Tesla’s software update 2022.40.1 includes a yet-unannounced feature set to come in a future update called Radio Traffic Announcements, according to Not a Tesla App, which spotted an image in the software’s code.
The feature was reportedly expected to be added to update 2022.40, though it wasn’t and may require further development before being released.
Automakers such as BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen are a few of the companies that use an RTA function, which offers local traffic reports no matter what the driver is listening to through their entertainment system.
However, Not a Tesla App suggests that the RTA feature could mean more for Tesla than it does to other automakers, especially after the company recently announced plans to implement the Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol (H.E.L.P.) safety feature in its vehicles. The H.E.L.P. system automatically changes how bright and quickly hazard lights flash, while also alerting other drivers in the area of a disabled vehicle.
Tesla Model Y Earns Highest 5-Star Safety Rating from Euro NCAP, ANCAP https://t.co/WLXKFACS3u
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) September 7, 2022
The H.E.L.P. system uses in-car or phone navigation, but Tesla could use the feature in tandem with the upcoming RTA update.
What’s more is that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has discussed Tesla-to-Tesla communication in the past, which could be debuted using the RTA system.
“There will be some merits for Teslas to communicate [with] each other,” said Musk at this year’s annual shareholder’s meeting.
“That won’t be needed for Full Self-Driving at all, but for a long time the vast majority of cars will be manually driven, so the value of Tesla-to-Tesla communication is not that high, except for, perhaps, communicating traffic issues, accidents, potholes, and road closures. A Tesla ahead of you has seen a road closure, and you get that real-time update to your car, so you don’t get stuck in the road closure situation. That’s the stuff that we are working on right now.”
When will Tesla debut Radio Traffic Announcements? The feature may possibly show up in 2022.44 or 2022.48, says Not a Tesla App.
