Tesletter - Issue 126 - Cheaper MCU1 repair!

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Issue 126 - Cheaper MCU1 repair!

Autopilot

Autopilot thinks the smoke-obscured sun is a big yellow light 📹

Full self-driving has gone a long way but it's still a few edge cases away from its final version. In this video, you can see how AP identifies the sun (obscured by the smoke) as a yellow traffic light. Now that Tesla has the info needed to train the system on this, I'm sure it will get fixed soon.

Stats of a 100 day/15k mile cross-country trip in a Model X 📷

Every time I talk to someone who isn't familiar with EVs or Tesla is 'but ... am I going to be able to go on road trips?' Range and long-distance trips are a big question mark for a lot of future EV owners, but you can totally do it on a Tesla, and it's not even a rare thing. u/octane097 shared their tip, 100 days, 15 miles, 70 Supercharger stops, and 95% of driving using AP led to... zero problems! The post has a lot of stats and the pictures of the route and the trip, check it out!

Hardware updates

MIC Model 3 will soon come from the factory with 'Full Chrome Delete'

According to some docs filed by Tesla China, the Model 3 will soon come with full a black trim. This is exactly how the Model Y comes here in North America, maybe Tesla will make modifications to the Model 3 here in NA to be like that too. If you ask me, I think the black trim makes it look sportier and I really like it.

MCU1 is now being repaired for $500

If you're a Model S/X owner and have MCU1, you're probably dreading the moment when you get the eMMC failure and need to replace the touchscreen. Up until now, this replacement had a cost of between $1,500 and $2,500. Luckily for us, Tesla has started fixing the daughterboard for about $500 instead of having to replace the whole MCU.

As an alternative, if you have the budget and plan on keeping your S/X for a while, you could go with the infotainment upgrade for about $2,500 and get a snappier experience as well as the new games, Tesla Theater, etc.

Model Y XPEL PPF and Feynlab ceramic coating 📹

Check out this Model Y transformation video with full XPEL Paint Protection Film and Feynlab ceramic coating to really keep this fresh off the lot Model Y clean and protected. Looking for a Feynlab installer in your area?

Tesla seeks approval for a sensor that could detect child left in hot cars

Tesla wants permission to use unlicensed millimeter-wave sensors that would operate at higher power levels than allowed under existing rules. Tesla added it “can differentiate between a child and an object left on the seat, reducing the likelihood of false alarms” and can detect “micromovements like breathing patterns and heart rates, neither of which can be captured by cameras or in-seat sensors alone.” It's worth mentioning that Tesla already comes with the cabin overheat protection, which would make it a bit less dangerous in case you accidentally left a child in the car (I hope you don't!). With the system described in the article, it would be even better!

Software updates

Homelink button area is now transparent in reverse

Several Model 3/Y owners had complained that their Homelink menu kind of got in the way while backing up into the garage. In 2020.32.2, Tesla has introduced a small but important change, the Homelink button area is now transparent when in reverse so it doesn’t block the rear-view camera.

New snake jazz/elevator music sounds 📹

Custom sounds for external speakers are around the corner. Check out the snake jazz preview featured in this video. Fun! 🎷

Energy

Power usage insights in a Model 3 📹

This video goes through different systems in the Model 3- HVAC, games, wipers, accelerating, driving- and shows how much power each one of them consumes. Apart from the engines, what uses the most power is the heating/ventilation system. If you are ever in a situation where you need to save some power in the car, lower the temperature from the inside and keep it well below the outside temperature, then manually set the fan speed to prevent the heater to heat from the HVAC.

About the upcoming Battery Day in September

According to some research from Electek on the Battery Day landing page, it appears that Tesla is teasing some sort of nanotechnology ahead of the event next month. Electrek has changed the contrast and exposure for a clearer look at the lines in the background image, and a reverse Google search on the image shows that it is similar to silicon nanowires, a nanostructure that has been used to create batteries with higher performance though it has yet to be commercialized. Who else is excited for Battery Day? ☝️

Community

They won a Tesla Model Y through the referral program! 📹

We've heard about a couple of winners of the Model Y via the referral program before, but this time our friend @Tesla_Raj has interviewed a couple who won and received a free Model Y, cool!

What the acronym?

As 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.

AP - Autopilot
MCU - Media Control Unit
MCU1 - Has an NVIDIA Tegra-3 chip. All Model S and Model X built before the end of March 2018 have this version.
MCU2 - Has a more powerful Intel x86_64 processor. All Model 3 have this version as well as the Model S and Model X built after the end of March 2018.
EV - Electric Vehicle
MIC - Made in China
HVAC - Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning