Tesla might make you pay for heated seats and wipers

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Tesla might make customers pay for features like heated seats and heated wipers, according to a hacker that dissects the company’s software looking for hints at what could be coming next.

Greentheonly is a well-known hacker who has uncovered a lot of upcoming features that eventually make their way to Tesla’s cars. His latest discovery shows a few new developments, including the potential that front heated seats and heated wipers could be placed behind a paywall, charging a premium for what are usually regular features on luxury cars.

Green posted the discovery on X yesterday:

In the past, Tesla offered owners of the Model 3 Standard Range and Standard Range+ the ability to turn on rear-heated seats for a fee of $300, which could be purchased through the company’s app.

Tesla did this with the introductory levels of the Model 3, perhaps to let those who wanted a super affordable car pick and choose certain features that might have been equipped in the car but not necessarily active. Still, some saw it as a money grab for Tesla, as a car that was priced in the mid-$30,000 range should be automatically equipped with heated seats as an included feature.

Now, it appears Tesla could do this for the 2024 base models in its lineup, which would likely only include those of the Model 3 and Model Y.

It is important to note that some of these features that have been listed in software coding have not always made it to the vehicles. However, something like heated seats and heated wipers being explicitly mentioned in this is very interesting, and it would not be out of the question for Tesla to make owners buy some features when they decide to purchase the base model of an EV.

This is especially true because it already charged owners money to activate rear-heated seats in the past.

However, some people have found their way around the heated seat charge in the past. Earlier this year, researchers from the Technische Universität Berlin jailbroke a Model 3 to do precisely that.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla might make you pay for heated seats and wipers

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Tesla receives thanks for EV development from Chinese President Xi

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Tesla’s development in China received support from Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to San Francisco, where he met with company CEO Elon Musk and “other important representatives.”

President Xi was in San Francisco earlier this week and met with a variety of tech figures, along with President Joe Biden.

According to a post from Tesla China on its social media in the country, Musk was invited to attend a banquet that welcomed President Xi to the Bay Area. As the two met, Xi expressed support for the automaker’s development in China.

Tesla has been one of the top EV makers in China, along with BYD, SAIC-GM-Wuling, Geely, and others.

In 2019, Tesla started building cars at its plant in Shanghai, and it has been the biggest contributor to the automaker’s annual sales. As Gigafactory Texas ramps up, we expect it will overtake Shanghai eventually.

However, Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai has been a huge advantage for the automaker as it has been able to establish a strong market share in the EV race in Asia and Europe thanks to its robust production numbers.

Gigafactory Shanghai has helped Tesla gain a major role in EV adoption in Asia and Europe, and with production facilities in the U.S. helping with the North American market, the automaker has a well-rounded footprint of factories.

The social media post from Tesla China reads:

“On the evening of November 15, Tesla CEO Musk was invited to attend a banquet to welcome President Xi Jinping held in San Francisco. President Xi met with Musk and other important representatives at a small reception before the meeting and expressed support for Tesla’s development in China. Musk expressed his gratitude and appreciated the rapid development of China’s new energy vehicle industry. This year marks Tesla’s tenth year of entering the Chinese market. The Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory, which was completed and put into production in 2019, has become Tesla’s important global production base and export center.

We are honored to participate in the rapid development of China’s new energy vehicle industry, and sincerely thank all our friends for their concern, encouragement and support. We will continue to work hard in China and look forward to developing together with the industry in new energy vehicles, energy storage, artificial intelligence and other fields.”

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla receives thanks for EV development from Chinese President Xi

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Tesla’s Megapacks used for California solar project

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Tesla’s Megapacks are being used to store power for a major solar project in Southern California, offering 250 MW/1GWh of energy storage or enough to power 207,000 homes annually.

In a press release on Tuesday, Intersect Power announced the Oberon Solar and Storage project, located in Riverside County, California. Along with the many Megapacks, which are built at Tesla’s Lathrop, California site, the site has a 679 MWp/500 MWac solar array for generating power.

“The Oberon project is much more than a new source of clean power for California. It is also a case study in how the clean energy industry can maximize project benefits by prioritizing domestic supply chains and union labor to ensure the rewards of the clean energy transition are felt by all Americans,” Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber said.

“This project demonstrates that Intersect continues to pioneer procurement standards for our industry that live up to the vision of the IRA and deliver transformative clean energy projects that move the needle on the deep decarbonization of our economy,” Kimber added.

The project is also aligned with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) through the use of U.S.-built hardware, including solar modules built by First Solar, NX Horizon smart solar trackers and American-made steel. The release also states that it created over 930 skilled union jobs during peak construction of the site, with workers from California LiUNA Local 1184, IBEW Local 440 and others from the local area.

It also highlights efforts from the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which featured collaborative efforts between the federal government, conservation groups, Native American tribes, renewable energy companies, utilities commissions and the public.

Through the program, the Bureau designated more than 10 million acres for conservation and recreation lands, while focusing on how to develop renewable practices for the area.

“The completion of the Oberon Solar Project underscores the Bureau of Land Management’s commitment to responsible energy development in pursuit of a carbon free power sector,” said BLM California State Director, Karen Mouritsen. “This project is another example of the Bureau’s steadfast commitment to the furtherance of renewable energy and prioritizing a healthier planet.”

Tesla’s Megapacks have been used for a number of energy storage projects, recently including a smaller-scale use case with a single unit at the water treatment plant in San Luis Obispo, California. The company has also deployed the technology in many areas of Australia, and in several other locations around the world.

Tesla Megapack fire in Australia did not start from battery modules: analysis

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla’s Megapacks used for California solar project

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