What We’re Reading

• Tesla reports two new fatal crashes involving driver assistance systems (Reuters, November 16, 2022)

  NHTSA continues to release data it has gathered in response to Standing General Order on Crash Reporting (2021-01). The most recent release, including data through October 15, shows “two new crash fatalities in Model 3 cars tied to advanced driver assistance systems.”

• Tesla recalls over 321,000 vehicles due to taillight software issue (The Verge, November 20, 2022)

  In documents filed with NHTSA, Tesla has identified a software glitch that may cause the taillights on some Model 3 (2023) and Model Y (2020 to 2023) vehicles to “intermittently illuminate.” NHTSA says the issue may increase the risk of collision, but Tesla denies any reported problems due to the glitch. Tesla will address the recall through an over-the-air update.

• Tesla teases Apple Music integration coming soon (Electrek, November 21, 2022)

  While other OEMs support “phone mirroring” like Carplay or Android Auto, Tesla continues to insist “on integrating music services and other apps directly into its own user interface.” Currently, Tesla drivers can access Spotify and Tidal streaming services, but Apple Music has notably been absent from the offerings. An ongoing museum exhibit in Los Angeles suggests this may not be the case for long, though, as museum-goers have noticed an Apple Music app on the interface of some of the prototype Teslas on display. “Tesla generally plans a big ‘holiday update’ in late November or December that includes a lot of new features. It’s possible that Tesla is waiting for that update to pass the Apple Music app onto customers.”