Tesla rolled out the Auto Shift (Beta) with the Spring software update (2024.13), and people have already praised it. However, one guy is happier than the rest because Tesla introduced the new feature. A few months before this happened, he was granted a patent for the same feature and is now looking to collect his money.

Tesla is introducing new features to its vehicles with every software update. To make this possible, Tesla introduced over-the-air updates, a mundane feature for computers and smartphones but completely new to carmakers. Offering over-the-air updates is not as trivial as it might seem, and it’s precisely the high level of vertical integration that allowed Tesla to offer it. Traditional carmakers source their electronic components from various suppliers, which makes updating their software virtually impossible in one step.

Recently, Tesla used this wonderful function to roll out many exciting features with the Spring software update. Among them was Auto Shift (Beta) for Model S and Model X vehicles. This can shift between Drive and Reverse, in addition to automatically shifting out of Park as before. The computer determines your direction based on the vehicle’s surroundings, but the driver can also confirm the direction using the steering wheel/yoke.

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