Tesla Space #54: robosanta on a cybersleigh

X OF THE WEEK

Delaware Judge McCormick once again ruled against Elon Musk's 2018 performance-based compensation package from Tesla. The very one ~72% of the shareholders recently voted FOR, again.

And then, the judge ordered Tesla to pay the attorneys who brought the case (remember, from a shareholder with nine shares), $345M in legal fees. Here’s the note from the Judge explaining.

Elon says: “Shareholders should control company votes, not judges”, and “Absolute corruption.”

TESLA, GLOBALLY

For the first time ever, Tesla has officially introduced end-of-lease buyouts for the S3XY Models and the Cybertruck in the US.

It is also retroactive, so all current Tesla lessees will be eligible for a buyout at a future date (Tesla Lease Trust customers will be able to request a buyout quote directly through the Tesla app).

This makes for a good time to ask — why would Tesla do this? The option is great from the customer standpoint, but considering Tesla’s balls-to-the-wall approach on autonomy and the Cybercab launch on the streets imminent, why didn’t Tesla stick to what Elon had said earlier on Tesla wanting the cars back for robotaxi?

At the same time, this will help Tesla in the short term — big Q4 sales push — and might be a temporary move. And perhaps it’s just to add more people-owned robotaxis to the upcoming network mixed with the Cybercabs Tesla launches itself. Easier to manage Cybercabs as a company than the other models (with those steering wheels and pedals and stuff).

Just last week, Tesla also upgraded the referral program in North America, with buyers now receiving up to $2,000 off the price of a new Tesla, Supercharging, service center visits etc. Referrers get $1,000.

Not that many of that would have that problem, but: the referral cap of 10 people was also restarted.

Cybertruck lease got cheaper in the US as well: Tesla has reduced the lease pricing for the Cybertruck by up to 13%. New starting lease prices: AWD $899/month (-10%); Cyberbeast: $999/month (-13%)

Quick bites:

• Tesla is excluded from EV Buyer Credits in California’s governor Newsom plans for if/when Trump kills the federal EV tax credit. Reminder — Tesla Model Y is currently the best-selling car, of any fuel type, in California. Elon says: “Even though Tesla is the only company who manufactures their EVs in California! This is insane.”

• 🇦🇺 Tesla launched LeaseMyTesla program in Australia to make its EVs more accessible for Australian drivers.

• By the way, as we assumed, Tesla did not pay Kim Kardashian to post about the Tesla Bot & Cybercab, according to Kim.  

• Watch tip: a timelapse of the Tesla Semi Factory drone flyovers since Dec 2023.

• Tesla China says it has reduced the time it takes to pay its suppliers to 90 days, from 100 days previously. And even previously, it was way ahead of other automakers.
  If I’ve learned anything from studying the greatest founders and companies in history (podcast tip here), it is that if you want your suppliers prioritize you over others, clear the payables way earlier than others.

• Speaking of, Tesla now has more than 400 local tier-1 suppliers signed up in China, with more than 60 of them entering its global supply chain system.

• Tesla wants to take our job and launched its November recap on X.

• New in Tesla merch Shop: 20th Anniversary Commemorative Speedform Set for $250 (sold out, of course)

• There’s also a new Model X-Mas Mug:

SOFTWARE: Holiday Update and FSD V13

Tesla Holiday update (2024.44.25)

The one we’ve been waiting for. Rolling out starting next week, here’s a list from Tesla of all that’s coming:

• Tesla App on Apple Watch — although we’ve already speculated on that one recently, it’s now confirmed. It can also be used as a phone key. You can also view battery charge, open frunk & turn on climate control.

• Save Dashcam & Sentry Mode Clips to Phone

• Autoshift between Drive & Reverse on stalkless Model 3

• SiriusXM now available for Model 3, Y & Cybertruck

• Set Arrival Energy at Destination — You can now set a preferred battery charge level for when you arrive at your destination

• Search Along Route with Estimated Detour Times — When navigating, search results are now filtered to show options along your route & estimated detour times.

• Precipitation Map & Weather at Destination — View precipitation directly on the map to check the weather at your destination

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert — When in Reverse, your vehicle will alert you if it detects a pedestrian or vehicle crossing behind you. An audible warning will also play if a potential collision is detected.

Cybertruck Custom Wraps and License Plate Customization — Personalize your Cybertruck avatar with a custom wrap & license plate! Use one of many preloaded designs or create and upload custom ones using a USB flash drive. Details on template and instructions will be published via Github.

• Cybertruck Rear Camera Improvements;

• Cybertruck Rear Arcade — you can now play games on the rear screen while riding

• TuneIn Radio on Tesla is now much better & still completely free with no setup needed;

• Cybertruck Santa Mode — Santa Mode changes your Cybertruck avatar into Santa's sleigh including reindeer, elves & more:

• Schedule Light Show from the Tesla App, two new light shows in this update.

• Fart On Contact — option to prank your friends with each new bum detection…

  “Sit happens”

• Adjust Passenger Seat from Controls — adjust the position of the unoccupied passenger seat, including second-row seats.

• Maintenance Summary — You can now view & track maintenance items from your vehicle's touchscreen

And then some smaller improvements like:

FSD V13(.2)

Tesla has officially started rolling out FSD (Supervised) version 13 to Tesla owners with Hardware 4 (AI4) — so it’s already past employee rounds — featuring a 5-6x improvement in miles between necessary human interventions vs FSD v12.5.4 (Elon says it’s trending to be ~500% better).

In addition to the improvements all around, this 2024.39.10 update also comes with:

• Ability to Unpark — start FSD from Park

• Ability to Park — Reaching the destination, the car will now park itself if it finds an open parking spot near the final location.

• Ability to Reverse — shifts seamlessly between Park, Drive and Reverse now all by itself.

Tesla says that further improvements are coming to FSD Parking, and drivers will be able to pick between pulling over, parking in a parking spot, driveway or garage in the future.

Speed Profiles (Chill | Standard | Hurry modes) are now available without speed limits (previously 50mph+), so now available on city streets.

Yun-Ta Tsai, Senior Staff Engineer at Tesla AI, says: "It is probably one of the biggest rewrite in years when we began set foot on the journey of “photon count” 4 years ago."

Elon also says: “Tesla has the best real-world AI by far.”

Here are the full release notes for FSD (Supervised) V13. Elon comments: “It’s alive!”

Here are some FSD V13 videos:

• “I tried to get FSD 13.2 to park in my garage but it instead did a 3-point turn and tried to escape”

• 1 hour drive on FSD 13.2 mostly in "Hurry" mode. No disengagements.

• “tried my best to get FSD 13 stuck. it beat me, Austin Powers style. I am speechless...

• “FSD 13 navigates parking lot then backs itself into a Supercharger stall”

• “FSD put itself into drive, drove out of my garage, drove on snow-covered dirt roads, and took me to my destination with no help. It then parked itself in a parking spot.”

Also, don’t miss this great 16-video thread by Tesla on how each FSD version is rigorously tested before launching to the public. Stuff like “Reverse Cut-in (Occluded)”, “Peeking (Occluded)”

VEHICLES

Here is some more footage from Joe Tegtmeyer on Cybercab testing again around Giga Texas. As before, there’s a backup car behind it:

The Cybercab #019 is now also on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum until January 2nd.

Here’s a closer look at Cybercab’s trunk:

Oh, and there was reportedly six Cybertrucks used to pull platforms on the Montreal Santa Claus Parade.

• Cybertruck celebrates 1 year since they launched the truck that “they’d never actually make”, shares highlights.

• Watch tip: “Can’t park there, mate” — Model Y got hit by a train in NJ last week

SUPERCHARGING

The Tesla Hollywood Diner is getting closer to completion, here’s a drone video from yesterday.

Speaking of bespoke Tesla Charging locations, the Kettlemann City Supercharger lounge has been reopened by the holiday travels, with more seating, vending, and a Cyberquad! And no, I guess no more on-site baristas — both happy and sad to see that.

I looked up some pics taken before:

And here’s what Tesla showed of the after:

We also got some great insights on the vision from the Supercharging team on their recent article “Improving Supercharging for All”. Most notably, they talk of:

• Having more long-cable than short-cable Superchargers in the next 18 months. Longer cable V4 Superchargers mean they can serve all charge port locations for non-Teslas.

• They’ve modified over 1,500 sites so that drivers never have to use more than 2 charging spaces to charge, increasing stall availability for all.

• Making stall availability more accurate than ever. Also, “We can detect when another EV, with a charge port located somewhere other than the rear left or front right, is plugged into a short-cable Supercharger stall.”

By the way, in update 2024.44, Tesla also adds “Charge Port Defrost” feature for when your charge cable would be frozen stuck for example (Controls > Service > Charge Port Heater). Every Tesla made after 2020 should be able to get it, the charge port heating usually started working when using the rear defrost button, much like the side mirrors.