News
Tesla update 2024.26 introduces Parental Controls with “Night Curfew,” speed limits, and more
Tesla is reportedly rolling out software update 2024.26 to its employees, and as per observations from the electric vehicle community, this particular update seems to include a number of interesting features. Most notable is Parental Controls, which arguably make Teslas the best vehicle for young drivers.
As per Tesla software trackers like Tessie and NotATeslaApp, update 2024.26 is currently rolling out to company employees. Provided that the update’s rollout to employees is successful, 2024.26 would likely be released to the company’s greater fleet of vehicles soon.
A number of features are quite notable in Tesla’s update 2024.26. Parental Controls, for one, include a “Night Curfew” feature that allows parents to receive notifications to their Tesla App when the vehicle is driven past a set curfew. It also allows users to set speed limits, set acceleration restrictions, and activate safety features. Tesla describes its new Parental Control features in 2024.26’s release notes.
“You can now enable Parental Controls with a PIN on your vehicle. Set a maximum speed limit and limit acceleration to Chill. Turn on safety features, such as Speed Limit Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Forward Collision Warning. Configure Night Curfew to receive notifications through your Tesla mobile app when the vehicle is driven past curfew.
“Enable Parental Controls from the vehicle or the Tesla mobile app. Navigate to Controls > Safety > Parental Controls. Follow the instructions on screen and provide a PIN. Drivers can’t disable the controls or change the settings without re-entering the PIN.”
??? Tesla 2024.26 software update has been detected, with a lot of awesome new features!!
✅ YouTube Music
✅ Amazon Music
✅ Parental Control (set maximum speed and acceleration limits, turn on safety features, and configure Night Curfew to get notifications when the vehicle… pic.twitter.com/w9PJyCQetj— Tesla Newswire (@TeslaNewswire) July 3, 2024
While Teslas have long been shipped with Valet Mode, which restricts a car’s speed and acceleration and disables Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), owners have long requested the EV maker to specifically release a “Teen Driver Mode” of sorts. Back in May, it seemed that the Tesla owners’ requests were being heard, with noted Tesla hacker @greentheonly stating that “restricted” driver profiles seem to be coming in a future update. This update appears to be 2024.26.
Apart from Parental Controls, Tesla’s software update 2024.26 also includes a number of novel features that would most likely be appreciated by electric vehicle owners. Following are the other features that were included in software update 2024.26.
YouTube Music
Listen to over 100 million songs with YouTube Music Premium. Access your Library to see all of your liked and added songs, playlists you created and artists and podcasts you subscribed to.
Requires Premium Connectivity or an active WiFi connection.
Amazon Music
Prime members get access to over 100 million songs in shuffle mode, All-Access playlists, plus the largest catalog of top ad-free podcasts. Upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for full, on-demand access.
Requires Premium Connectivity or an active WiFi connection.
Navigate to Sub-Destinations
Now when you enter a navigation destination you can select a sub-destination (such as a specific terminal at the airport) to get more accurate routing details.
Weather Forecast and Air Quality
Your vehicle status bar now shows the local weather conditions alongside the temperature. When air quality is poor, your vehicle also shows an AQI symbol and index value.
Tap the temperature on your touchscreen to see details about your local weather forecast, such as the weather condition, highs and lows of the day, and the chance of rain. Requires Premium Connectivity.
Schedule Charge and Preconditioning
From the redesigned menu or the Tesla mobile app, schedule charging or preconditioning for your vehicle. You can select a location, schedule a one-off, repeat specific times or days of the week, and also control when charging starts and stops.
To schedule your charge and precondition, tap Controls > Schedule.
Other Updates
- The Battle of Polytopia – ∑∫ỹriȱŋ ₼idŋighţ Skin Update – Create graves, build crypts, and summon demons from the graves in the dark forests with the special ∑∫ỹriȱŋ ₼idŋighţ skin.
- Vampire Survivors – “Laborratory” Update – Discover the secrets to dark mysteries with a new character, power-up, achievements, stages, and weapons.
- A redesigned climate panel allows you to select your comfort settings with ease.
- When in Auto, the fan speed may now automatically lower to reduce the sound of ambient noise during a phone call.
- Zoom meetings now default to full-screen when your car is in Park. You can also log in with QR code.
- TeslaMic is now supported in conjunction with availability in the Tesla store.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.
A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:
Tesla appears to be implementing some sort of feature that will now pull over if someone is tailgating you to let the car by
Really cool feature, definitely get a lot of this from those who think they drive race cars
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.
This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.
FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.
Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.
When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:
What has happened to Mad Max?
At one point it was going 32 in a 35. Traffic ahead had pulled away considerably https://t.co/bjKvaMVTNX pic.twitter.com/aaZSWmLu5v
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.
Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.
Elon Musk
Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.
The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.
According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.
“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.
The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.
The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.
Elon Musk
Starlink powers Europe’s first satellite-to-phone service with O2 partnership
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools.
Starlink is now powering Europe’s first commercial satellite-to-smartphone service, as Virgin Media O2 launches a space-based mobile data offering across the UK.
The new O2 Satellite service uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit network to connect regular smartphones in areas without terrestrial coverage, expanding O2’s reach from 89% to 95% of Britain’s landmass.
Under the rollout, compatible Samsung devices automatically connect to Starlink satellites when users move beyond traditional mobile coverage, according to Reuters.
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools. O2 is pricing the add-on at £3 per month.
By leveraging Starlink’s satellite infrastructure, O2 can deliver connectivity in remote and rural regions without building additional ground towers. The move represents another step in Starlink’s push beyond fixed broadband and into direct-to-device mobile services.
Virgin Media O2 chief executive Lutz Schuler shared his thoughts about the Starlink partnership. “By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time,” he said.
Satellite-based mobile connectivity is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a similar satellite-to-cell offering. Meanwhile, Vodafone has conducted satellite video call tests through its partnership with AST SpaceMobile last year.
For Starlink, the O2 agreement highlights how its network is increasingly being integrated into national telecom systems, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware.