

An over-the-air software update makes it unlikely a Tesla driver will ever again run out of battery power. And oh-by-the-way, Tesla said Thursday at a Silicon Valley press conference, another software update by summer will make the Tesla Model S a self-driving car. On the east coast, New Jersey legalized Tesla sales and a Connecticut legislature committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of direct Tesla sales, as New York State already does.

Overall, it was a very good week for Tesla, a company that had blogged merely of a March 19 press conference that would show how Tesla is curing range anxiety once and for. Tesla showed a lot more. Tesla is showing the importance of embedded telematics in cars for enhancements or bug fixes, and for more than just AV head unit fixes, as Ford will be doing with Sync 3.

Tesla stations border 2-1 aspect

Same range, more info on charging stations

Tesla’s Elon Musk Sunday tweeted that Tesla would “end range anxiety … via OTA software update. Affects entire Model S fleet.” The announcements are a Range Assurance app that tracks available Tesla supercharger stations and well as third-party stations; the Trip Planner app navigates you to a destination via “the best charging options [for] your route.” This was about giving the patient more information on his condition, rather than providing a cure for the underlying malady: 208 miles with the standard 60 kWh battery, 265 miles with the 85 kWh battery, less in the winter, or if you treat the Model S as a Porsche and not a hypermiling Prius.

The software updates are intriguing. Range Assurance not only tracks the location of Tesla Supercharger (one-hour charging) stations in real time, but discounts stations in heavy use or inactive (broken?), and also “warns you before you drive out of range.” Trip Planner builds on the Range Assurance, discarding busy and broken chargers, and optimizing the hops between chargers. Tesla says it also considers uphill and downhill terrain, and even current headwinds. Most stations are at locations where you can get a meal or coffee, and the car texts you when the batteries are full.

Tesla does a good job making owners feel good about over-the-air updates. When Ford needs to update Sync, owners and the media treat is a repair to an imperfect product. (For good reason.) Tesla pushes OTA as making a good product better. This is how the Tesla blog puts it: “Model S gets faster, smarter, and better as time passes. With Tesla’s regular over-the-air software updates, Model S actually improves while you sleep. When you wake up, added functionality, enhanced performance, and improved user experience make you feel like you are driving a new car.”


Safety enhancements

The same update includes safety enhancements as well: automatic emergency braking and collision mitigation braking on top of the existing forward collision warning, plus blind spot detection and side collision warning. Valet mode limits the Model S when someone else, typically a garage attendant, has possession. It locks the glovebox and trunk, limits speeds, and masks any personal information. Tesla says there’ll be a new audio codec, unspecified radio tuning improvements, and active cruise control refinements.

Most automakers don’t do over the air updates, yet. Those that do limit them to mods to the infotainment system. The idea an automaker would tweak active cruise control would be anathema. Others are willing to let someone else lead, and Tesla is happy to do that. Regardless, this shows the value of having embedded telematics in cars.


The self-driving Tesla: how real, how autonomous?

The biggest part of the announcement was “autopilot,” Tesla’s term for self-driving — self-driving at least some of the time, on major roads such as limited access highways. This, too, would be an over-the-air update: no trip to a Tesla service center, no new parts to install. It means, of course, that Tesla either has magical powers … or it already has the cameras, radars, and sonar sensors needed to let the car drive autonomously.

Most autonomous driving technology seen on cars from Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, and others is more like this: lane centering on interstate highways with gentle curves, plus adaptive cruise control, plus better sensing of when a car cuts in front of you (the biggest challenge current for ACC). That alone is pretty darn impressive. It is enough to protect people who text while driving, but a decade from now, it won’t be seen as all that impressive. Today, it is.