Official Tesla Model S thread

[sparky]

Just got the latest OTA software update (v4.9 to v5.8) on my Model S.
Finally, the vampire draw seems to be a thing of the past.
I was losing about 8 miles of range per day which was roughly equivalent to one of my solar panels just dedicated to Model S vampire draw. It's been 14 hours and zero miles have come off the range. Sweet.
Also, when in my garage, the car will connect via my WiFi instead of 3G. Can also tether through my iPhone on the road.
Response to the mobile App is slower with the new sleep mode. It now takes about as long as the LEAF to connect instead of seconds.
Sleep mode can be disabled but this is totally worth it IMO, I just gained a solar panel!
Tesla says priority for future SW updates will be given to cars with WiFi connectivity. An odd statement. Maybe just for speed of rolling out updates and validating operation since the WiFi is much quicker?

 

[ebill3]

Just got the latest OTA software update (v4.9 to v5.8) on my Model S.

Good. Still waiting here. Looks like those still with 4.5 will skip 5.6 and jump to 5.8.

Tethering the car to the phone is neat, and I thought that would take care of connectivity if and when Tesla starts to charge for 3G. Then it hit me (slap along side of head) . I want the ability to "talk" to the car when I, and the phone, are not near the car.

EDIT: Just got 5.8. Great.

 

[DaveEV]

Tesla says priority for future SW updates will be given to cars with WiFi connectivity. An odd statement. Maybe just for speed of rolling out updates and validating operation since the WiFi is much quicker?

It probably has more to do with Tesla overloading AT&T's 3G network. Tesla probably pays AT&T by the megabyte, multiply that by 10s of thousands of cars and that adds up very quickly.

By prioritizing firmware updates to cars connected to WiFi, they highly incentive customers to connect their cars to WiFi which reduces their costs, not to mention should be much faster than 3G in general.

 

[scottf200]

5.6 (v1.45.45) software is out with sleep mode (lessens vampire), wifi (vs G3), and other features
5.8 (v1.49.22) software is new and includes a wiper clean/replace/service mode option (moves wipers to an accessible location) and TPMS reset (auto learn)

I suspect 5.9 will include a way to disable the lowering for air suspension cars at high speeds

Car actually give you several screens of release notes when the update happens. Owners capture those and post on TMC.
Firmware change wiki log below.
Wiki: http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showwiki.php?title=Model+S+software+firmware+changelog

 

[DaveEV]

Owners are already reporting that 5.8 disables lowering at freeway speeds.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/24031-Air-Suspension-no-longer-lowers-at-highway-speeds-(FW-update-v5-8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false

 

[scottf200]

Owners are already reporting that 5.8 disables lowering at freeway speeds.
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...ger-lowers-at-highway-speeds-(FW-update-v5-8)

Just saw that. One COOL advantage of OTA/OTWiFi updates!
Thread also indicates this:

The original behavior was to lower the car at 74 mph instantly, or if > 55 mph for more than 15 seconds.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Gutsy move while all this attention is being paid. Isn't that an admission of a problem?

 

[ebill3]

Gutsy move while all this attention is being paid. Isn't that an admission of a problem?

Well, sort of, but I think the pluses outweigh the minuses. I don't like it, But Tesla can boast on how quickly they reacted to a possible problem, whereas other manufacturers take months, even years, to act.

I can live with the no auto lowering; just wish they had left me with the ability to command lowering at higher speeds.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Just got the latest OTA software update (v4.9 to v5.8) on my Model S.
Finally, the vampire draw seems to be a thing of the past.
I was losing about 8 miles of range per day which was roughly equivalent to one of my solar panels just dedicated to Model S vampire draw. It's been 14 hours and zero miles have come off the range. Sweet.
Also, when in my garage, the car will connect via my WiFi instead of 3G. Can also tether through my iPhone on the road.
Response to the mobile App is slower with the new sleep mode. It now takes about as long as the LEAF to connect instead of seconds.
Sleep mode can be disabled but this is totally worth it IMO, I just gained a solar panel!
Tesla says priority for future SW updates will be given to cars with WiFi connectivity. An odd statement. Maybe just for speed of rolling out updates and validating operation since the WiFi is much quicker?

glad to hear they finally got that vampire issue fixed. that story really stuck in the minds of the people I have talked to. its that or car fires is all they seem to remember about the car.

as far as wi-fi first? sure why not. they should be able to put it out there all at once. the wireless network? well, much slower, much less available bandwidth and much more time sensitive.

even during the heaviest usage periods, I am still able to eek out 2-3 MBs (out of 20) on my home system. my vaunted 4G Verizon?? have seen it as low as 400*500 kbs (small b there...) from a location that regularly tests in the 8500 kbs range...

so % decrease is about the same but the bandwidth is definitely slower

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Fire will now be covered under warranty, even if caused by an accident (but excluding arson)
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/mission-tesla" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[mwalsh]

^ Impressive. Unless the devil is in the details.

 

[Zythryn]

In addition, Tesla has asked the NHTSA for a full investigation and there will be a software update planned for January that will make the suspension user adjustable at speed.

 

[TomT]

It is amazing the difference in response to problems between Tesla and Nissan or any other "conventional" vehicle manufacturer... Of course, it could be argued that Tesla has far more to loose, but still...

 

[Stanton]

Of course, it could be argued that Tesla has far more to loose, but still...

I'd say so: like the difference between being IN and OUT of business :roll:

 

[scottf200]

It is amazing the difference in response to problems between Tesla and Nissan or any other "conventional" vehicle manufacturer... Of course, it could be argued that Tesla has far more to loose, but still...

<snip>
Further Actions

While we believe the evidence is clear that there is no safer car on the road than the Model S, we are taking three specific actions.

First, we have rolled out an over-the-air update to the air suspension that will result in greater ground clearance at highway speeds. To be clear, this is about reducing the chances of underbody impact damage, not improving safety. The theoretical probability of a fire injury is already vanishingly small and the actual number to date is zero. Another software update expected in January will give the driver direct control of the air suspension ride height transitions.

Second, we have requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation as soon as possible into the fire incidents. While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA’s time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention. However, there is a larger issue at stake: if a false perception about the safety of electric cars is allowed to linger, it will delay the advent of sustainable transport and increase the risk of global climate change, with potentially disastrous consequences worldwide. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Third, to reinforce how strongly we feel about the low risk of fire in our cars, we will be amending our warranty policy to cover damage due to a fire, even if due to driver error. Unless a Model S owner actively tries to destroy the car, they are covered. Our goal here is to eliminate any concern about the cost of such an event and ensure that over time the Model S has the lowest insurance cost of any car at our price point. Either our belief in the safety of our car is correct and this is a minor cost or we are wrong, in which case the right thing is for Tesla to bear the cost rather than the car buyer.

All of these actions are taken in order to make clear the confidence we have in our product and to eliminate any misperceptions regarding the integrity of our technology and the safety of our cars.

 

[GRA]

It is amazing the difference in response to problems between Tesla and Nissan or any other "conventional" vehicle manufacturer... Of course, it could be argued that Tesla has far more to loose, but still...

<snip>
Further Actions

While we believe the evidence is clear that there is no safer car on the road than the Model S, we are taking three specific actions.<snip>

See, Nissan, that's how you're supposed to communicate and have your customer's backs when introducing a new technology. I'll be handing out a quiz, to see if you got all that. Of course, I expect it will take 8 months or so to make it up through all the layers of bureaucracy, be studied to death, dismissed and the decision made to just keep on treating your customers as you have been, which decision will eventually be communicated to your customers if and when you feel like it, along with the usual platitudes and a claim that something will be done 'shortly'. And then in a couple of years, you'll all be scratching your heads wondering just how you managed to throw away all the customer goodwill you generated by introducing the first mass-produced, reasonably affordable BEV; none of you will have a clue what you did wrong. Gaah!

 

[mwalsh]

^ What he said!

Plus the advisory committee is stupid!

 

[donald]

Thanks for flagging that. But I am rather surprised at Elon's odd statistics quoted in the press brief;

"There are now substantially more than the 19,000 Model S vehicles on the road that were reported in our Q3 shareholder letter for an average of one fire per at least 6,333 cars, compared to the rate for gasoline vehicles of one fire per 1,350 cars. By this metric, you are more than four and a half times more likely to experience a fire in a gasoline car than a Model S! Considering the odds in the absolute, you are more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than experience even a non-injurious fire in a Tesla."

err... if you are in a Tesla, your odds of experiencing a fire in a Tesla look like they are around 3 in 19,000, no??

In absolute terms, you are more likely to be struck by lightning that to be able to afford buying a Tesla in the first place!!

I didn't want to flag this up really, for fear of being viewed as being 'anti-Tesla' in some way (but in fact the reverse is the case), but of those one in 1,300 car fires Elon mentions, only 3% are caused by collision accidents. So, except for Tesla, there is actually one fire per 50,000 cars due to collision damage.

... I completely agree that this is wholly different to the way any other head-in-sand manufacturer would approach this issue. There is nothing to doubt that he really wants to nail this, one way or the other.

 

[GeekEV]

I didn't want to flag this up really, for fear of being viewed as being 'anti-Tesla' in some way (but in fact the reverse is the case), but of those one in 1,300 car fires Elon mentions, only 3% are caused by collision accidents. So, except for Tesla, there is actually one fire per 50,000 cars due to collision damage.

That's WORSE, isn't it? Only 3% are justified by a collision? So what caused the other 97%? Yikes! Besides, if you want to look at it that way, then consider how many NON-collision Model S fires there have been: ZERO. That's INFINITELY better odds than for a gas car...

 

[TomT]

One problem with Musk's statistics is that they should only compare the last two model years of ICE cars against the last two years of the Tesla S... Older vehicles are more likely to be involved in a fire, thus using the entire age gamut of ICE vehicles against just two years of Tesla vehicles invalidates the statistical validity of the comparison... It is apples and guavas.

"There are now substantially more than the 19,000 Model S vehicles on the road that were reported in our Q3 shareholder letter for an average of one fire per at least 6,333 cars, compared to the rate for gasoline vehicles of one fire per 1,350 cars."