Customisable UI integration and control of accessories.

[Deleted member 3316]

Cybertruck is going to be bought for such a huge range of use cases, I’m wondering how/if Tesla is going to manage and support seamless integration of aftermarket accessories.

As an example in an off-road / overland use case. Multiple accessories are going to be added.

VHF/UHF CB radio
Winch
Solar
Fridge
Driving lights
Work lights
Scouting drone…

I’m sure CTOC members will be able to outline their own use case and accessories. The important questions are how will these accessories might be powered and controlled;

1. What power take off points will be available.
2. What connector mechanism/software will be required to control them.
3. How will each of them be displayed on the UI.

Teslas vertical integration and superior software integration provides yet another technology fortress for legacy manufacturers to compete with.

Maybe it’s as simple as Bluetooth buttons we’ve seen recently for Model3/Y.

​

I hoping to avoid the hassle of fishing cable and hacking a solution.

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[Fugue]

Maybe it’s as simple as Bluetooth buttons we’ve seen recently for Model3/Y.​

​

I hoping to avoid the hassle of fishing cable and hacking a solution.​

I want a modular/removable dash. The aftermarket and DIY options would be crazy.

I'd put a small fridge and wireless chargers in mine.

 

[Deleted member 3316]

I want a modular/removable dash. The aftermarket and DIY options would be crazy.

I'd put a small fridge and wireless chargers in mine.

Okay…. And how would that integrate into the Tesla system.

What do you think the uptake rate would be on something like that? I do love the idea of an integrated fridge, didn’t Elon say something about a watermaker?

 

[Crissa]

Okay…. And how would that integrate into the Tesla system.

Like many things, merely making it a panel that is easy to repair/replace post manufacture also makes it easy to modify for the third party market.

-Crissa

 

[Deleted member 3316]

Like many things, merely making it a panel that is easy to repair/replace post manufacture also makes it easy to modify for the third party market.

-Crissa

Are you talking about a panel within the dash?
Maybe something behind or even part of the screen?
I’ve often thought the screen on Model 3/Y should have customisable buttons underneath at the back of the screen.

 

[charliemagpie]

Elon has only confirmed the Italian Expresso Machine to go with the Italiana Marble finish, and the statue of David wearing a Hula Hoop.







Unless I dreamt it.

 

[JBee]

Cybertruck is going to be bought for such a huge range of use cases, I’m wondering how/if Tesla is going to manage and support seamless integration of aftermarket accessories.

As an example in an off-road / overland use case. Multiple accessories are going to be added.

VHF/UHF CB radio
Winch
Solar
Fridge
Driving lights
Work lights
Scouting drone…

I’m sure CTOC members will be able to outline their own use case and accessories. The important questions are how will these accessories might be powered and controlled;

1. What power take off points will be available.
2. What connector mechanism/software will be required to control them.
3. How will each of them be displayed on the UI.

Teslas vertical integration and superior software integration provides yet another technology fortress for legacy manufacturers to compete with.

Maybe it’s as simple as Bluetooth buttons we’ve seen recently for Model3/Y.

​

I hoping to avoid the hassle of fishing cable and hacking a solution.

Vehicle Interface and UI:

I think I remember EM mentioning there will be a electrical accessory connector to incorporate third party additions at some point. My Crafter has this (IS1) to integrate camper, fridge, suspension and other body builder addons. This normally runs on a sperate CAN bus (similar to vehicle LAN) which is separate from the other CAN buses controlling the vehicle systems, but allows the accessory to connect through a manufacture equivalent of a firewall to the vehicle systems for monitoring and control, by sniff.

In the case of the Cybertruck, I'm hoping it goes as far as allowing certified apps to run on the system, in a segregated docker container instance for security and stability (it's already running a linux kernel, so not hard to do). That would allow many options for integration into the UI and vehicle hardware, with limits being placed on what critical hardware can be controlled from another app, like steering, braking and acceleration.

It would be cool to be able to fiddle with the traction control settings, and optimise your own algorithms for off road terrain, within governed performance limits of the Tesla control system. Like download a terrain optimization app for a national park you are about to enter and explore, along with offline maps, route optimizations, prevailing conditions (from previous CT's traversing the area) and vehicle settings for different parts of the route, that all can be learned by the AI from more than one vehicle and trip.

For remote control of the various addons, another option would be to implement a Home Assistant style software stack, where Tesla offers an array of slider, dials and switches, that can be assigned to automate or control different tasks and accessories on the CT. This would give a more seamless user experience for any add-ons, upon which the UI could then be skinned to suite user preference for looks, priotiriy and access. It could also then become seamlessly available as options on the Tesla app on any mobile or connected device, directly with a local vehicle LAN/wifi hotspot or via internet. Individual physical buttons can be added like the BT SEXY buttons.

Vehicle Comms:

This all feeds into the question as to what are the possibilities of "digital interconnectivity". In the case of CB/UHF, if anything I see the Starlink option with a dedicated integrated McFlatface, or at a bare minimum the Starlink v2 with text date messages directly to any mobile, you could quite easily have a unlimited range comms capability. With full mobile Starlink you can also share and livestream vehicle cameras to any other vehicle, plus with consumer grade drone share real time overhead footage as well. This in itself is a very powerful tool for situational awareness, and being able to update other vehicles in realtime as the situation changes.

If you wanted to go down the infrastructure-less communications path, to emulate CB, I'd adopt SDR radios and utilize mesh networking to get full coverage with just P2P. Starlink would then only be a way to get out into the public internet, and wouldn't be required on each vehicle either. SDR can also provide picocell towers for mobiles to connect to etc. This gear already exists and much of it is affordable and open source. In fact many modern day phones have the ability to operate directly between devices, but has been disabled by carriers so they can bill you instead. Nokia started as a forestry services CB company. So there is a lot of opportunity in the is space IMHO.

ePTO: How to get the power in and out of those 4680 battery packs...

There are various options on this subject, but one of my favorite solutions here is just to provide a 3phase plug, together with a CAN connector for accessory control and monitoring, that is connected to the onboard 3 phase inverter. The CAN links control into the CT power systems and UI as described above.

The same "bi-directional 3 phase VSD inverter" (Speed, charging and discharging) can be configured in the following ways:

1) 110/230V output mode with three separate phases of power, distributed around the various power points on the CT (Frunk, Sails storage, Bed and Cabin) to supply power to appliances that are plugged in. (Say 12kW total, or 4kW each phase 240V 17A or 110V 36A)
2) The inverter can be used in power input mode, to either supply single or three phase power through the inverter to the DC battery to charge it. (From 3phase 400V, 230V or 110V) Technically, you could also use the inverter input to supply a DC voltage say from solar, but a separate MPPT would be preferred to allow simultaneous 240V charging and output, and solar charging.
3) The same inverter can be connected to a dedicated ePTO connector, which disables the other 240V outputs when in use, but allows a motor to be connected to the inverter, and the speed to be controlled via the inverter variable speed drive control (VSD). You could also connect a turbine to the motor and operate in reverse to supply power to the battery instead for charging, so you could also use wind or hydro to charge your truck.

It goes without saying that even just the 240V supply allows for most equipment to be connected to the CT for construction work, but the VSD ePTO output would allow you to drive and control heavier gear by simply adding the right kind of motor to the ePTO connector. That's a significant cost reduction, and come with various benefits, like that there is no need for driveshafts or gearboxes for the correct orientation on the implement, and all control can be via Teslas systems. So adding a trolling motor for amphibious mode, winch, or a wood chipper, snow blower or mower etc is easy. The best thing is that the added ePTO feature will use less than $100 or so of extra components compared to the already included inverter for 100V/240v. A ePTO connector could be provided for front and rear points, and technically you could run more than one sequentially by switching between them with a 3 way switch, offering a solution to do work up the front and in the rear or bed. (Firefighting unit with pump)

The trick then just becomes to ensure that accessory makers comply with the ePTO connector and performance ratings, and everything else can be controlled via the CT screen or mobile app etc.

For the 110v/240V sockets what would be really nice is that you can switch each of them remotely. That way you could connect them up in such a way to switch loads according to the their priority. So you could make sure the TV and PS5 turns off before the fridge does to save battery etc, or so you switch lights that are plugged in without any other devices.

 

[Deleted member 3316]

There is soooo much in this post JBee. I love it. I’m pretty sure I’m kidding myself thinking I understand much of the technical details but I’m pretty sure I understand the high level implications.

but allows the accessory to connect through a manufacture equivalent of a firewall to the vehicle systems for monitoring and control, by sniff.

by sniff?

In the case of the Cybertruck, I'm hoping it goes as far as allowing certified apps to run on the system, in a segregated docker container instance for security and stability (it's already running a linux kernel, so not hard to do).

I think this is what will make 240v power outlets really useful.

It would be cool to be able to fiddle with the traction control settings, and optimise your own algorithms for off road terrain, within governed performance limits of the Tesla control system.

I’m hoping that the factory settings wouldn’t need something like this but a UI with sliders could be interesting especially if it allowed/could specify a result and left the system to coordinate the actions required. It sparked and idea in my mind of driving down a steep muddy trail, if traction is so bad that it would warrant winching down, you could configure the accelerator to control the winch and the steering wheel to control the yaw of the vehicle rather than steering angle specifically. Then with a four motor design some wheels could be going forwards whilst other go backwards.

If you wanted to go down the infrastructure-less communications path, to emulate CB, I'd adopt SDR radios and utilize mesh networking to get full coverage with just P2P. Starlink would then only be a way to get out into the public internet, and wouldn't be required on each vehicle either. SDR can also provide picocell towers for mobiles to connect to etc. This gear already exists and much of it is affordable and open source. In fact many modern day phones have the ability to operate directly between devices, but has been disabled by carriers so they can bill you instead. Nokia started as a forestry services CB company. So there is a lot of opportunity in the is space IMHO.

That’s a highly complicated system… I was merely thinking of an interface with a standard CB radio, that displayed channels and volume control in addition to handset controls. Integrated satellite comms would be a popular optional extra.

The trick then just becomes to ensure that accessory makers comply with the ePTO connector and performance ratings, and everything else can be controlled via the CT screen or mobile app etc.

With all the profits Tesla is going to be making, I hope they just buy up some of these companies that make snow blowers, snowploughs, winches, mowers etc. and just put a fully integrated product on the store.

Tesla should take up ePTO as branding, they’d most likely open up any patents in physical components related to it and just charge a royalty for software access.

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