Tesla releases first software update for Cybertruck

08 February 2024

When Tesla finally unveiled the long-awaited and much-delayed futuristic Cybertruck, the world thought this was it. The future has landed, the Cybertruck was finished and ready to turn our reality upside down. Well, not so fast. In Tesla’s usual manner, the Cybertruck left the factory half-cooked, forgetting about all the promises made and pushing the expectations back down the road. Welcome to Beta Lifestyle.

In all fairness though, Cybertruck - whether you like it or not - is one heck of an electric vehicle. There is no other one like it, simply because no other company would ever risk even trying to dream about making such a vehicle, let alone putting its future on the line and pushing the product out to customers. And that’s why it seems Tesla has such a strong customer base with an ever stronger follower and fan bases that border on cult. But, enough of the diversion, back to the Cybertruck.

When the Cybertruck finally left the factory and the first deliveries, albeit slow, started coming through, it became apparent not all was well. While the truck itself was finished, the much-talked-about panel gap issues were fixed, and the new owners quickly realized that the driving experience was nothing like they got to know from other Teslas. And it had nothing to do with the Cybertruck’s dimensions.

The software that the truck came with was bare, to say the least. It had all the basic things you’d expect from a car these days, but none of the ones you’d hoped to get when you forked out north of $100,000. Apart from updated graphics in the interface, the Cybertruck is still missing dedicated software and most importantly - Autopilot lacks some functions and FSD is not available at all.

Thankfully Tesla is well aware and it is working on addressing those issues. The company has just pushed the first major software update to all Cybetruck units already sold. The two main components of getting an update are the charging and driving dynamics.

Plugging the Cybertruck into a Supercharger will result in the vehicle adjusting the charging output of the charger according to the battery state. Battery preconditioning kicks in automatically when the navigation is used to find one which should make the charging process a bit more efficient and protect the battery at the same time.

The driving dynamics received an overhaul as well. Tesla promises a more consistent response on varying surfaces and the ride should be now more comfortable on rough and winding roads, especially in the Sport Mode. Which suggests the initial owner’s experience must have been less than impressive.

Apart from those two areas, the company threw in a bunch of smaller updates but those appear to have been a part of an earlier Tesla Holiday Update, which the Cybertruck is only getting now.

There’s no doubt the Cybertruck was and is the most difficult vehicle to have been designed and manufactured. It was delayed so many times that Tesla eventually decided to push it out, despite not having finished the software. But does software development ever end? No, it never stops. No amount of testing can replace customer feedback and for the company to be able to address any issues with an OTA update is pivotal.

Tesla has proven that software is the king - Model S has been around for 12 years now, and it is still classed as a benchmark. Don’t take our word for it - Ferrari has been spotted recently putting Model S Plaid against its next supercar in closed-door sessions. Yes, the Model S has had a few mechanical upgrades over the years, but it is the software that makes it the car it is. And Cybertruck, with its timeless sci-fi body, will only get better with time. Has Tesla cracked the code for the one-car-for-life ownership?

Via