Photo: @ton_aarts via Twitter | Edited
Tesla made headlines recently after recalling more than 1.1 million vehicles in China. The recall was swiftly solved with a software update, and the Tesla community lamented using the term "recall" like it always does. Still, the update brought significant changes to boost safety. It also introduced basic HW4 support for cars in China.
We've read about cases of Tesla EVs accelerating out of control, causing terrific accidents because the driver would press the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. In all these cases, the drivers were convinced they were pushing the brakes, but the car kept accelerating. Given the blistering acceleration that even the base version of the Model 3 is capable of, this confusion can lead and has led to severe crashes. Although the wrong pedal application is an important cause of accidents on all car brands, those involving Tesla have a higher chance of becoming viral.
Still, there is one factor that facilitates such accidents for Tesla owners. According to a Greek accident investigator, one popular feature of Tesla vehicles increases the likelihood of driver errors. Costas Lakafossis thinks the one-pedal driving feature in Tesla vehicles confuses drivers and makes them press the wrong pedal. The fact that Tesla drivers don't need to press the brake pedal while maneuvering is a big issue, as they are more likely to push the accelerator than the brakes.
Lakafossis sent a lengthy letter to the NHTSA in April, explaining his theory and asking the agency to recall all Tesla EVs sold in the US after 2013. Although NHTSA is investigating the issue and Lakafossis's findings, reaching a conclusion can take a long time. Things moved faster in China, where a similar investigation prompted Tesla to issue a voluntary recall to update the software. The recall affected more than 1.1 million EVs, and the update aims to mitigate the issues leading to a sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) event.
The update changes how regenerative braking works, adding more control to the driver. This feature was recently introduced in the US with the update 2023.6.100.1, which reinstated the Low regenerative braking mode. The cars will also warn drivers if they continue to press the accelerator for an extended period. Still, the update 2023.12.9 brings another feature to the table that will prevent many SUA accidents.
The change affects the Stopping Mode, which now defaults to Creep. In this mode, the car continues to move slowly forward (in Drive) or backward (in Reverse), similar to how vehicles with automatic transmissions behave. This is intended to force drivers to press the brake pedal for a complete stop, thus introducing an additional safety step. According to Not A Tesla App, this feature is exclusively offered to Chinese cars for now.
The update also brings Autopilot features to HW4 vehicles to Tesla vehicles. This includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC), Autosteer, and Navigate on Autopilot. If you don't see the FSD Beta on the list, it's because this feature is also limited to cars in China. If you recall, the Model S and Model X with Hardware 4 computers and sensors can't run FSD Beta yet because the software support for the new hardware is still in its infancy.
Still, there is one factor that facilitates such accidents for Tesla owners. According to a Greek accident investigator, one popular feature of Tesla vehicles increases the likelihood of driver errors. Costas Lakafossis thinks the one-pedal driving feature in Tesla vehicles confuses drivers and makes them press the wrong pedal. The fact that Tesla drivers don't need to press the brake pedal while maneuvering is a big issue, as they are more likely to push the accelerator than the brakes.
Lakafossis sent a lengthy letter to the NHTSA in April, explaining his theory and asking the agency to recall all Tesla EVs sold in the US after 2013. Although NHTSA is investigating the issue and Lakafossis's findings, reaching a conclusion can take a long time. Things moved faster in China, where a similar investigation prompted Tesla to issue a voluntary recall to update the software. The recall affected more than 1.1 million EVs, and the update aims to mitigate the issues leading to a sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) event.
The update changes how regenerative braking works, adding more control to the driver. This feature was recently introduced in the US with the update 2023.6.100.1, which reinstated the Low regenerative braking mode. The cars will also warn drivers if they continue to press the accelerator for an extended period. Still, the update 2023.12.9 brings another feature to the table that will prevent many SUA accidents.
The change affects the Stopping Mode, which now defaults to Creep. In this mode, the car continues to move slowly forward (in Drive) or backward (in Reverse), similar to how vehicles with automatic transmissions behave. This is intended to force drivers to press the brake pedal for a complete stop, thus introducing an additional safety step. According to Not A Tesla App, this feature is exclusively offered to Chinese cars for now.
The update also brings Autopilot features to HW4 vehicles to Tesla vehicles. This includes Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC), Autosteer, and Navigate on Autopilot. If you don't see the FSD Beta on the list, it's because this feature is also limited to cars in China. If you recall, the Model S and Model X with Hardware 4 computers and sensors can't run FSD Beta yet because the software support for the new hardware is still in its infancy.
2023.12.9 #TeslaReleaseNotes
— green (@greentheonly) May 17, 2023
- HW4 cars in China get TACC, autosteer and NoA
- Cars in China: Stopping mode default changed to Creep now (after factory reset and probably new profiles?)
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