After nearly a year, Tesla released another major update to the software system.
Editor’s note: This article is from “Geeks Park”, authorized to reprint .
Tesla has begun to officially push the V10 system to EAP (Early Access Program: a plan for some Tesla owners to get the latest system permissions in advance), join online to watch YouTube, Netflix streaming, and online karaoke New features such as OK.
However, the version that is officially pushed to all Tesla owners will have to wait a little longer, according to Tesla CEO Mask on Twitter at the end of August, the final V10 version of the system will be delayed by 1-2 than expected. Monthly update. This time, Tesla also guaranteed the rhythm of China and the United States to update the system simultaneously.
In particular, Tesla has combined with companies such as YouTube and Netflix to greatly expand the entertainment needs of video and music for car owners. Tesla integrated Netflix, YouTube (China for Tencent Video and iQiyi) and Tesla Tutorials (Tesla Tutorial) into the TESLA THEATER.
After parking and accessing WiFi, users can use streaming service; V10 car system can also choose karaoke function (currently the Chinese version is not open yet), allowing users to sing karaoke in the car, and choose whether or not Play the vocal track. While the vehicle is driving, although the lyrics are not displayed on the screen, karaoke tracks can be played while driving.
V10 version of streaming features | teslarati
In addition, several interesting little features have been added to the update. One of them is called Feeling Lucky or Hungry? It is prepared for patients with difficult diseases. Click on the feature on the map interface, the system will automatically recommend the local restaurant or nearby attractions for the owner.
Feeling Lucky or Hungry? | teslarati
The updated JOE MODE is a thoughtful new function mode: when there is a baby in the car or when a passenger falls asleep, turn on the JOE MODE, the vehicle will automatically reduce the volume of the reminder when driving, so as not to disturb the passengers to rest.
As for autopilot, this update hasn’t changed much, just a few details have been optimized. In this case, the V10 update body is just “entertainment.” But it is undeniable that with the V10 version of the software update, Tesla’s software system is beginning to move toward “openness”: the complexity and number of access to third-party games are increasing, and the entertainment interface is also beginning to support third-party streaming. media.
In the visible time, within the V10 version, Tesla may build its “app store system” to collect the “smart ideas” of global developers. At the same time, more features about Autopilot assisted autopilot will be opened, even for the construction of full self-driving (FSD) capabilities. For Tesla, the V10 may be a milestone in the software system.
Before this, few people have systematically focused on the growth of the Tesla software system. After several large system updates in seven or eight years, each update of Tesla is an attempt to create a leap-forward experience optimization, and now the V10 version is born.
After these countless small functions and experience changes, behind these ongoing updates and corrections, we saw Tesla’s moat built on software capabilities.
The geek park (ID:geekpark) hopes to review the development of the Tesla software system and divide it into three phases. Looking back at these history, I hope to have a better understanding of the operational logic and difficulties in the entire Tesla software field. I believe this is very important for the software development path of the future car.
The first stage: innovation, exploration
On June 22, 2012, Tesla began delivering Model S for the first time. This may be the world’s first “smart car” in the strict sense.
In October 2012, it ushered in its first OTA update. Although there were only a few hundred owners in the area, Tesla added driver seat memory and mode to the Model S.The “idle” creep mode of the fuel-fueled car is used, and the more stringent EPA endurance standard is used (the display of full battery life is reduced from 300 miles to 265 miles).
This kind of “smart skills” may be something that many traditional car companies can’t imagine, but in the 3G era, even if it was connected to WIFI, the two-hour update time of “parking” also suffered a lot.
Early Tesla System Interface | SMD Wireless
The first people who opened Tesla were the first to feel the impact of car intelligence. An early Tesla owner said that once the door of the Tesla Model S was opened, he felt a strong sense of technology: simple interior design, full LCD dashboard, central control 17-inch screen… but then What the car owner doesn’t know is that Tesla’s software system is the technology that gives the car owner more technology.
Tesla’s rules for naming the software version V* (Version) were not long after the release of the Model S in 2012. But given the software system that was previously installed, the first version is not called V1, but V4. We can regard V4-V6 as Tesla’s optimization and exploration in software systems. Many novel functions have been demonstrated in these generations of updates, and have become the learning benchmark for new domestic vehicle power.
For example, the “voice interaction” function that is almost necessary for the intelligent networked car can be used in the form of voice commands in the V4 version in 2012. As you can see in the introduction to the V4 version update, just press and hold the voice control button on the right side of the steering wheel to say the song you want to listen to, the destination you want to go to, and the contact person. This is a relatively early form of intelligent voice interaction. I believe that the current development of intelligent voice is obvious to all, but Tesla has not yet made breakthroughs in this field.
In addition, the cool feature of the automatic pop-up door handle is also available on the Model S. Of course, there were a lot of bugs and poor experience in early vehicles, and some features were fixed after each generation of system updates. The door handle automatic pop-up function is enhanced in the V4 version: the door handle automatically returns to its original position after one minute after the doors are fully closed.
Tesla door handle pops up automatically | Network
And most people noticed that Tesla’s software updates started with the V6 release.
On September 19, 2014, Tesla officially launched the V6.0 version of Tesla’s in-vehicle system software to users around the world. At this time, the first owners of Tesla in China have been picking up the car for 5 months. time.
Li Xiang as the first Tesla owner to take a photo with Musk | Network
Functional novelty brings a good experience, coupled with an update iteration that is not slow, making Tesla a pioneer in automotive intelligence. After all, the car has always been a tool for travel, but Musk made it “live” and became a travel companion.
“If you are placed in an environment that encourages innovation and allows you to make mistakes, you keep trying new ideas and failing. But unlike the environment we are in now, no one blames or Laugh at you.” In an interview video, Musk said. Probably the Tesla team came up with a variety of maverick ideas, which were accepted by the company and produced innovation.
The most popular V6 version of the Chinese people, in addition to adding a Chinese interface that you like to see, we can also see the trend of smart assistants.
Tesla System Chinese Interface | Car Home
The first is a real-time traffic-based navigation service (BETA version), which provides route recommendations based on real-time traffic conditions and estimates the travel time accordingly. It can also be dynamically updated throughout the trip based on road conditions;When driving to a company that does not require navigation, the vehicle will begin monitoring the road conditions before working on the sunrise gate and give appropriate commute recommendations.
Secondly, Tesla and the bound mobile phone calendar open, users can browse their daily schedule through the central control screen in the car. If you have set up a location for some events, you will not need to re-enter the details into the car’s navigation system, just click on the item in the calendar to get directions.
With voice interaction, Tesla has the prototype of a smart assistant. In terms of car networking, Tesla began to use mobile phones instead of car keys, so that the car keys have existed for decades as a physical product, and their status has become precarious.
Tesla update time from V4-V5.9 version | Geek Park finishing
The Geek Park made a simple combing of the date Tesla updated from V4 to V5.9. If you only focus on the larger version updates, you can actually find that Tesla is not slow on software iterations. According to rough calculations, the average update speed for early versions of Tesla was 34 days, and the finer maintenance version updates were updated every 60 days.
In this, Tesla has more to complete the update and optimization of the detailed function experience, the constant “small step”, and quickly fix the experience loophole, which also created the first batch of Tesla. “Geek fans.” After the V6 release, Tesla’s software system has gone through dangerous infancy.
Second phase: important transitions
The release of the V7 release is a turning point in the Tesla software system.
From the outside, the V7 update time is exactly the month before the release of Model X, so it’s basically OK, and part of the V7 release is to build a new car.
The V7 version is also a major update for the vehicle itself. It has added Autopilot, a driver-assisted driving system that has received numerous praises in the future, which has boosted Tesla’s competitiveness to a higher level.
Muske releases Autopilot in China | Visual China
In the V7.0 version officially launched in October 2015, Tesla added the first three lanes of automatic lane keeping, automatic lane change and automatic parking. As long as the fixed speed cruiser is moved twice inside, the assisted driving can be turned on. Turning on the turn signal, the car will automatically change lanes in a safe situation, without the driver driving. However, the driver’s hands must be placed on the steering wheel and always pay attention to the road conditions, because accidents may occur at any time.
In fact, the introduction of assisted driving is also the release of Tesla hardware capabilities. Since the fourth quarter of 2014, each delivered Model S has been equipped with Autopilot hardware, including front-view cameras, radar and 360-degree ultrasonic sensors, and the hardware conditions for assisted driving have been met.
Tesla Autopilot Features | electrek
This is also the usual routine for smart products. Each generation of iPhone is hardware (mobile phone) first, after the software upgrade, just download the installation package. In the car, the program becomes more complicated and the upgradeable features become more powerful.
When Tesla recently announced the self-developed car AI chip, you can see the hardware requirements of Autopilot. The hardware with the self-developed AI chip is called Autopilot hardware version 3.0. Musk says it is a full self-driving computer. In the future, the owner only needs software updates to get the vehicle to fully autopilot. The level is exactly the so-called “software-defined hardware.”
And the combination of Softpi and Softpi is also a premium part of the car sales. From the technical and commercial point of view, Tesla is enough to be far-sighted.
Tesla update time from V6-V7.1 version | Geek Park finishing
From the update time, Tesla has not been obsessed with the “small step” iteration since the V6.0 version, but put the update of the big version on the agenda. For the time being, we will refer to the 6.1, 6.2 version with a decimal number as the “minor version”. It can be seen that Tesla has released a major version from only one or two minor versions at this stage. At this point, Musk set the rules for “Tesla will carry out a system upgrade every three to four months.” This period of time is also the stage of Autopilot’s rapid growth.
Version 5.x version and Version 7.0 version UI interface changes | Network
The third stage: hidden crisis
Tesla is still the Tesla, but the new car is raging.
The V8 and V9 versions are not particularly eye-catching, but they are still worthy of scrutiny. If you use two keywords, then both versions can be summarized in terms of “enhanced assisted driving” and “safety.”
Under the steady pace of updating, after the amazing release of Autopilot, how to ensure the optimization of the driver-assisted experience becomes the next focus.
Tesla update time from V8-V10 version | Geek Park finishing
It is worth mentioning that before the V9 version, Tesla maintained the rhythm of a major version update every year, but the interval between V9 and V8 was a full year, and the software iteration speed slowed down to the naked eye.
The reason may be related to the dilemma that Tesla encountered during this time. Model 3 has been suffering from 2017 to 2018There is tremendous pressure on production capacity, and software has no time to take care of it; in the Autopilot team, there are always employees leaving, and the number of people is getting smaller and the R&D work is more difficult.
According to foreign media reports, during the 18 months from 2016 to 2018, the Autopilot team left at least 11 members, accounting for nearly 10% of the entire team, including 3 executives, some of the lower-level Autopilot Managers and engineers have also left.
On the other hand, because V8 and V9 are greatly optimized on Autopilot, R&D itself is a huge workload, so under the pressure, the slowdown of update is understandable.
It is reported that in the V8.0 version, there are 200 improvements to Autopilot, in addition to the higher requirements for experience fluency and response speed, the security is also enhanced.
On the other hand, it may be affected by the frequent accidents of Autopilot. In the subsequent version update, Tesla is particularly “heart-to-heart” for the safety of the vehicle itself.
In the V8 version of the update, Tesla also introduced Cabin Overheat Protect, which focuses on the safety of children and pets. The system automatically turns on the ventilation of the cabin when the vehicle exceeds 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius) to activate the air conditioning system. Tesla called the system “the industry’s first.”
After that, Tesla also updated the system and refined it into the “Pet Mode”. When the owner leaves temporarily, the car will automatically adjust the temperature to cats and dogs and other pets to maintain a comfortable temperature. At the same time, the owner can also control the environment suitable for pets in the car, and let passers-by know that they are in a safe state.
The sentinel mode released with the pet mode actually uses all the cameras around the body to monitor the presence or absence of theft or malicious damage to the vehicle.
Sentinel mode | teslarati
It’s like a big wave of mobile phone companies on the other side of the ocean after the iPhone’s release, and the car industry is also in a downturn.
Whether it is the power of new vehicles, or the transformation of domestic automakers into intelligent vehicles, the “new four-in-one” of automobilesUnder the slogan, the collective vocalization period of domestic intelligent networked cars is also the period when Tesla V8, V9, and even the upcoming V10 version is released.
In contrast, Tesla did not show impressive features in these major updates. The time left for Tesla may be shortening.
According to the V10 version of the update, it seems that the latest trend is to turn the car into a truly so-called “mobile smart space.” However, karaoke and online video are not the freshest features. Xiaopeng Automobile, BYD and other brands have already been equipped with online singing function; iQiyi is also “brushing face” in the central control large screen of major brands. The recently updated 3.0 version of Zebra Networks even allows users to quickly get in the car.
It can only be said that at the level of in-vehicle entertainment information system, it is almost impossible to achieve a short-term situation. In many cases, Tesla may only hope to quickly detach from the closed system and gradually create a more An open environment that introduces more third-party power.
China and the United States update the push system simultaneously | Image from Weibo@常岩CY
Auxiliary driving level, Autopilot is still one of the best user experience systems. There is no need to worry too much about it, the technical features, the pits that Tesla has stepped on, and other brands are not easy to bypass. Looking ahead, the dream of fully automated driving will take time. Prior to this, Tesla’s assisted driving system maintained a large lead.
The V10 version of the software now further enhances Autopilot’s display dynamics in vehicle instrumentation. The entire area can be rotated and enlarged to adjust the viewing angle, which better assists the user in observing the blind spot around the car.
Autopilot’s motion display on vehicle instrumentation | Image from Weibo@常岩CY
At least in some respects, Tesla is still a radical, in the product setIn terms of righteousness, it also holds absolute right to speak. Just from the change of the UI interface, it is enough to peek into the company’s understanding of products and users.
Tesla’s large-screen UI evolution history, from left to right, V6, V7, V8, V9 | electrek
And Musk brought his own ideas into the Tesla software system, using various functions and eggs to refresh user perception. Even the ones that have been buried are hiding our expectations for Tesla’s innovation.
The old account of history is always good, but every time the old account is the innovator’s future-oriented efforts, the success or failure is secondary, and the exploration of innovation must pay tribute.