Recently, Tesla has conducted an annual holiday software update with the software version number 2021.44.25 for use in its Model 3 standard series vehicles.
The update includes the addition of driving-related features such as blind spot cameras and special ancillary features such as newly released video games on Tesla's arcade platform, access to TikTok video software and "light shows."
Among them, the most practical is probably the blind spot camera function. Supported by this feature, when the driver of the vehicle issues a turn signal, a real-time camera view of the blind spot is automatically displayed on the car's touch screen.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the feature was developed in July 2020 with the intention of making vehicles safer when driving on highways and other vehicular lanes.
In this update, there are other useful features, such as the ability for users to add multiple places to the same navigation route, and a simplified interface for navigation apps, where users can select a needle button on the map to collapse the detailed map.
In addition, Tesla has also introduced an "automatic seat heating device", which can change the temperature of the front seats based on the current temperature of the cabin. The user simply calls up the HVAC panel and clicks on the temperature setting to access the seat heating control.
As automakers gradually remove haptic buttons and knobs from vehicles, touch screens in vehicles are quickly becoming the norm.
Tesla has also simplified its car's touchscreen, focusing on navigation, media and the most common key functions, and can switch to dark mode
display screen. Moreover, the menu bar on the car's touchscreen can be customized, and users can drain frequently used applications by themselves.
It should be noted that the emergence of touch screens brings certain dangers to the safe driving of vehicles.
In this update, Tesla also introduced a number of features that are not very important but interesting.
The first is the ability for cars to "dance" to a choreographed light show, which was shown on the Model X in 2015 and is now on all Tesla vehicles.
Secondly, after the version upgrade, users can cut to the Tesla theater mode to swipe the videos posted on the TikTok on the car touch screen, and also be able to play the updated video games of tesla arcade platform, such as Sudoku and Sonic the Hedgehog launched not long ago.
However, much controversially, users are also allowed to play these games on the car's central touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion, raising serious concerns about the safety factor. Previously, video games could only be played while the vehicle was parked.
Figure | Tesla's Model 3 vehicle (Source: Tesla)
When Tesla's Model 3 vehicle is on the road, passengers can launch games such as Solitaire and The Battle of Polytopia on the car's touchscreen.
Before launching the game, the in-car system issues a notification asking the player to confirm that they are not the driver, but apparently this does not serve as an actual regulator.
Players can easily "disguise" their driver identity by simply selecting the "I am a passenger" option to start playing in the car, including complex action games like Sky Force that take away a lot of energy.
One Model 3 owner said he had filed a complaint with the U.S. Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) about this feature tesla offered. This is not an isolated case, as of now, Tesla has received 59 complaints from car owners about the Model 3.
NHTSA is currently discussing with Tesla the issue of supporting video games in moving vehicles and is investigating the more than 500,000 cars tesla has sold since 2017.
An NHTSA spokesperson said, "Crashes affected by distractions are worrisome, especially in vehicles equipped with a range of convenient technologies such as entertainment screens, where we are aware of driver concerns and are discussing the feature with manufacturers." ”
In fact, before the update, some interactive applications in Tesla vehicles were already running, including the drawing pad and karaoke mode in music, but there were also notifications warning drivers not to participate.
Tesla has repeatedly bypassed safety rules and ignored regulators' recommendations for improvement.
In response, the company offers a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system called "Fully Automated Driving" (FSD), which plays a role that does not make the vehicle fully autonomous, and requires the driver to maintain a certain degree of vigilance while the vehicle is moving.
Moreover, Tesla has installed internal cameras to supervise drivers participating in the fully autonomous driving test program. The program allows drivers to use features of automatic steering, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control on local non-highway streets.
However, most Tesla vehicles do not use cameras to track the driver's eye movements, so there is no guarantee that they are focused on the road.
Not long ago, NHTSA announced that it has found a number of Tesla Models Y, X, S models of vehicles crashed into roadside parking accidents, and intends to prepare to investigate the fully automatic driving system of Tesla vehicles.
It is understood that NHTSA is seeking more details from Tesla, including the expanding beta version of fully autonomous driving, the recently launched "safety scoring" system, and the "confidentiality agreement" that Tesla recently let users sign.
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reference:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/21/22847952/tesla-christmas-update-2021-sonic-the-hedgehog-sudoku-blind-spot-cameras