Issue 298 - FSD beta v12.1 rolls out to 15k+ vehicles

FSD

Tesla FSD v12.1 📹
Several clips of FSD v12.1 now that it's hitting more cars.

Tesla rolls out FSD beta v12.1 to over 15,000 vehicles
Tesla has started rolling out its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta version 12.1 to a broader audience, including over 15,000 personally-owned Tesla employee vehicles. This version is expected to bring significant improvements over previous iterations by transitioning to a neural network-based operation for city driving. According to the report, these cars are personally owned by Tesla employees, but as the rate of testers increases, we can just assume FSD v12.1 is closer to a non-employee rollout.

Charging

ChargePoint's NACS plug retrofit kit 📹
Looking much better and no need for adapters. If you are in the US and have a Chargepoint wallbox, take a look at this retrofit kit and stop using adapters!

Tinkering

Berlin researchers hacked Tesla autopilot to unlock “Elon mode”
We've seen Greentheonly, the Tesla-community famous Tesla hacker, unlock Elon Mode before. In Elon Mode, the car won't nag you, which improves the experience as the driver, while still paying attention, won't be as annoyed by the car as if they have to constantly give input. Although the report presents this as a car vulnerability, the ability to root and access code has been there for a long time and it doesn't give a random person remote access to your car, as they need physical access to the circuit board.

Lock Sounds - Classic Video Games Edition
With the holiday update, your Tesla can now have a custom lock sound. You can pick from the ones that come with the car or download your own. Not a Tesla App has published a list of popular lock sounds from video games like Zelda, Mario, and others. Have you customized your lock sound? If so, which one have you picked?

Tax Incentives

Tesla models eligible for IRA tax credits in 2024
Tesla has updated its website to reflect the eligibility of its models for the $7,500 tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2024. The eligible models include the Model X Dual Motor AWD, Model 3 Performance, and several variants of the Model Y, with each model's price listed. To qualify for the tax credit, customers must use the EV for personal use in the United States, meet certain income requirements, and the vehicle cannot have components sourced from foreign entities of concern (FEOC), including countries like China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

Cybertruck

Cybertruck - Stek DYNOchrome-black PPF 📹
OCDetailing is doing a great job wrapping this Cybertruck. Although the truck looks almost the same, the Paint Protection Film (PPF) will avoid fingerprints, which are really visible on the stainless steel, and overall protect the car. Suffice to say, the Cybertruck won't have some of the same problems as painted cars, like rock chips, etc.

Cybertruck spotted charging Rivian R1T 📷
A Tesla Cybertruck owner recently provided an emergency charge to a Rivian R1T at a Supercharger station. The bi-directional charging feature is a great addition to the Cybertruck, especially because of how the vehicle will be used to power tools and other things, but I would love to see it coming to all Teslas.

4 Takeaways from our first Cybertruck roadtrip 📹
Amateur Youtubers take 19 hour road trip in Cybertruck and record a video with their takeways. We haven't seen many reviews done by owners yet.

🤓 What the acronym
As a Tesla fan, I find myself sometimes having to remember what are all those acronyms, here is a list of the ones you can find in this issue.

AWD: All-Wheel Drive
FSD: Full Self-Driving
NACS: North American Charging Standard
PPF: Paint Protection Film