, experiencing the new Model Y reminded testers how many big upgrades originated in the Model 3, such as the smoother ride, quieter cabin, ventilated seats, rear touchscreen, and stalk-less minimalist interior. Second, and far more importantly, Tesla flipped the switch on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in September, turning every Model 3 and Model Y into New Zealand’s most advanced production car overnight.
FSD changes everything for Kiwi buyers
The publication called the entry-level rear-wheel-drive version “good to drive and represents a lot of EV technology for the money,” but highlighted that FSD elevates it into another league. “Make no mistake, despite the ‘Supervised’ bit in the name that requires you to remain ready to take control, it’s autonomous and very capable in some surprisingly tricky scenarios,” the review stated.
-->At NZ$11,400, FSD is far from cheap, but Tesla also offers FSD (Supervised) on a $159 monthly subscription, making the tech accessible without the full upfront investment. That’s a game-changer, as it allows users to access the company’s most advanced system without forking over a huge amount of money.
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Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out.
It appears that the Tesla AI team burned the midnight oil, allowing them to release FSD V14.2.1 on Thanksgiving. The update has been reported by Tesla owners with AI4 vehicles, as well as Cybertruck owners.
For the Tesla AI team, at least, it appears that work really does not stop.
FSD V14.2.1
Initial posts about FSD V14.2.1 were shared by Tesla owners on social media platform X. As per the Tesla owners, V14.2.1 appears to be a point update that’s designed to polish the features and capacities that have been available in FSD V14. A look at the release notes for FSD V14.2.1, however, shows that an extra line has been added.
“Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.”
Whether this could lead to more drivers being alerted to pay attention to the roads more remains to be seen. This would likely become evident as soon as the first batch of videos from Tesla owners who received V14.21 start sharing their first drive impressions of the update. Despite the update being released on Thanksgiving, it would not be surprising if first impressions videos of FSD V14.2.1 are shared today, just the same.
-->Rapid FSD releases
What is rather interesting and impressive is the fact that FSD V14.2.1 was released just about a week after the initial FSD V14.2 update was rolled out. This bodes well for Tesla’s FSD users, especially since CEO Elon Musk has stated in the past that the V14.2 series will be for “widespread use.”
FSD V14 has so far received numerous positive reviews from Tesla owners, with numerous drivers noting that the system now drives better than most human drivers because it is cautious, confident, and considerate at the same time. The only question now, really, is if the V14.2 series does make it to the company’s wide FSD fleet, which is still populated by numerous HW3 vehicles.
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Waymo rider data hints that Tesla’s Cybercab strategy might be the smartest, after all
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota Connected Europe designer Karim Dia Toubajie has highlighted a particular trend that became evident in Waymo’s Q3 2025 occupancy stats. As it turned out, 90% of the trips taken by the driverless taxis carried two or fewer passengers.
These observations all but validate Tesla’s controversial two-seat Cybercab strategy, which has caught a lot of criticism since it was unveiled last year.
Toyota designer observes a trend
Karim Dia Toubajie, Lead Product Designer (Sustainable Mobility) at Toyota Connected Europe, analyzed Waymo’s latest California Public Utilities Commission filings and posted the results on LinkedIn this week.
“90% of robotaxi trips have 2 or less passengers, so why are we using 5-seater vehicles?” Toubajie asked. He continued: “90% of trips have 2 or less people, 75% of trips have 1 or less people.” He accompanied his comments with a graphic showing Waymo’s occupancy rates, which showed 71% of trips having one passenger, 15% of trips having two passengers, 6% of trips having three passengers, 5% of trips having zero passengers, and only 3% of trips having four passengers.
The data excludes operational trips like depot runs or charging, though Toubajie pointed out that most of the time, Waymo’s massive self-driving taxis are really just transporting 1 or 2 people, at times even no passengers at all. “This means that most of the time, the vehicle being used significantly outweighs the needs of the trip,” the Toyota designer wrote in his post.
-->Cybercab suddenly looks perfectly sized
Toubajie gave a nod to Tesla’s approach. “The Tesla Cybercab announced in 2024, is a 2-seater robotaxi with a 50kWh battery but I still believe this is on the larger side of what’s required for most trips,” he wrote.
With Waymo’s own numbers now proving 90% of demand fits two seats or fewer, the wheel-less, lidar-free Cybercab now looks like the smartest play in the room. The Cybercab is designed to be easy to produce, with CEO Elon Musk commenting that its product line would resemble a consumer electronics factory more than an automotive plant. This means that the Cybercab could saturate the roads quickly once it is deployed.
While the Cybercab will likely take the lion’s share of Tesla’s ride-hailing passengers, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover would be perfect for the remaining 9% of riders who require larger vehicles. This should be easy to implement for Tesla, as the Model Y and Model 3 are both mass-market vehicles.
Tesla Model 3 named New Zealand’s best passenger car of 2025
Tesla starts rolling out FSD V14.2.1 to AI4 vehicles including Cybertruck
