Musk’s latest announcement came as a response to a Tesla owner and podcaster on Twitter. @teslatidbits stated that he spent half an hour poking around his car’s features due to Musk’s earlier references to the Tesla Easter Egg basket. The Tesla enthusiast also noted that he tried unsuccessfully to request an update for his car, especially since the new navigation and maps are currently being rolled out.

Musk responded to the tweet, stating that Tesla will be adding an option that would allow owners 

We will add a feature to allow request of latest software version

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2018

Musk’s announcement was warmly received by his followers on Twitter. Tesla’s software updates, after all, could not be proactively requested by owners today, despite early myths that owners can “force” an over-the-air update to their vehicles if they were to connect to the WiFi network used by Tesla Service Centers. Other rumors have suggested that by simply connecting to any WiFi network, the vehicle will be given priority for software updates. 

Despite the rumors, we know that Tesla’s software updates are released to its fleet in a gradual manner to Model S, Model X, and Model 3 owners. With the upcoming feature promised by Musk, owners will eventually have better control of when the always highly anticipated over-the-air update will arrive.

Over the past few months, Musk has announced a number of improvements for its vehicles through Twitter, and some of them are now being released. Back in December, Musk teased a navigation and maps update that would be “light-years” ahead of what the Model S and X had. These were followed up by tweets referencing better traffic navigation in March.

As recently reported, these improvements to the Model S and Model X’s navigation system are now rolling out to Tesla’s fleet. True to Musk’s words, Tesla’s new Navigation update adds improved map details and is smoother in operation.

Apart from navigation and maps, Musk had also been tweeting about improvements to the Model S and Model X’s media control units. Just recently, Tesla began introducing a new MCU equipped with a faster, x86_64-based processor, which provided a smoother and faster experience compared to the units equipped with older NVIDIA Tegra-3 chips. According to Musk, however, Tesla owners with cars that are equipped with old MCUs will be given the option to upgrade their hardware. Musk, however, also noted that a new software update is coming that will improve the performance of the older media units.

True to his word, an update did start rolling out not long after Musk’s tweet. As we covered in a previous report, Model S and Model X with Tegra-3 based MCUs are now beginning to receive an update that improves the media unit’s responsiveness and speed. True to Musk’s word, the performance of the older media units were improved by the software update.

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Based on observations from Model S and X owners, it appears that the latest over-the-air update greatly improved the vehicles’ lane-keeping capabilities, with AP 2.0 now holding a lane without ping-ponging from one side to the next. Sharp curves and hills are also handled smoothly, showing a dramatic improvement over prior versions of Autopilot.

Lane changes, which used to cause jerky movements on the car’s steering, are now smooth and refined as well. This is not all, however, as even conditions that gave difficulty to Tesla’s reliable first generation Autopilot system, such as snow and sleet-filled roads with low visibility, were handled by AP 2.0 under 2018.10.4 with ease. 

Amidst positive reactions to the most recent OTA update, Tesla AI Director Andrej Karpathy expressed his gratitude to the Tesla community, revealing that 2018.10.4 is the result of a fairly extensive rewrite. This statement is noteworthy, especially since it seems to be a direct reference to the company’s announcement in its letter to shareholders back in Q3 2017. In the investor communication, Tesla stated that a “rapid rollout of additional functionality” would happen over the next few months, thanks to the company’s progress in its artificial intelligence and neural net technology.

Built on the NVIDIA Drive PX2 AI computing platform, Tesla’s Autopilot 2.0 suite with Tesla Vision is Elon Musk’s ambitious initiative to transform the company’s fleet of vehicles into a fully-autonomous system of transportation. According to Musk, AP 2.0 hardware, which includes 8 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and a forward-facing radar with enhanced processing capabilities, would be enough to attain full self-driving capabilities. Custom Autopilot 2.0 hardware is also expected to be released in the future, with Musk revealing back in December that Tesla is in the process of developing its own custom AI chips for its electric cars.

While Model S and Model X equipped with Autopilot 2.0 hardware is presumed to be capable of full autonomy, it is only as good as its AI-based software. In this regard, Tesla had taken some time before it was able to refine and calibrate its software stack. Major improvements for AP2.0 were teased on the company’s Q4 2017 update letter when Tesla stated that the overhaul of its cars’ software had been completed. Tesla took particular note of its neural net then, which allows its vehicles to continuously learn as the number of Tesla’s cars on the road increases.

“The upcoming autonomous coast-to-coast drive will showcase a major leap forward for our self-driving technology. Additionally, an extensive overhaul of the underlying architecture of our software has now been completed, which has enabled a step-change improvement in the collection and analysis of data and fundamentally enhanced its machine learning capabilities. Our neural net, which expands as our customer fleet grows, is able to collect and analyze more high-quality data than ever before, enabling us to rollout a series of new Autopilot features in 2018 and beyond.”

Considering the state of AP 2.0 after the rollout of version 8.1 (2018.10.4), it seems Musk’s statement that an autonomous coast-to-coast drive would be demonstrated within the next six months could be a reality. During Tesla’s Q4 2017 earnings call back in February, Musk admitted that a cross-country Autopilot drive would have been possible last year, but compromises, such as the creation of a specialized code for a specific route, had to be done. According to Musk, Tesla was not willing to take this compromise.  

“We could have done the coast-to-coast drive, but it would have required too much specialized code to effectively game it or make it somewhat brittle and that it would work for one particular route, but not the general solution. So I think we would be able to repeat it, but if it’s just not any other route, which is not really a true solution,” Musk said.  

Overall, the evolution of AP 2.0 seems to be following Musk’s predictions for Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system.

“I am pretty excited about how much progress we’re making on the neural net front. And it’s a little – it’s also one of those things that’s kind of exponential where the progress doesn’t seem – it doesn’t seem like much progress, it doesn’t seem like much progress, and suddenly wow. It will feel like well this is a lame driver, lame driver. Like okay, that’s a pretty good driver. Like ‘Holy Cow!’ this driver’s good. It’ll be like that,” Musk said, during Tesla’s Q4 2017 earnings call.

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Though the capability to heat the steering wheel is part of Tesla’s SubZero suite of features in the Premium Upgrades Package for Model S and Model X, driver’s must activate the function each time through the vehicle’s touchscreen display.

Release notes for version v8.1 2018.4.1 indicate that drivers no longer need to manually reactivate the heated steering wheel feature if it was already on during the last drive.

“Now, when you start a drive, the steering wheel will automatically warm up if you had it set to Heated Wheel during your most recent drive.”

Tesla Release Notes for v8.1 2018.4.1 [Photo credit: allhands via Reddit]

The latest feature update is in response to a tweet by David Burrus, a Tesla owner that asked CEO Elon Musk to make the steering wheel heater automatically turn back on when the car starts. A minute after Burrus’ tweet, Musk responded, telling the Tesla owner that the requested feature is as good as done.

Many members of the online forum community have reacted positively to Tesla’s latest firmware update. Several Model S and Model X owners, for one, stated that the automatic heated steering wheel would complement the automatic seat heaters on their vehicles. Some even noted that it would be great if both steering wheel and seats could be preheated before drivers enter the car.

Done

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2018

Apart from the automatic heated steering wheel setting, version 2018.4.1 ec044c8 also includes the feature to adjust the steering wheel and driver’s seat automatically as soon as drivers unbuckle their seat belt. As we covered in a previous report, Easy Entry is a feature that’s designed to make getting in and out of the driver’s seat easier. Incidentally, the request was also made to Musk over Twitter.

Joseph Huberman, one the Musk’s 18 million Twitter followers, stated that it would be nice if the company’s electric cars can have an auto-adjusting sound system based on the road and wind noise. Musk promptly responded, stating that the feature would be coming soon.

Musk also previously announced via Twitter that enhanced voice commands would be rolled out to the Model 3. A quirk with the automatic rain-sensing wipers is also set to be addressed in a future software update.

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Tesla Firmware 8.1 Release Notes

Model S, Model X with Autopilot 2.0 hardware

Vehicles equipped with Tesla’s Autopilot 2.0 feature and self-driving sensors, also commonly referred to as “hardware 2” (HW2), will see improvements to Autosteer, lifting a previous speed cap set at 55 mph (88 mkh) to 80 mph (129 kmh). The update also adds the Auto Lane Change feature and Tesla Summon, which until now was only available on first-generation Autopilot cars. Tesla’s Lane Departure Warning feature has also been added to Autopilot 2.0 which will vibrate the steering wheel if the vehicle veers from its intended driving lane when speeds reach above 36 mph (58 kmh).

Update: Watch a Tesla Model S drive at 80 mph using v8.1 Autosteer

Photo credit: Tim Dorr

Amid complaints from Model S and Model X owners who said that Autopilot 2.0 was unreliable – this later prompted Tesla to make Autopilot camera adjustments – the latest Firmware 8.1 aims to bring Autopilot 2.0 to feature parity with Autopilot 1.0.

A new Headrests Adjustments feature allows a driver to make headrest and lumbar seat adjustments directly from the touchscreen. “Simply press the button you use to adjust lower back support and a pop-up appears on the touchscreen with an image of the seat,” reads the release note. “Tap the headrest area and then make the adjustments. Your settings are then saved to your driver profile.”

The feature extends upon driver profile pairing that allows individual car preferences to remain with a driver’s profile.

Model X

Model X vehicles are equipped with a motorized and automatic-adjusting headrest which presumably can be manually set in Firmware 8.1.

Photo credit: Tim Dorr

Model X owners have also been given finer control of the vehicle’s Falcon Wing doors. A new setting allows the dual-hinged and often times “showy” doors open to a lower height. According to the release notes,

“When set to LOW, the Falcon Wing doors always open to a lower height. If the vehicle is outside in bad weather, the lower height shields the interior and passengers as they get in and out. It’s also useful if you want to make a less showy arrival.”

An Easy Entry feature in v8.1 allows a driver to disable the one-press automatic seat adjustment of the second row. The back of the Model X seat has a toggle button that will fully incline and decline the second row seat in order to allow for ease of entry into the third row.

Photo via Imgur

All Model X, Model S (including Classic)

Tesla also added the ability to initiate a map search of one’s favorite location using voice command. “Take me to the nearest Starbucks” will reveal a list of businesses by that name directly on the map. A rating of that business along with its hours of operation is now being made available directly on the vehicle’s onboard Navigation system.

Photo credit: Tim Dorr

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Readers of Auto Bild from over 20 countries across Europe and its sister publications elevated the Tesla Model X to the top spot for its ‘futuristic cabin’ and unique Falcon Wing doors, beating out the Jaguar F-Pace and new Skoda Kodiaq.

“The electric SUV rewrites the rulebook in every way, with a futuristic cabin, clever ‘Falcon Wing’ doors and, most importantly, the astonishing electric powertrain capable of powering it from 0-62mph in a mere 3.2 seconds in P100D form. Despite this, it still manages to seat six and tow up to 2.3 tonnes.

While the small crossover sector is relatively new, the more traditional large SUV market is still thriving. Innovative upstarts Tesla managed to secure the overall gong for its new Model X, beating out the Jaguar F-Pace and new Skoda Kodiaq.”, writes AutoExpress sister publication to Auto Bild.

Tesla was quick to update its blog with news of the new crowning.

“Today, we are truly honored to announce that Model X has been awarded the Golden Steering Wheel (Das Goldene Lenkrad), one of the most prestigious automotive awards in the world. Candidates for this award are nominated by hundreds of thousands across Europe for excellence across six categories. The Golden Steering Wheel jury, composed of professional race car drivers, accomplished technicians, editors, designers, and digital and connectivity experts, then spent three days judging Model X.”

Though the Model X was plagued with early production over the complexity of electronically dual-hinged Falcon Wing doors and self-presenting front doors, Tesla has been able to address the majority of the issues through a series of Model X specific software updates.

As outlined by Tesla, below is a list of how the company was able to catapult the Model X into its award-winning position in just a short six months.

Falcon Wing Doors

• 2x improvement in door sensor object detection
• 25% improvement in opening/closing speed
• Dynamic profile adjustment to indoor mode when roof sensor detects a low ceiling
• 83% reduction in customer-reported issues with door opening/closing

Powered front doors and remote keyless entry

• Refined keyfob detection for smart automatic front door behavior as you approach, enter, or leave the car
• 8x improvement in keyfob battery life; automated alert from the car if the battery gets low
• Several improvements to power front door movement and latching system, leading to 51% reduction in door issues and improved performance on hills
• Wind noise customer-reported issues reduced by 22% with a combination of hardware modifications and fit/finish improvements

Interior Temperature Management

• Introduced Cabin Overheat Protection by managing the maximum interior temperature of Model X through software
• Improved HVAC performance by increasing maximum fan speed with an over-the-air software update

Second row seats

• Multiple over-the-air updates have enhanced seat motion, obstacle detection, pitch calibration, and usability
• Software enhancements have added intelligent behaviors between seats, adjusting spacing differently, for example, depending on which rows are occupied

Infotainment System

• Touchscreen and Bluetooth connectivity improvements via over-the-air software update
• Largest user interface overhaul since the launch of Model S in over-the-air Software 8.0 rollout

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Update: Tesla to rollout version 8.1 with Enhanced Autopilot

When asked by an owner via Twitter on whether there will be fixes coming soon, in specific bringing back visual controls to SiriusXM radio, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that a new software update with ‘several UI improvements’ will be arriving in the weeks following the solar roof and Powerwall 2.0 unveiling.

@JohnGarryVO Several UI improvements across the board in 8.01 (next few weeks) and 8.1 in Dec

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2016

But more importantly, Musk revealed that Version 8.1 of Autopilot will be arriving in December. Coincidentally, this is also the timeframe that the company plans on enabling Enhanced Autopilot on vehicles equipped with self-driving “Hardware 2”. The new hardware will allow vehicles to achieve Level 5 autonomy and drive completely on its own without human input, through the use of 8 cameras, enhanced ultrasonic sensors and a new computer that has forty times the processing power as current generation hardware.

Version 8.1 of Autopilot is said to have the ability to automatically take highway exits using the onboard Navigation feature. Presumably, if a driver enters a destination address on Nav, Model S and Model X will be able to provide Autosteer capabilities and follow the blue line and exit freeways, when applicable.

Photo via ‘Thoughts on Navigation 8.0’ review

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Operation of the Model X Falcon Wing doors will soon get quicker after Tesla chief Elon Musk announced that Version 8.0 will see a worldwide rollout this week to Model X owners. This includes updates to address speed of operation for its flashy dual-hinged door.

The recent Version 8.0 over-the-air rollout that went primarily to Model S owners put a heavy spotlight on Autopilot’s new ability to see two cars ahead amongst a host of user experience improvements, but in the shadows are notable Model X specific updates aimed at improving the vehicle’s self-presenting front door and Falcon Wing door.

@MacTechGenius Going out this week for X and outside North America

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 2, 2016

According to notes published on the company’s website for Version 8.0, Model X doors will receive the following update:

• Improved Auto Front Door functionality (Model X only)
• Falcon Wing doors open and close more quickly (Model X only)

Tesla has been incrementally improving the safety and reliability of its high-tech doors through firmware upgrades, and it would appear that the latest Version 8.0 update is aimed at curbing owner complaints over slow opening and closing Falcon Wing doors. Model X owners across forums and social media have vocalized concerns that unreliability combined with slow operating Falcon Wing doors make it no better than traditional minivan doors.

Check out the following video from YouTube channel MEtv Product Reviews who set up a grudge match between the Tesla’s Model X Falcon Wing door versus a Kia Sedona minivan’s sliding door. Note: this is based on previous Version 7.1 so it’ll be interesting to see how much quicker the Falcon Wing doors will be in 8.0.

Wishful thinking has us saying that we’ll eventually get a Model X ‘Holiday Light Show’ easter egg. Right?

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Tesla confirmed the release of V8.0 through an email blast to subscribers of its newsletter. Among the updates is a revamped Media Player, improvements to its Maps and, of course, the much talked about upgraded Autopilot system.

Following CEO Elon Musk’s tweet that teased of a new feature designed to protect children and pets from dangerous overheating deaths while trapped in a car, Tesla has confirmed a new Cabin Overheat Protection feature aimed at safety by keeping safe temperatures within the car, even while its off.

Software Version 8.0 will continue to roll out to Model S and Model X owners over the next weeks, but in the meantime, take a first look at the release notes, courtesy of TMC member edou. (reprinted with permission)

Tesla Version 8.0 Release Notes

Tesla describes its newest features through a new Software section on its company website which we’ve highlighted below.

Intuitive Media Player

Media Player has been redesigned and personalized to put your favorite content front and center. Search is simpler and more powerful, accessing streaming radio, live stations, and podcasts to help you quickly find what you’re looking for.

Voice Commands

Voice controls are clearer and easier to use. Initiation is quick and feedback lets you focus on the road without compromising convenience or control.

• Voice commands initiate with a single press
• Feedback in the form of a transcript appears on the instrument panel to confirm your command
• Visual tips remind you what commands are available

Cabin Overheat Protection

In an industry-first safety measure, we are introducing Cabin Overheat Protection, focused on child (and pet) safety. This feature keeps the car at a safe temperature for hours, even when the car is off, and is made possible by our uniquely large battery packs.

Expansive Maps

Maps, Navigation and Trip Planner have been updated to span the entire touchscreen, displaying the most important details of your trip. The control bar fades automatically for an uncluttered navigation experience.

• Search for destinations with a single tap or voice command
• Zoom adjusts based on location to display what you need to see most
• Navigate to home or work with a single swipe

Autopilot Enhancements

Advancements in signal processing use the Tesla’s onboard radar to persistently capture snapshots of its surroundings, creating a 3D picture of the world. Learn more about seeing the world in radar.

• Enhanced safety requirement which disables Autosteer during trip when safety warnings are ignored
• Autopilot has been tuned to be more responsive and smoother in stop-and-go traffic
• Vehicles on the instrument panel show direction
• Redesigned Autopilot indicators

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Though V8.0 of Autopilot will see a worldwide rollout via an over-the-air update into Model S and Model X vehicles, Musk indicated that it will be a gradual process to account for any bugs that may be introduced that may break previously working features. This is what he refers to as “regressions”, or in software speak, regression testing.

V8.0 starts downloading tonight. Release will be gradual to make sure there aren't small regressions. Many car configs, many environments.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2016

V8.0 will be arguably Tesla’s most significant Autopilot upgrade since its October 2014 initial release. Musk said on Twitter that “This is a major overhaul on almost every level compared to V7.” and dropped hints at what’s to come. To many Tesla owner’s delight, the new update will include what the owner’s community referred to as “Camping Mode” – a feature that allows the vehicle’s climate control system to remain always on while parked and support those that want to “camp” (sleep) in the car.

Can be turned on or off. V8.1 will allow always-on min and max temps to be set.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2016

The current generation of Autopilot relied heavily on the Model S and Model X front-facing camera while the vehicle’s onboard radar acted more as a supplementary sensor. With Version 8.0, Tesla has placed the primary emphasis on its radar. The upgraded version of Autopilot will leverage radar technology to create a virtual picture of the vehicle’s surroundings. Combined with data from Tesla’s fleet learning program, Tesla vehicles will be able to more reliably detect false positives such as overhead road signs and overpasses in line of sight that the current generation of Autopilot may otherwise detect as obstacles. Through the use of what Tesla describes as a geocoded whitelist, Autopilot’s suite of features will operate with a higher degree of confidence and theoretically be able to handle emergency braking situations with more precision.

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Beyond being able to compromise one of the driving functions of the vehicle, researchers from Keen Security Lab were able to hack a new Model S 75D and remotely present the vehicle’s door handles, allowing a would-be thief to gain access to the interior of the car. The researchers exploited a search function from Tesla’s onboard web browser that would allow them to take control of the car and open the vehicle’s trunk, fold the mirrors while the car is in motion, move the power seats, as well as completely disable all touch controls from the main infotainment system.

Though the circumstances leading to a Model S or Model X to be hacked would be rare – it requires the driver to connect to a malicious WiFi network that the hacker has access to – the discovery highlights the inherent vulnerabilities with having a connected car.

Tesla quickly patched the security holes through an OTA update after working with Keen on addressing the issues. The company released the following statement to The Verge explaining details behind its recent v7.1 update:

Within just 10 days of receiving this report, Tesla has already deployed an over-the-air software update (v7.1, 2.36.31) that addresses the potential security issues. The issue demonstrated is only triggered when the web browser is used, and also required the car to be physically near to and connected to a malicious wifi hotspot. Our realistic estimate is that the risk to our customers was very low, but this did not stop us from responding quickly.

We engage with the security research community to test the security of our products so that we can fix potential vulnerabilities before they result in issues for our customers. We commend the research team behind today’s demonstration and plan to reward them under our bug bounty program, which was set up to encourage this type of research.

Tesla’s level of commitment to work with independent researchers and the general community on improving security (through a bug bounty program) is another great example on why this Silicon Valley automaker is serious about security and stands miles apart from other automakers.

Check out the demonstration video from Keen Security Lab showing a Model S being compromised.

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