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Tesla says unintended acceleration claims are 'completely false'
Tesla just rejected any notion that its cars are prone to unintended acceleration. In a blog post, the EV maker claimed that a petition describing unexpected acceleration was "completely false" and the product of a "Tesla short-seller" hoping to make a quick buck. Every case where Tesla had a car's data showed that the car worked as intended, the company said. Moreover, Tesla claimed that its system was designed to avoid these problems. All it models have two pedal position sensors, and "any error" defaults to shutting off motor torque. It even uses the Autopilot sensors to catch potential pedal misuse and cut torque to prevent accidents.
Tesla cars will soon talk to pedestrians
If you're a Tesla owner, you might not have to open a window to let your intentions be known to passers-by. Elon Musk has teased plans to let Tesla cars "talk" to pedestrians through external speakers (presumably the ones added to comply with sound requirements in the EU and US). He didn't outline how it would work, but the feature appears to at least support canned clips -- Musk even hinted that you'll get to "fart in their general direction" Monty Python-style.
Tesla's car shipments grew by 50 percent last year
Tesla ended 2019 on a high note. According to the company, it delivered 367,500 vehicles in 2019. That's more cars than it delivered in the past two years combined, The Verge notes.
Musk: Holiday Tesla update adds 'Stardew Valley,' self-driving preview
It's been a few months since Tesla's 10.0 update brought Cuphead, Netflix and YouTube to some of its in-car systems, and it appears more options are around the corner. Elon Musk tweeted tonight that a "holiday" update will add farming RPG Stardew Valley as a playable game, and include a Full Self-Driving "sneak preview," as well as other things. Late last year, Tesla expanded testing of full autonomous features among employees, and Musk has continued to promise it will arrive for the customers who've ordered it on their existing cars to go well beyond the capabilities of its current Autopilot driver assist. We've seen a lot of clips of the carmaker's sedans and SUVs roaming the roads without human input over the years, but if the beta expands beyond employees then such sights could become more common. Earlier this year Musk said Teslas would be capable of self-driving by the end of 2019 before robo-taxi Teslas are a thing in 2020, and there's not much time left to get that done. Update: And if you'd like to know when it will arrive, in a subsequent tweet, Musk told a Tesla fan it "Needs a few more days of validation, then early access, then wide release."
Tesla will start charging $10 per month for 'Premium' in-car data
Tesla wasn't entirely accurate when it said it would start charging for some in-car data on July 1st of last year, but it looks like owners have finally been asked to cough up. The automaker is notifying customers who ordered on or after July 1st, 2018 that it's switching them to 30-day trials of Premium Connectivity (i.e. the full data services they're used to), and that they'll have to subscribe for $10 per month to keep using the functionality. Anyone who ordered before July 1st, 2018 still has access to all features for free.
Tesla's Model 3 and S are (once again) recommended by 'Consumer Reports'
Two Tesla sedans are back in Consumer Reports' good graces. Model 3 and the Model S have regained the organization's recommendation after their reliability scores got a boost from CR's latest annual reliability survey of current owners. Tesla and Consumer Reports have some sort of love-hate relationship going on, with the latter awarding and revoking recommendations for the automaker's cars based on its survey's results.
Tesla Autopilot now recognizes traffic cones
Tesla's Autopilot has been adept at recognizing other cars on the road, but those aren't the only things you have to worry about on the road -- what about the traffic cones that wall you off from roadwork? You can relax after today... well, for the most part. Tesla is quietly rolling out an Autopilot update that lets its electric cars detect and display pylons on the road. If you're using Navigate on Autopilot, your EV will even plan lane changes to avoid cones so that you don't have to take control around construction work.
Tesla update gives EVs more power and 'automatic' navigation
Tesla's latest earnings call hinted at an update that would boost its electric cars' performance, and now that update appears to be rolling out -- with a few extras in store. Drivers receiving the upgrade get up to five percent more power thanks to optimized motor control, giving them better acceleration and overall performance. Elon Musk had also mentioned improvements to range and charging speeds during the call, so expect to drive a little farther from now on.
Consumer Reports finds Tesla's Smart Summon 'glitchy'
Consumer Reports and Tesla have had a rocky relationship over the years, and it doesn't look like they're about to patch things up any time soon. CR has declared Tesla's Smart Summon feature "glitchy" after several days of testing both at its own facility and in parking lots. The drive-to-you feature only works "intermittently," the publication said, sometimes confusing a parking lot for a public road and shutting off. And while Smart Summon appears to drive the car at cautious speeds, it also wanders "like a drunken or distracted driver" and sometimes veers into the opposite lane.
NHTSA reviews claims Tesla should have recalled 2,000 cars
Tesla's software updates normally bring a host of improvements, but some owners are less than thrilled with the implications for their cars' performance and safety. The NHTSA is reviewing a petition asserting that Tesla should have recalled 2,000 Model S and Model X units after a battery safety update arrived in May. The automaker allegedly knew the cars' batteries were defective and decided that it would rather push an update that reduced range, performance and charging speed than replace batteries under warranty.
Tesla's Q3 electric car deliveries set another record
Tesla's record-setting second quarter deliveries weren't a fluke, it seems. The EV builder has broken the record again with its initial delivery estimates for the third quarter, with about 97,000 cars reaching customers over the summer. That's not a huge leap over the 95,356 EVs delivered in Q2, but it's a stark contrast to the sharp drop-off at the start of 2019. There's at least some sustained interest, then.
Tesla update with Netflix, 'Cuphead' and Smart Summon is rolling out now
Tesla is rolling out its biggest software update yet via an over-the-air update. Version 10.0 should be particularly welcome if you're looking for more ways to pass the time while you're waiting for your battery to charge up at a Supercharger station.
Turns out Tesla police cars run out of 'gas' mid-chase, too
If you're a cop involved in a high-speed pursuit, the last thing you want to see on your dash is a notification that your car is about to run out of gas -- or in the case of one Fremont police officer, battery life. But that's what happened to Officer Jesse Hartman last week when his department's Tesla Model S patrol car warned him it had just six miles of battery left -- in the midst of a 120mph felony chase down the highway.
Tesla owners start seeing a data usage counter with a 50GB cap
Tesla last year started splitting data into standard and premium tiers, but it's now hinting that it might watch how much data you're using, too. Some owners have noticed a data use counter showing up on their cars with a seeming 50GB cap. It's not yet clear what this cap is for or what happens if you chew up more than 50GB of data. However, Tesla is displaying this to people with the Premium Connectivity package, not just Standard.
Watch Tesla's record-breaking Laguna Seca lap
Last night Elon Musk tweeted that the company's Model S "just set record for fastest 4 door ever at Laguna Seca" and now there's video evidence of its 1:36.555 time. There aren't a lot of details available on the run or exterior shots to show how close to stock the sedan is. In a description, Tesla said this Model S is equipped with its "Plaid powertrain" (which continues the Spaceballs reference by going a step beyond Ludicrous) and a chassis prototype.
Elon Musk says the Tesla Model S just set a new track speed record
The Model S has set a new record for the fastest four-door car at California's Laguna Seca racetrack, according to Elon Musk. The Tesla boss didn't give any more details in his brief tweet announcing the news, but did say that a video of the lap will be released tomorrow. Update (9/11, 10:17PM ET): As promised, the video is here.
NTSB says Tesla Autopilot was partly to blame for 2018 crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited both driver error and Tesla's Autopilot design as the probable causes of a January 2018 crash, in which a Model S slammed into a parked fire truck at about 31 mph. According to the report, the driver was distracted and did not see the fire truck. But NTSB says that Tesla's Autopilot was also at fault, as its design "permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task."
Tesla's car insurance is now available in California
Tesla just gave some of its most faithful US drivers the insurance they've been looking for. After rollouts in Asia and Australia, the EV maker has introduced its simply titled Tesla Insurance in California. Drivers can theoretically lower rates on their cars by as much as 20 to 30 percent compared to conventional insurers since "Tesla knows its vehicles best." There are no surprise fees, and you can cancel or modify your policy at any point.
Tesla suspension update helps Model S and Model X high-speed driving
Tesla has piloted a unique way of updating its vehicles' software to add new features and safety improvements remotely. It has adjusted Autopilot and introduced tweaks to improve battery life in the past, but now, the company is using the same system to tune the Model S and Model X suspension over the air.
Tesla delays price hike for self-driving upgrade
You'll still have at least a few more weeks to order a Tesla with the Full Self-Driving upgrade before the price hike kicks in. Elon Musk said Tesla had "postponed" the $1,000 increase until cars received version 10 software with "smart summon" (aka Enhanced Summon) enabled. He expected that to happen within four to eight weeks, although that depended on how well early access testing went.
