The updates are a small net positive. They could be a large net positive. They are also mostly voluntary. TMC does have some threads where owners have reported forced, remotely pushed, updates from old firmware that owners wanted to remain on (especially because of the battery cap issue or v9 feature decrease).
We have not experienced that, but we attempted to prevent that when we wanted to remain on an old firmware. Service visits force you to get software updates, even when the service is on parts that should not be firmware version dependant (e.g. solid metal suspension components). We have experienced the slow maps/navigation issues, slow browser, and loss of split screen feature going from 8.x to 10.x. We completely skipped 9.x because it was missing more features compared to 8.x than 10.x, and the TMC community was still gathering evidence on which vehicles were getting battery capacity caps. We skipped the update that had the heated steering wheel issue. Then the reports of battery capping started rolling in, and then v9 happened. We ended up skipping many updates in a row. (Note: v9 brought a Model 3-like UI to S/X.) Slow browser may be a side effect of maps in background, as resources are burned updating the mostly overlayed background maps. It definitely detracts from the UI experience. A 6 year old Android phone (Samsung S6) gives a faster/better maps and browser experience. OTOH, the cpu/graphics hardware (NVidia Tegra 3) in MCU1 dates to 2011, so at 10 years it is definitely aging. That should mean firmware updates need to be cognizant of performance limitations, and disable eye candy when there isn't performance to spare. Live maps-in-background as wallpaper is eye candy. It also wastes some pixels that could go to the foreground app. We have experienced autopilot improvements between 8.x and 10.x. It is better than before and can handle more situations. It still needs to be watched closely anytime things get tight, sharp, or crowded. Unusual exits, where the main road curves away, and the exit goes straight ahead, can also be iffy. It's pretty reasonable in wide open spaces on limited access highways and freeways, though we know of a few trouble spots with exits. Increased attention should be given when on unfamiliar roads so as to be able to safely learn where the trouble spots are at, and to take over control if needed. That means resting a hand on the wheel at all times. Extra care is always due at any intersections, whether on AP or not. Defensive driving following biker rules (assume you are invisible) is also good idea. The methodology used to roll updates out is flawed. At a minimum, owners should be able to roll back to the immediately prior version. As I understand it, the flash memory is partitioned into 2 main areas used to store the firmware. The bootloader is configured to boot from the most recent version of the 2 partitions. During an update, the older version is overwritten and then the system reboots from the newly installed version. Giving owners the ability to rollback from N to N-1 should be an option. Before installing updates, I advise owners to read the forums for postings mentioning the experience of others with the latest firmware updates, especially if they are satisfied with how their current firmware works, and extra especially if the firmware is for a major version change. (Roughly, the idea is if it's not broken, don't try to fix it. The biggest hole in this approach is how to balance that with security updates to what amounts to an Internet-connected device.) That last paragraph also applies to any computer technology that isn't designed with user rollbacks in mind. Many mobile phones and tablets, particularly those with locked bootloaders, have similar firmware limitations. IMO Tesla firmware 9.x is a bit like Windows 8/8.1 that was between better releases Window 7 and Windows 10. Unlike Windows on x86/x64 computers, rolling back firmware isn't available to owners. Upgrading MCU1 to MCU2 is possible, for $2000-$2500 (including the FM module) and loss of AM reception. Loss of AM affects S/X cars built before April 2018; later cars never had AM. AM can work alright in EVs. Tesla had it, and Nissan did too (at least in Leaf G1). On naysayers and fan club members: naysayers will use anything as a reason to complain. Fan club members will rebuff any complaints as being non-issues/impossible/fake. But there is a middle ground area too...contructive critics who consider Tesla EVs to currently offer the best compromise/best trade-offs amongst the various options out there. They're stakeholders by virtue of owning product and possibly also owning TSLA stock. Product owners who are also (long term) shareholders have a doubly vested interest in the ownership experience and success of the company. Tesla would be well advised to give their concerns and feedback serious consideration. They may be early adopters who are more tolerant of product issues...if those issues are responded to in a reasonable manner with actual fixes, not dodges, or copouts. Stuff that early adopters tolerate, may not be acceptable to the broader market, and will leave cracks that competitors can exploit. We have over 100k miles EV experience across 4 different EVs. The majority of that in Tesla EVs, in the past few years. This is in large part because it is a lot easier to rack up the miles when you have access to a reliable, fast, national charging network. On Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 14:21 Willie <wmckem...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > On 7/11/21 1:37 PM, Haudy Kazemi wrote: > > "Installation of the updates cause zero pain or > > inconvenience to the owners." > > > > That is overstating things. Good has come from updates, but there are > > warts too. There is no undo/roll back option available to customers in > > case of botched updates, or updates that reduced features. > > > > Specific examples, from the forums and/or experience: > > Likely all good valid points. How many have you personally encountered? > With about 200k Tesla miles with software updates approximately every > 3k miles, maybe 60-70 total software updates, I have encountered none. > Have you noticed that Tesla naysayers seek every little inconsequential > nit to pick? Thereby missing the big picture. Or, are you suggesting > that Tesla software updates are a net negative? If so, installing > software updates is entirely voluntary. > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20210712/be398cc9/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ LIST INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org
