Wild AQI numbers

[CyberGus]

I'm guessing that someone made a big bet on the prediction markets that "AQI will hit 1000 today" and then smoked a cigar right under the weather station sensor

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[CyberGus]

 

[TyPope]

Here's how useless that AQI number is to me. I saw that it was in the 1000s because I happened to look at the clock to see how late I was running (10 minutes) compared to when I wanted to leave the house. After seeing the AQI, I didn't think about it again until you guys brought it up. Because it matters so very very little at that point.

To be fair, if I was driving and trying to decide between taking a walk in the park or doing something inside, I might actually care a little.

 

[samuelz]

yeah... Crystal clear. Not the roads. Those were clogged with crap. Took me 2 hours and 20 minutes to make my 45 minute commute today. grumble grumble complain complain.

Hahaha 495?

 

[jf64k]

Same here (So Cal). 700+ AQI

Good thing we have Bioweapon Defense Mode, haha!!

 

[samuelz]

Same here (So Cal). 700+ AQI

Good thing we have Bioweapon Defense Mode, haha!!

Have you turned it on in this “hazardous” time?

 

[TyPope]

Hahaha 495?

MD-4 North, Suitland Pkwy., and I-295... and more.

 

[mongo]

Michigan was over 1000 on Weather Channel early this morning, it's currently 38.
Bad source data?

 

[DaBagBoy]

glad to learn I'm in good company, was worried and wondered the same damn thing when I jumped in this morning
Grok says --

**Tesla's AQI number (like the 790 that dropped to 458) comes from an external online data feed** — not from any sensor on your car itself.

### How It Works
- Your Tesla uses its **GPS location** to query a third-party AQI service (commonly linked to **aqicn.org** / WAQI or similar weather/AQI APIs, possibly integrated via Google Maps data or equivalent).
- It pulls the reading from the **nearest available air quality monitoring station** to your current position.
- The display only prominently shows (or alerts) when it considers the value "poor," but the raw number can appear in the temp/AQI area with Premium Connectivity.

### Why It Shows Wildly High/Inaccurate Numbers
- **Nearest station mismatch**: Stations can be miles away, affected by local sources (traffic, industry), or report stale data if a sensor is down/offline. Your immediate area (or Lansing overall) can differ significantly.
- **Lag or glitches**: Updates aren't instant; data can stick on old high readings or pull from a distant/wrong station as you drive.
- **No car sensor for exterior AQI**: Unlike the cabin air quality (which uses internal sensors + HEPA filter), this is purely cloud-sourced. Many owners report frequent discrepancies with official sites like AirNow, IQAir, or EPA.

Right now in Lansing/East Lansing, reliable sources (AirNow, IQAir, AccuWeather) still show **Good** AQI (~14–30 range, mainly ozone or low PM2.5). No widespread pollution events.

**Tips**:
- Tap the AQI/temp icon for more details (it may show the source station or pollutant).
- Restart the screen (hold both scroll wheels) to force a refresh.
- Cross-check with AirNow.gov or the IQAir app for the real local picture.
- For your cabin, use Bioweapon Defense Mode or recirculate — that's based on actual internal sensors.

This is a common complaint with the feature. It's convenient but not always precise. Safe driving!

 

[CyberGus]

Michigan was over 1000 on Weather Channel early this morning, it's currently 38.
Bad source data?

I smell a rat...

 

[REM]

or maybe the numbers are real, they just forgot to compensate for all the chemicals they are spraying in the sky 🥲

 

[CyberGus]

or maybe the numbers are real, they just forgot to compensate for all the chemicals they are spraying in the sky 🥲

 

[REM]

dude...

 

[LatexCatDaddy]

What is the source data for Tesla's AQI?

 

[eferrer_gil]

From what I have researched, Tesla pulls the data from Weather Providers (google / weather channel / etc) via APIs. Those companies pull AQI data from the EPA's network (airnow.gov), EPA crowdsources their data from multiple stations and partners (their own and private providers).

If your view is not like this , then we should suspect that the AQI readings are just a little bit screwed. If you see this out your window, I think then we are the ones that are screwed.

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