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Tesla Track Mode V2 Release Notes: Third-Party Charging, Bluetooth update included
Tesla has started rolling out software 2020.8.1 that includes Track Mode V2 for Model 3, third-party charging stations, improvements to Model S and Model X regenerative braking, and a host of other features.
YouTuber Tesla Raj explored the latest software update using the Model 3 Performance of Wade Anderson (@TeslaSocialC) to demonstrate features for Track Mode and discuss what’s new. The 2020.8.1 firmware includes improvements to Navigation, Driving Visualization, Bluetooth, regenerative braking, voice command reliability, third-party charging station options, plus minor updates on language support.
Track Mode V2 for Model 3
The latest version of the Track Mode for the Model 3 started rolling out as a free over-the-air (OTA) update earlier this week and coinciding with the launch of the Model 3 Track Package for racing enthusiasts.
Track Mode V2 gives Model 3 owners the option of customizing settings for Handling Balance, Stability Assist, Regenerative Braking, among others.
“Track Mode has been improved to make it easier to monitor the status of your car, create custom track mode settings profiles and record your track day data,” the 2020.8.1 firmware release notes read.
Tesla Raj, upon getting the latest software update, tested the Track Mode V2 on the Model 3 and switched the car to rear-wheel drive with no stability assist.
“I have never… I don’t have much experience in a Performance Model 3 but I’ll tell you one thing. My heart, lungs, and liver, and all my body parts are all here in my chest,” said Tesla Raj.
Tesla Raj and Tesla Social also switched to full front-wheel drive and then to 50-50 to feel how the car would perform.
Track Mode allows owners to create 20 profiles that perfectly suits their preferences and driving scenarios. Users can also customize the settings for a specific track.
Track Mode V2 also allows you to monitor the status of the car’s motors, brakes, and tires. The latest firmware also allows one to see a real-time accelerometer via the G-meter. Likewise, the map now includes a Lap Timer.
Model 3 owners can also save a video and other data of their driving sessions while on Track Mode. One has to assign a folder named “TeslaTrackMode” in the plugged USB flash drive where all the files would be saved. Track Mode will also store telemetry data, car status, speed, acceleration, and use of accelerator on the flash drive.
Bluetooth, Driving Visualization, And More
Tesla also tweaked how Bluetooth audio transitions from one’s phone to the car with this latest update. Now, Bluetooth connects a paired phone only after sitting in the driver’s seat and once all of the vehicle’s doors are closed.
More users can now enjoy the improved driving visualizations showing stoplights, stop signs, and select road markings, which was only available before to Tesla owners in the United States.
According to the release notes, Tesla has also improved voice command reliability even in areas with poor connectivity.
Tesla owners in select sites in the San Francisco Bay Area can now find third-party charging stations via in-car navigation. Users in other locations in the US will also be able to enjoy this feature soon.
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- Tesla firmware 2020.8.1 release notes (Credit: Tesla Raj)
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- Tesla firmware 2020.8.1 release notes (Credit: Tesla Raj)
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- Tesla firmware 2020.8.1 release notes (Credit: Tesla Raj)
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- Tesla firmware 2020.8.1 release notes (Credit: Tesla Raj)
Regenerative Braking Improvements and New Navigation for Model S and Model X
Firmware 2020.8.1 also gives Model S and Model X owners increased regenerative braking that improves the overall driving experience and increases the amount of energy actively returned to the vehicle’s battery when slowing down.
The latest update also introduces a new navigation system with improved routes, more accurate arrival times, and a more responsive instrument cluster.
The full release notes for Firmware 2020.8.1 can be found below:
Introducing new Navigation (Beta)
Only Model S and X
Introducing a new navigation system for your vehicle that provides improved routes, more accurate arrival times, and a more responsive instrument cluster view to better display upcoming maneuvers.
For China: This release also includes new maps on the touchscreen. You can now view the maps in satellite view and see nearby points of interest.
Driving Visualization Improvements
This has been added for more regions, previously just the US.
The driving visualization can now display additional objects which include stop lights, stop signs and select road markings. The stop sign and stop light visualizations are not a substitute for an attentive driver and will not stop the car. To see these additional objects in your driving visualization, tap Controls > Autopilot > Self Driving Visualization Preview.
Track Mode Improvements
Only Model 3 (Performance)
Track Mode has been improved to make it easier to monitor the status of your car, create custom track mode settings profiles and record your track day data.
Monitor the status of your car motors, battery, brakes and tires, allowing you to adjust your driving in real time. G-meter, a real-time accelerometer, can now be viewed in the Cards area of the touchscreen. The map now displays a Lap Timer. Follow the onscreen instructions to place a start/finish pin on the map. At the completion of each lap, the Lap Timer displays the duration of the lap. It also displays the times associated with the previous and best laps in the driving session.
Track Mode allows you to save up to 20 Track Mode profiles to suit your preferences or driving scenario, or customize for a specific track. A new settings profile can be created by tapping Track Mode Settings > Add New Settings, entering a name for the settings profile, then adjusting settings including Handling Balance, Stability Assist, Regenerative Braking, Post-Drive Cooling and Compressor Overclock. Refer to the Owner’s Manual for more information regarding each setting.
You can now save a video and data of the Track Mode driving session to a plugged in USB flash drive which must contain a folder named “TeslaTrackMode” (without the quotation marks). When “Save Dashcam for Laps” is enabled, Track Mode stores a video of each lap in a driving session when using the Lap Timer. Track Mode also stores the car status and telemetry data including details about the vehicle’s position, speed, acceleration, and use of accelerator which is stored as a .CSV file on the USB flash drive.
Third-Party Charging Stations
Only vehicles in California.
Now you can find third-party charging options with your in-car navigation – select sites in the San Francisco Bay Area are available now with additional locations across the US coming soon. To access, press the lightning bolt icon on the bottom of your touchscreen, scroll down and select a Supercharger, Destination Charging or third-party charging location to navigate to.
Bluetooth Improvement
To improve the audio transition from phone-to-car when entering your vehicle, Bluetooth now connects to your paired phone only after you are sitting in the driver’s seat and all doors are closed. As a reminder, you can pair your phone to Bluetooth by touching the Bluetooth icon on the top of your touchscreen and then “Add New Device”.
Regenerative Braking
Only Model S and X
Regenerative braking force has been increased to improve the driving experience and increase how much energy is actively returned to the battery when slowing down.
Improved Voice Command Reliability
We have improved voice command reliability, including in areas with poor connectivity. Note: to use voice commands, simply tap the right steering wheel button and speak your command after the beep – there is no need to press and hold the button.
Additional Language Support
Your touchscreen is now available in additional languages. To change the language, simply go to Controls > Display > Language. Please note that your vehicle must be in PARK to enable this selection.
Additional Owner’s Manual Languages
The Owner’s Manual on your touchscreen is now available in Romanian, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Hebrew. As a reminder, you can change the language of the Owner’s Manual by tapping Controls > Service> Owner’s Manual and select your preferred language from the dropdown menu.
This release contains minor improvements and bug fixes.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving shows stunning maneuver in Europe to silence skeptics
In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.
Tesla Full Self-Driving, fresh on the heels of its approval for operation on European roads for the first time, showed off a stunning maneuver that will certainly silence any skeptics on the continent.
Fresh off its approval in the Netherlands, Full Self-Driving is working toward a significant expansion into more parts of Europe.
In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.
In the first clip, a wide tractor occupied more than half the lane on a tight two-way road. Rather than braking abruptly or forcing a collision risk, FSD smoothly edged the vehicle onto the adjacent bike path—using the extra space with precision—before seamlessly returning to the lane once clear.
The second clip was equally demanding: while overtaking a group of cyclists, an oncoming car approached at speed.
FSD maintained a safe, minimal buffer to the cyclists while timing the pass perfectly, avoiding any swerve or hesitation that could unsettle passengers or other road users.
People wonder if FSD is safe on narrow European roads. Well have a look what it did when a tractor took up more than half of the road or when overtaking bicycles with fast oncoming traffic. pic.twitter.com/z37Csa09sP
— Chanan Bos (@ChananBos) April 14, 2026
This maneuver highlights FSD’s advanced spatial reasoning and predictive planning. On roads often under three meters wide, with no room for error, the system calculated available clearance in real time, incorporated shoulder and path geometry, and executed a controlled deviation without compromising safety.
It treated the bike path as a legitimate extension of navigable space, something many drivers might hesitate to do, while respecting Dutch road norms and cyclist priority.
Such feats align closely with a growing library of impressive FSD maneuvers documented on camera worldwide.
In urban Amsterdam, for instance, FSD has navigated the world’s densest cyclist environments, weaving through hundreds of unpredictable bike movements on canal-side streets with tram tracks and pedestrians.
One uncut drive showed it yielding smoothly at crossings, overtaking where needed, and even handling a near-perfect auto-park in a tight residential spot, demonstrating the same low-speed precision seen in the rural clips.
Teslas using FSD have tackled turbo roundabouts in the Netherlands, complex multi-lane circles notorious for geometry challenges, merging confidently while yielding to traffic. Similar clips depict smooth handling of construction zones, emergency vehicle pull-overs, and gated parking barriers, where the car stops precisely, waits for clearance, and proceeds without driver input.
Collectively, these examples illustrate FSD’s evolution toward handling the unpredictable.
The rural Netherlands maneuvers aren’t isolated. Instead, they reflect a pattern of spatial awareness, cyclist deference, and traffic anticipation seen from city streets to highways.
As FSD continues refining through real-world data, videos like this one are certainly building a compelling case for its readiness on Europe’s varied roads.
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Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla is utilizing its ‘Rave Cave’ for an awesome new safety feature that will arrive with the upcoming Spring Update for 2026.
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla added a Sync Lights feature that will strobe the accent strips with the beat of the music.
It is one of the most unique and one of the coolest non-functional features of a Tesla, as it does not improve the driving of the vehicle, but makes it a cool and personal addition to the interior.
However, Tesla is going to take it one step further, as the Rave Cave lights will now be used for blind spot recognition. This feature will be added as the Spring 2026 Update starts to roll out.
A lot of CRAZY new features coming with Tesla’s 2026 Spring Update, including a new FSD app!
– Self-Driving App (AI4 hardware): New app in App Launcher > Self-Driving for one-tap FSD subscriptions, activation guides, and ongoing stats.
– “Hey Grok”: Voice-activated Grok with… https://t.co/ljeYPlq9Qt— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 13, 2026
Tesla writes:
“Accent lights now turn red when an object is in your blind spot and your turn signal is engaged, or when an approaching object is detected while parked.”
This neat new safety feature will now increase the likelihood of a driver, who is operating their Tesla manually, of seeing the blind spot warnings that are currently available on the A pillar and on the center touchscreen.
These new alerts will now warn drivers of cross traffic as they back out of a parking space with little to no visibility of what is coming. It is a great new addition that will only increase the safety of the vehicles, while also utilizing something that is already installed in these specific Model 3 and Model Y units.
The Model 3 and Model Y were the central focus of the Spring 2026 Update, especially considering the fact that the Model S and Model X are basically gone, with only a few hundred units left. Additionally, Tesla included new Immersive Sound and Car Visualization for the Model 3 and Model Y specifically in this new update.
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Tesla parked 50+ Cybercabs outside its Texas Factory with some crash tested
Dozens of Tesla Cybercabs have been spotted at Giga Texas crash testing facility ahead of launch.
Drone footage captured by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer shows over 50 units of Tesla Cybercab at the Austin factory campus, including several units clustered by Tesla’s on-site crash testing facility.
The outbound lot at Gigafactory Texas sits just outside the factory exit and serves as the primary staging area where finished vehicles are held before being loaded onto transport carriers or dispatched for validation testing. On any given day, the lot holds a mix of Model Y and Cybertruck units alongside the growing Tesla Cybercab fleet, as can be seen in the drone footage captured by Joe Tegtmeyer.
Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas on April 13, 2026 [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Cybercab crash test units spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Full Self-Driving shows stunning maneuver in Europe to silence skeptics
Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature
