Tesla to release version 10 of its software as soon as next month with tons of new features

According to CEO Elon Musk, Tesla will is close to releasing version 10 of its software and it will include a lot of new features.

Tesla released its version 9 software update back in September 2018.

It was Tesla’s first full software revision in years, but now it sounds like the automaker is going to release its next full number revision, version 10, a lot quicker.

Musk has been talking about it since before releasing version 9 last year and he said that a streaming feature and car karaoke are going to be part of the update, but he never said when Tesla planned to release it.

Considering Tesla previously took a few years before releasing new full revisions, it wasn’t expected to be any time soon.

However, the CEO said yesterday that the new video streaming capability could come as soon as next month and he later confirmed that it will be part of Tesla’s version 10 software, along with a lot of new features.

He said on Twitter:

“V10 will include several games & infotainment features, improved highway Autopilot, better traffic light & stop sign recognition & Smart Summon.”

Last year, Tesla started introducing a new paid ‘premium connectivity’ package to support in-car internet features of its growing fleet.

Musk confirmed that “some” of the new “games and infotainment features” to be released in V10 are going to require the “premium connectivity” package.

The CEO also confirmed that V10 is going to include the ability to read and send text messages through voice control:

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2019

He also talked about something called a ‘Joe Mode’ to reduce the volume of some chimes in the car:

Hoping to get “Joe Mode” into V10. The default, of course, is normal volume, but selecting “Joe Mode” would lower the volume of strident beeps & chimes by half.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2019

The CEO is also now linking the release of previously announced Autopilot and FSD features to the release V10 software, like Enhanced Summon.

Musk says that Tesla is aiming for a wide release in August. Tesla already started testing some of those features in its early access fleet.

Electrek’s Take

Well, that’s good news. It sounds like an interesting lineup of new features coming sooner than anticipated.

However, I wouldn’t hold my breath for August since Tesla has been consistently late on major software update releases. September or even October, around the time that Tesla released v9 last year, is much more likely.

We were already promised and have been expecting the Autopilot features, but some of the new infotainment features are coming as fun surprises.

Normally, Tesla’s full software revisions come with UI revamps, but there’s no mention of that this time. It sounds like Tesla considers that they are bundling enough new features in this update that it’s worth a number bump.

As usual, it shows one of Tesla’s biggest advantages over most other automakers: the ability to significantly improve the ownership experience even a long time after delivery through software updates.

Though there are limits to it. Some of those new features are only going to be released to cars with a more recent media unit (MCU) – though Elon said that owners can upgrade their MCU.

That’s something that people have had difficulties having done as a retrofit at service centers unless their original MCU was broken.