As 2019 draws to a close, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the year that was and highlight what we thought were the top free over-the-air (OTA) software updates from Tesla.
1. Sentry Mode
What was the world like before Sentry Mode was added in the first software update of 2019, 2019.5.1. Sentry Mode brought the ever-seeing eye to Tesla vehicles by using the built-in cameras around the vehicle to continuously monitor the surroundings, and warn and record anyone who attempts to get too close to our Tesla’s.
Before Sentry Mode, we apparently didn’t know how many times cars get keyed, urinated on, and just plain old get vandalized.
2. Power boost x 2
Who else makes your car faster, after you bought it, for free, not once, but twice? Tesla did this first in 2019.8.3, giving the Model 3 a 5% peak power increase. Then they did it again, giving the Model 3 another 5% power boost in 2019.36.2.1.
There were numerous people who tested the supposed power boosts, and they were for real, increasing acceleration and 0-60mph times.
3. Stopping Mode
2019.36.2.1 was a big update, as our next free upgrade, True one-pedal driving, aka Stopping Mode finally came to Tesla vehicles in the same release as one of the power boosts.
With the update, the regenerative braking now worked all the way down to 0km/h, where before the update the regenerative braking would only work until about 8-10km/h. Once at a complete stop, the ‘Hold’ feature would automatically engage, making it a rare occasion when you would actually need to use your brake pedal.
This simple update increased the range and efficiency of your vehicle, and should also extend the life of your brake pads well past the 200,000km originally estimated by Tesla.
4. NOA No Confirmation Lane change
In 2019.8.5, Tesla moved us one step closer to autonomous driving with the introduction of no confirmation lane changes under Navigation on Autopilot (NOA). Until this release, Tesla had gathered and analyzed the data on millions of lane changes, and aborted lane changes, which required confirmation from the driver before the vehicle would begin a lane change autonomously.
Tesla used that data to train the neural net to know when it is appropriate to change lanes, making it no longer necessary for the driver to confirm the lane change.
5. V10 Software Update
What would this list be without including the highly anticipated V10 release in 2019.32.10.
This release was jam-packed with new features that made it feel like you were getting into a brand new car after the update. This update included:
Top 5 free OTA updates from other auto manufacturers
Not to have other auto manufacturers feeling left out, we thought it would also be interesting to compare Tesla’s top 5 free OTA software updates with those from others in the industry. Without further ado, here’s our top 5 from ‘the rest’.
1. Nothing
2. Zero
3. Zilch
4. Nada
5. See #1 above
Do you have any other features that would put on your list of top 5 free software updates? Let us know in the comments below.
