Tesla is rolling out its latest 2022.16.0.2 over-the-air software update, with some new features and a few improved ones.
New Media Player Accounts can now be linked to driver profiles, allowing users to automatically access their personal Spotify account when they are in the driver’s seat, and for quick changes when someone else is driving.
Tesla wrote in the release notes:
Media Player accounts (e.g. Spotify Login) are now linked to your driver profile. Simply log into your media account while your driver profile is selected.
However, the most impressive new addition is Navigation Energy Prediction, which can more accurately predict the remaining range of the vehicle by analyzing the forecasted weather.
According to the release notes:
Energy prediction for your route has been improved by incorporating forecasted crosswind, headwind, humidity, and ambient temperature when using online navigation.
Range calculations are difficult regardless of the type of powertrain, electric or internal combustion engine.
There are just so many factors that can affect the efficiency of a vehicle on a road that it is hard to determine how far it can go on a full battery pack or tank of gas. But it is important. I’d argue that accurate range prediction is better at curbing range anxiety than longer range.
Tesla has been a leader in efficiency and long-range electric vehicles for a long time, but despite that, it still has issues predicting the energy consumption of a trip.
In 2018, Tesla added more environmental factors (elevation changes, weather, etc.) to the calculation. It helped, but it is still far from accurate. You put a destination in the system and Tesla’s trip advisor tells you how much energy you will have left by the time you get there, but it’s not rare to see the amount of energy go down fast as you drive.
Now some of that can be due to how fast you drive, but environmental conditions along the planned route can also affect the efficiency and that’s what Tesla is trying to account for in a better way with this update.
While these factors could only account for a few percentage points of difference, it can be a big deal for some trips. Every percentage point counts when doing efficiency and range calculations.
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