The submitted patent explains that the current materials used for cushioning in traditional vehicle seats include foam made from polyurethane, a material that is not able to be recycled and may not be the most comfortable due to its lack of breathability. Manufacturing the foam is also a time-consuming and laborious process that involves the pouring and mixing of numerous chemicals, like polymer or epoxy, into a mold. After setting, this requires additional material to be trimmed and shaped, thereby creating unnecessary waste that Tesla’s fibrous foam architecture hopes to eliminate.

The background of the patent states, “Trim to foam assembly may include hog ring, hook and loop, and/or clipping methods. In such methods, alignment tolerances may need to be maintained, mating surface limitations may need to be met, trenches and stitches may need to be provided and so on. Glue application storage and handling may also be required. Current manufacturing processes may be labor-intensive and time-consuming.” This would improve the production and quality of backrests, armrests, leg-rests, and bolsters.

Tesla is looking to improve upon its vehicle’s interior, as it suggests “there is a need for an improved foam architecture and associated manufacturing process that overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.”

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A similar HVAC control system has already been rolled out by Tesla in its compact electric sedan, the Model 3. The Model 3 uses two intersecting planes of air for vertical control. Lateral fins hidden within the electric car’s dashboard provide horizontal air control while also providing a clean, minimalistic look. Tesla’s filed patent describes features that are similar to Model 3’s air vent system that’s controlled through its 15″ center touchscreen. Patent US2017 / 058015 titled “Infotainment System with Air-Vent Control,” describes a system to manipulate the airflow inside the vehicle through the vehicle’s media control unit. 

The air vent assembly includes a first vent portion placed in front of the driver and a second vent portion that is placed in front of the passenger. These vent portions may be elongated as compared to traditionally known designs of air vent assemblies in that they have longer, more linear vents instead of more circular or boxy vents.

Embodiments of the present disclosure enhance the capabilities of this air vent assembly to provide air flow in a leftward, rightward, onward, and a split configuration using a single rotary actuator. In certain embodiments, the user interface may also allow a user to define the degree to which the vents may cause air to flow in the rightward, leftward, or split direction. 

Similar to Model 3’s unique HVAC system, the one described in the patent application also allows passengers to customize the airflow within the vehicle according to passenger preferences. 

In certain embodiments, the user customizes the airflow, for example, the specific direction of the airflow. This can allow for a more comfortable experience for the occupants of a vehicle. For example, certain occupants may desire for air to be directed towards themselves while other occupants may desire the temperature of the vehicle cabin to be set to a certain value without having air directly impinging on themselves.

An illustration of Tesla’s recent patent on an infotainment-controlled HVAC system. [Credit: World Intellectual Property Organization]

With anticipation running high that Model S and Model X is due for a refresh, an update to its HVAC system would not only unify the dashboard design across its fleet of vehicles but could also simplify production. For one, Tesla’s unique air vent system requires less hardware and thus minimizes the need for multiple suppliers. Using a simpler design, Tesla’s thinner HVAC system can efficiently utilize space in the dashboard, and provide a much more expansive interior feel. Such a system, as proven by the Model 3, would also give drivers better road visibility.

While Tesla’s international patent application did not specifically mention a vehicle model, illustrations included in the document resembles the design of the Model S and Model X’s dashboard. Figure 1, for example, features a dashboard that is similar to the all-electric luxury sedan and SUV. Apart from a similar-looking instrument cluster and infotainment system, the illustration also features a dashboard curvature that’s aligned with that of Model S and Model X’s current design. Armrest cupholders located between the front seats at the bottom of Fig. 1 also draws resemblance to ones found in the Model S and Model X.

Adopting an HVAC system that’s akin to the Model 3 for the Model S and Model X would likely be a welcomed change for Tesla enthusiasts. During his testing and teardown of the vehicle earlier this year alone, Detroit veteran Sandy Munro, who issued a harsh critique of the electric car’s build quality, admitted in a later comment that the Model 3’s HVAC system was “brilliant,” citing its simple yet ingenious design. 

Aside from major refreshes, Tesla continues to improve the components of its vehicles over time. As revealed by Elon Musk in a recent conversation with Consumer Reports’ Jake Fisher, the Tesla CEO noted that improvements have been rolled out to the Model 3 since its production began, from better interior materials that reduce road noise to a software update that improves the vehicles’ controls. Tesla’s flagship Model S and Model X are no strangers to this, and a revamped HVAC system can only improve the experience for its driver and passengers.

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The new fold-flat seat design replaces Model X’s “floating” second-row monopost base with a more traditional sliding frame mount. Tesla’s gorgeous monopost design allowed each seat to adjust individually while also providing ample under-seat storage. But despite the advanced design, Model X received criticism by owners over its lack of fold-flat second-row seats. Because of this, Model X had arguably less useable cargo space relative to the Model S trunk with back seats folded down.

Model X offers three types of seating configuration

Joining Model X’s fold-flat second-row design, previously only available in the five-seat interior option, is the redesigned seven-seat option available as a $3,000 upgrade. A six-seat interior is also available on the Model X which foregoes the center seat in the second-row for either open space or an optional center console.

“Maximize passenger and cargo capacity with seating for seven adults. Second and third row seats can fold flat when not in use, creating extra interior cargo space.” reads the description for Tesla’s optional seven-seat interior for Model X.

New photos published by Tesla show the expansive cargo capacity of the Model X with the split 60-40 seats individually folded down while still serving as a seating option in the second-row. With the second and third row folded completely flat, Model X has an unprecedented 88.0 cubic feet of interior cargo space, besting the 58.1 cubic feet of cargo space found on its sibling Model S premium sedan.

Here’s how Tesla’s Model X cargo space compares with other luxury SUVs within its class.

• Tesla Model X – 88.0 ft³
• 2017 Volvo CX90 – 85.7 ft³
• 2017 Audi Q7 – 71.6 ft³
• 2017 BMW X5 – 66.0 ft³
• 2017 Volkswagen Touareg – 64.0 ft³
• 2017 Porsche Cayenne – 62.9 ft³

In addition to the new fold-flat seat design for the seven-seat interior, Model X was recently named the safest SUV ever after being awarded a perfect 5-star rating by the NHTSA. According to Tesla, people inside a Model X have a 93% chance of walking away from an accident without serious injury. Model X’s safety rating is the second highest on record, behind only the Tesla Model S.

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All Model S and X cars will have an auto raise and lower function for the steering wheel in a few months.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2017

“All Model S and X cars will have an auto raise and lower function for the steering wheel in a few months.” said Musk.

Automatic steering wheel raising and lowering is a feature that’s been around on other high-end vehicles. While not all drivers need the functionality, it can make the difference between being able to fit into a car comfortably or not fitting into it at all for some drivers. Older, taller and less flexible drivers may find comfort in the feature that opens up more space for ingress and egress.

Updated August 17, 2017: Elon Musk reconfirmed that “all vehicles” will receive the auto-raising steering wheel function. He also noted that automatically adjusting seats based on a user’s configuration is being considered.

Tesla’s over-the-air software updates provides the ability to instantaneously add functionality to a vehicle, thus making it a car that continues to get better with age.

How Does a Tesla Over-the-Air Software Update Work?

Musk didn’t reveal specific timing on when the automatic raise-lower steering wheel functionality will arrive, only saying that it will be here “in a few months”.

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Until recently, Model X buyers who preferred a darker colored wheel had to either purchase the optional $7,800 Onyx Black Turbine wheel which is only available in a 22″ set up, or take it upon themselves to paint the standard 20″ silver Slipstream wheels on their own. Buyers of the 22″ Black Onyx Wheels sacrificed driving range for aesthetics and improved performance. Tesla originally noted on the Model X Design Studio that 22″ wheels “exchange 10-15% range for enhanced handling”.

The new Sonic Carbon Wheels, being offered as a $4,300 upgrade, comes as a relief to buyers looking for maximum driving range and have a darker wheel color.

Tesla also introduced a new center console option for Model X equipped with the six seat configuration. A new color-matched center console is installed between the two second row seats, which the company says will provide two additional cup holders and a storage cubby under the armrest. Based on the photos published in the Model X Design Studio, it appears that the center console is very similar in form and functionality as the optional Model S Rear Premium Console which Teslarati reviewed when it was first introduced.

The new center console adds $800 to the six seat configuration, bringing the total cost of the upgrade to $5,000. Model X’s seven seat interior upgrade is currently priced at $5,600. All Model X now come with a matte seat back, replacing the previous glossy finish.

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The issue at hand with the original black glossy seat back, for many families with kids and those with an active lifestyle, is that it was prone to scratching and virtually impossible to keep fingerprints from gravitating towards it. Yinn from the Tesla Motors Club forum puts it best when describing the differences between the old glossy-back seats versus the newest matte black seat backs.

Matte vs Gloss:
We have the Matte in our S, and the Gloss in our X, so I feel like I can give a good summary and comparison.

– Our matte is scratched up severely and shows the grooves and looks horrendous.
– Our matte feels less fragile and more durable, resulting in us treating them with less care – most likely resulting in the above.
– The matte backs feel less slippery with no noticeable effect on….anything.

– Our gloss has fingerprints and footprints all over it and looks horrendous.
– Our gloss feels more fragile and less durable, resulting in us treating them with the utmost care to prevent scratching – most likely resulting in the lack of scratches.
– The gloss backs feel more slippery with no noticeable effect on…..anything.

My wife prefers the matte backs and dislikes the gloss backs. This may be due to our S having the glossy dark ash wood trim and it would just be a lot of shiny surfaces.

I’m the reverse, I think the gloss backs add a nice touch to the car and it feels more luxurious. This may also be because our X has the matte obeche wood that soften and warms the car a little bit, so the extra gloss doesn’t seem as hard/cold.

In summary – they don’t matter. It’s a thing you can dive into while waiting for your car, but it won’t really change your experience. I suppose to some this may matter, but to me it’s very much a <shrug>
#firstworldproblems

Yinn couldn’t have described it better. In the end, the seat back material is a personal preference and determined by the Model X owner’s lifestyle as it relates to use of the vehicle. Here’s a side by side comparison of the previous glossy Model X seats and the newest matte black seats. It’s worth noting that owners have reported that matte seat backs appear “cheap looking” from photos but in reality have a finer quality, to the touch.

What’s your preference? Discuss it with the community in our Model X forum.

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Illumination from the interior LED lighting is quite subtle and dim enouabgh that one could argue that it provides little more than just a faint glow. The same applies for the trunk and front trunk (“frunk”) lighting which I find hardly useable especially during the dead of night when I pull into a dimly lit destination charging location, and fumble my way through a mix of bags full of mystery items that my wife and kids packed, makeshift trash bags, and other roadtrip related goodies, before finally locating the correct overnight bags. And even then, I’m able to find the right items simply because I unearthed everything else from frunk and located it via process of elimination. True story by the way. (Times 10)

#FirstWorldProblems

That said, please don’t get me wrong, Tesla’s factory ambient lights adds a nice accent point to the footwell and interior door panels, however there’s also been times where I wish I could have more visible light when entering or exiting the car, but without turning on the overhead light. Why? Well, for one, the interior dome lights are bright, especially inside a glass bubble that is the Model X front cockpit. Turning on the interior lighting in essence illuminates my entire face and the faces of all family members traveling with me for neighboring fellows and passersby to see. Call me self-conscious or protective Dad – the X alone solicits enough eyeballs – but more often than not I’m thinking, man, everyone can see us. It’s either too bright or too dark – I need an in-between.

That’s when I reached out to Abstract Ocean who I knew made an Ultra-Bright LED lighting kit for the Model S, but unsure if they had a similar kit for the Model X. Rob had previously reviewed the Ultra-Brights on his Model S and absolutely loved it so I figured I’d give it a shot as well, assuming they had ones that fit the X and it will serve my purpose of only lighting up the lower half of the car.

I contact Pete from Abstract Ocean and ask him if I can “try out a set” for the Model X. He tells me he’s unsure if they’ll fit but there’s a good chance they will given that the Model S and Model X share a lot of the same interior components. I somehow convince Pete that I would be the perfect person to help him do some test fitting if he were to send me a set. (I had a long roadtrip coming up and the sheer thought of me glowing inside the Model X cockpit like a goldfish inside an aquarium with dome lights overhead, and fumbling through darkness while searching for belongings packed into the frunk, struck fear in me.)

“They’re sold out, but we should be getting a new shipment in three weeks”, says Pete. What! Uh, OK, didn’t realize they were this popular, I’m thinking. I later find out that it’s one of Abstract Ocean’s best sellers, and rightfully so.

A month passes by and a bubble-lined padded envelope appears at the office, and inside is – you guessed it – Ultra-Bright LEDs!

Ultra-Bright LED Lighting Kit for Tesla Model X

Side by side comparison of the Abstract Ocean Ultra-Bright LED assembly (left) and the factory Tesla Model X LED assembly (right)

I’ll cut straight to the chase. The Model S and Model X LED interior light assemblies are identical. The Model X has 11 rectangular white LEDs (seen in the photo above) positioned across the doors, trunk, frunk and footwells. 2 LEDs are red with each one located on the outer edge of the front door. The level of difficult to install them varies ranging from a quick and easy direct pop-out that takes no longer than 2 minutes, to more difficult light assemblies that are hard pressed into rigid plastic.

Model S and Model X LED interior light assemblies are identical

Instead of going into detail on how to install these lights, since they’re truly just plug-n-play and self explanatory to install, I’ll just highlight a few tips for each area along with my perception of the result. Also note that I will not provide before and after photos. Just after. It was near impossible to get a great nighttime before shot since, well, it’s nighttime and photos don’t capture well in darkness. Using flash would have defeated the purpose and not give a true depiction of the area pre-Ultra-Bright LED.

Where are the interior Model X LEDs located?

As mentioned earlier, the Model X has a total of 11 rectangular shaped white LEDs not including the 2 red ones on the outer edge of the front doors.

Frunk – QTY: 2

The frunk has 2 LEDs on the side closest to the hood latch. These lights are one of the easiest to install and should be attempted first as the “practice run”. The entire process can be completed in less than 4 minutes since the light assembly itself simply presses into the carpet lining and easily removable without the use of tools. Once the assembly is dislodged, the connectors can be easily disconnected from the assembly and plugged directly into the replacement Ultra-Bright LED. This same procedure will apply to all subsequent lights being installed.

The results are drastic as the Ultra-Bright LEDs are significantly brighter than the factory LEDs. Of all of the lights I installed into the car, these provide the most useful value.

Front Dash (footwell) – Qty: 2

The lights rest beneath the front dashboard and on each side of the driver and passenger footwell. The light assembly is pressed into the thin plastic covering that lines the bottom of the dashboard.

Removing the LED assembly takes a little more strength to remove and requires that you use either a spudger tool or a thin pry tool that you can wedge in-between the plastic lining and LED assembly. Once you’re able to gently pry the assembly away from the plastic trim, you can use 2 fingers to firmly grip and pull the assembly from the trim. Because of the location of the light, I found the easiest way to access it is by laying on your back while looking up at the light assembly.

The lighting effect is stunning especially when combined with the lighting upgrade beneath the second row seating. It’s just bright enough to provide useful lighting for ease of entry and exit, but not bright enough to cast light anywhere above the seat. No goldfish effect.

Front Seat (underneath) – Qty: 2

Below each of the front seats is an LED attached to a plastic LED housing secured to a thin mesh cloth. Popping the LED out was simple and can be done without the use of tools. The most difficult part about this 5 min install is being able to access the light nestled deep beneath each seat.

These lights provide the most dramatic effect. With falcon wing doors up and the self-presenting doors open, the entire car looks and feels like a majestic spacecraft.

Front Door (puddle lights) – Qty: 2

Beneath each of the front doors is a puddle light that illuminates the area directly below each door. Applying the same techniques used on the other areas, gently pry the light assembly from the plastic door panel using a spudger or other pry tool of choice – just enough so you can get a firm grip on each corner of the light with your fingers. Pull the assembly away from the door, disconnect the connector, and plug it into the new Ultra-Bright LED.

The power of these bulbs and the direction in which it’s pointed creates a bright cloud of white beneath each front door making for a great look. The puddle lights also serve as very useful lighting especially in darker areas where one might not be able to see where they might be walking.

Note that each door also has a red LED which I chose not to replace. I personally don’t see a need to make these brighter.

Trunk – Qty: 2

This is by far the most difficult install of them all. I’m not sure if it was isolated to my particular Model X or all, but the light assembly mounted to the rear hatch is extremely difficult to dislodge from the plastic panel.

It’s a tight fit and the assembly is wedged so tightly into the plastic that prying with a spudger tool will only break the tip of the tool. I ended up using a tiny flathead screwdriver to pry my way around the light assembly, but even with that it took many attempts, and a lot of accidental scraping against the plastic trim before I was able to muscle the assembly out of the rear hatch.

It also helps if you fold the third row seats down and sit inside the trunk while facing outwards. This will give you a better view and access to the hatch-mounted LED assembly. The other LED in the trunk can’t be easier to remove since it’s simply pressed into the carpet lining on the right of the trunk.

I’d have to say that the upgraded trunk lighting did not have as significant of an impact on overall usefulness than the frunk lighting had. This is primarily because there’s only one LED mounted to the right of the trunk. The painfully difficult to install hatch light provides little value in my opinion due to the angle in which the light shines, and also the LED’s distance from the surface of the trunk.

Glove Box – Qty: 1

Last but not least, there’s the single LED inside the top of the glovebox. Given that I rarely use the glovebox and the level of difficulty to access this light, I decided to skip it. Plus, with items stowed inside a glovebox and occupying most of the glovebox space, there’s really no value to have a brighter light within such a confined area.

How much, where and why?

Abstract Ocean markets its Ultra-Bright LEDs as being 16x brighter than Tesla’s factory interior LED lights, but from a non-scientific and just eyeballin’ it perspective, it looks as if it’s half of that, and thankfully so. Anymore and it might as well illuminate the entire car. Again, non-scientific, but the lighting from the LEDS are drastic enough that it makes for a huge improvement in useable light.

I upgraded a total of 10 white LED bulbs (though there are 11) on the Model X which can be obtained for $45.99 for a pack of 4 via Amazon, it’s a small price to pay for better useable lighting when getting into and exiting the car. And of course the reassurance that you’ll be able to finally see what you’re really taking out of the frunk and trunk.

Updated: Here’s a good video showing the installation of the Ultra-Brights on a Model X.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown back in September signed into law Assembly Bill 1785 (also known as AB-1785), which went into effect Jan. 1, 2017. The new law is designed to improve public safety and reduce distracted driving by prohibiting  a person from driving a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or a wireless electronic communication device. Bottom line, one cannot hold a cell phone in one’s hand while driving in the State of California.

WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS

As the law states, a windshield mount is one of the available options, but because of its distance from your hand it is not probably the best solution. But if you think this option is for you, a search for “phone windshield mount” on Amazon will return about 400 pages of such devices.

ABSTRACT OCEAN Magnetic Phone Holder

Abstract Ocean, a well known provider of Tesla accessories, has a very inexpensive product that I found – the Magnetic Phone Holder (slimline) – that is a much better alternative to the windshield mount.

The slimline magnetic Car Mount Kit allows secure attachment for any mobile device, with or without a rigid case, to your Model S/X dash. Each kit includes two low-profile disks, one Ball Mount, a magnetic socket, an alcohol prep pad, spare 3M VHB (Very High Bond) sticky pads and installation instructions.

I ordered the kit directly from Abstract Ocean for $22.99. I’d also like to point out that I was not sponsored by Abstract Ocean for this post nor do they even know about it at the time of this writing.

MAGNETIC PHONE HOLDER (SLIMLINE) Open box

INSTALLATION

Installation is pretty straightforward. I installed the disk directly on my Tech 21 iPhone 7 bumper as shown in the picture.

Disk mounted on Tech21 bumper

The ball mount can go anywhere on your Model S or X dash, but the recommended location (the left of the center 17in screen) was obstructed for me, so I positioned it to the right of the center screen, as shown. The whole process did not take more that 10 minutes.

Mount and socket on dashboard

The ball mount allows for a huge degree of adjustment, and one can easily rotate the phone to any angle. Abstract Ocean provides two low-profile disks, so you can swap an iPhone and an iPad mini, for example.

I personally would not recommend to put the disk between the phone and the phone case, as that will result in an assured eventual scratch of the phone surface (like the one on my new Jet Black iPhone 7), an expensive proposition if you eventually wanted to resell your phone.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I’ve been using the Magnetic phone holder for a week now, and I am fairly impressed.

Unlike other similar but cheaper magnetic phone holders available at Amazon, the Abstract Ocean ball mount will not easily detach from the dashboard.

To remove the ball mount, you will actually need sliding some dental floss behind it, that will eventually break the adhesive bond without doing any harm to your dash.

In my experience so far, the 3M VHB (Very High Bond) sticky pads just won’t move at all.

The new law requirements to activate or deactivate a feature or function of the cell phone with the motion of a “single swipe” or “single tap” of the driver’s finger, though limiting, worked for me for a few activities that I may want to do while driving, like checking TSLA stock quotes.

To do that “legally” I can just tap once on the Stocks App, wait, then swipe left or right to check the chart, the daily statistics, and the news headlines. As long as I leave enough wait time between each swipe, I am still following the law.

[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/AB-1785.pdf”]

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This episode finishes with an interview with Joel Gamoran from Arcadia Power, a community solar company.

Catch all episodes of Talking Tesla at TalkingTesla.net, Stitcher, or on iTunes.

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The design of the perforated front seats were intended to provide a “cooling” effect by circulating air through tiny vents within the seat cushion. However, Tesla owners with the upgrade would soon begin questioning the true value of having the feature, after reports that owners were not able to feel or see any effects of the ventilated seats began circulating across the greater community. One can assume that Tesla ultimately decided to remove the feature due to unpopularity.

Taking a side-by-side look at the Premium Upgrades Package option, before and after the removal of the ventilated seat feature, one can see that the description for the seat is entirely gone from the latest online design studio.

Another reason for the removal by Tesla is the well-known fact that the company aims to streamline its production process, making it cheaper and quicker to produce vehicles. The company had recently consolidated the number of interior trim options made available on the Model X by bundling popular configurations together. Tesla also discontinued the 60 kWh battery option for the Model X, eliminated two choice of paint colors, and removed the P90D variant from its lineup.

Small perforations can be seen on the seat cushions of Tesla’s ventilated front seats

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