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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
The Trump Administration today made several key moves to help with the deployment of autonomous vehicles by cutting overreaching red tape that has stifled growth and innovation for years.
The moves, which were put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aim to grant temporary exemptions to at least one company currently, although that could expand in the coming months. Additionally, it will work with organizations to develop standards and a sound but efficient regulatory landscape.
Zoox is the only company mentioned explicitly by the Trump Administration in its press release announcing the new terms today. They will receive a temporary two-year exemption that will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years.
There is a potential exemption for Robomart, Inc., which “requests a temporary exemption from certain FMVSS No. 500 requirements for a low-speed vehicle operated by an ADS without a human driver onboard. NHTSA will publish a separate notice seeking public comment on its merits once the initial evaluation is complete,” the agency said.
Here are the five new terms that Secretary Sean Duffy has implemented through the NHTSA today:
- Allow Zoox to commercially deploy its robotaxis through a temporary exemption.
This temporary exemption will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years, subject to an enhanced, adaptable oversight structure that can evolve as Zoox’s technology advances. - Accelerate development of first-ever AV performance standards through a partnership with SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (ITC).
This partnership will fund a three-year, $5 million “A2SCEND” consortium, bringing together experts to gather data and accelerate creation of the first-ever AV performance standards. This project will inform a single national standard for AV safety to eliminate the patchwork regulatory landscape that has stifled innovation for years. - Publish an interim final rule that allows vehicles manufactured prior to an exemption to be eligible for a commercial deployment exemption.
This rule will modernize the application process and improve access to exemptions for innovators, including AV developers, by granting the NHTSA Administrator the discretion to apply temporary exemptions to vehicles manufactured prior to the effective date of an exemption grant. - Streamline the application process for Part 555 exemptions by updating guidance and soliciting feedback from the public.
By updating the Part 555 exemption process—which allows automakers to temporarily sell a limited number of non-compliant vehicles, primarily to test new technologies—NHTSA is aiming to create a more flexible oversight structure for exemptions and summarize recent AV framework activities, including expanded exemption pathways, streamlined crash reporting, and ongoing efforts to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). - Establish a new Federal Docket for public feedback on NHTSA’s updated safe AV development and deployment guidance.
NHTSA is updating its technical guidance for AVs for the first time since 2017—focusing on key safety areas like emergency responder interactions, safety management systems, remote assistance, and post-crash behavior to help the industry scale up driverless deployments safely.
Additionally, the NHTSA said it has modernized some safety standards by proposing updates to:
- FMVSS 102 – Transmission shifting
- FMVSS 103/104 – Windshield defrosting and wiping
- FMVSS 110 – Tire placards
- FMVSS 135 – Braking systems
- FMVSS 101 – Controls and displays
- FMVSS 108 – Vehicle lighting
- FMVSS 111 – Mirrors and rearview display
- FMVSS 126 – Electronic stability control systems
- FMVSS 201/208 – Sun visors and warning labels
These changes aim to make the regulatory process for autonomous vehicles more streamlined and efficient, which could help the U.S. gain dominance over autonomous vehicle systems moving forward.
Elon Musk is, in many respects, one of the biggest and most influential figures in modern-day artificial intelligence.
Given that Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are all looked at in their respective fields as leaders to an extent, each of them has a heavy influence on the future of AI, even though two of them are not thought of, at face value, as AI companies.
Musk has grand expectations for what is to come with AI, not only as a form of assistance to make human lives easier, but to make humans multiplanetary and solve some of the biggest issues that face us today. But even he is astounded by AI’s pace of progress.
He believes that in two years, AI will be so mind-blowing it might be unrecognizable.
Given that AI from 2 years ago feels so old that it should be in a museum, then obviously AI 2 years from now will be mind-blowing https://t.co/TcsKZ8o8OE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2026
This progress can be seen in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most popular way people have shown AI’s progress, especially on social media, is through an incredibly arbitrary way of watching Will Smith eat spaghetti:
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The progression in AI of Will Smith eating spaghetti (2023 – 2026) pic.twitter.com/VDv82mB5gs
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) February 10, 2026
This is a great way to show people how AI is improving, especially from a perspective that examines how it can manufacture images and video from prompts. AI is an incredibly complex concept, however, and it goes much deeper than Will Smith eating Italian food.
Musk’s most widely adopted method of AI is likely Tesla Full Self-Driving, which impacts millions of people as they utilize it to increase safety with their travel. Musk has routinely pushed incredibly aggressive timelines for self-driving, especially unsupervised.
Perhaps this perspective is why he feels that things will be solved in a timeframe that is much more aggressive than most of us would think. Regardless, the progress of AI is moving fast, and it seems that Musk’s expectations for it could be high.
But if it can actually achieve full-length motion pictures and even more realistic production value, it will be hard to distinguish between reality and AI very soon.
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Tesla just officially confirmed it has built its 10 millionth car, a major milestone for the company that started producing sustainable electric powertrains less than two decades ago.
In that time, Tesla has truly revolutionized the automotive industry, disrupting the idea of what a car should be, how it should be fueled, and how it truly impacts day-to-day life.
10 million vehicles produced globally.
Congrats to all Tesla teams! pic.twitter.com/JkcraR63bs— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) July 30, 2026
Tesla achieved this feat across four production facilities: the Fremont Factory in Fremont, California, Gigafactory Shanghai in China, Gigafactory Berlin in Germany, and Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Texas.
The 10 millionth vehicle was a Diamond Black Model Y.
Over the course of the past roughly 18 years, Tesla has evolved its lineup from a sporty sedan built on a Lotus body to a lineup of various body styles, performance metrics, and other characteristics that make each one unique.
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This is an incredible achievement for a company that is young compared to what it goes up against. When Tesla entered the automotive market, Ford, GM, and Stellantis widely dominated the playing field. Since then, Tesla has caused such a disruption that these three massive brands had to scramble to create EV projects of their own.
Despite their best efforts, they have not been able to match the prowess or the effectiveness of Tesla. They are all reliant on Tesla’s charging infrastructure, their software is inferior, and their self-driving projects are elementary in comparison.
Tesla felt its fair share of growing pains over the years as well. As recent at 2019, there were complaints about build quality, paint quality, and overall luxuriousness. These things have all been improved upon through the company’s maturity, and these strides in quality have led to this 10 million vehicle production achievement, something that other small-and-scrappy EV makers will hope to accomplish one day.
Autonomous vehicle red tape gets slashed by Trump Administration
Elon Musk has a crazy prediction about AI in two years
