Tesla Quietly Adds Trip Planner Feature: Long-Distance Travel Now Easier Than Ever

Range anxiety is an evil that still affects many users of electric cars and even more so those who do not dare with sustainable mobility. The fear of getting stranded on the road is normal, but the help of a good phone app can certainly help eliminate that fear. Tesla has the best route planner out there, but up until now it was only available within the car itself. Now thanks to a new update of the application for mobile devices, it will be possible to organize the trip right from home.

Though considered one of the most important functions in any electric car, as a matter of fact very few manufacturers offer this possibility in their browsers. Tesla has the advantage of playing with its own charging infrastructure, but it is also capable of including points from third-party companies, as long as they meet its demanding quality requirements. Many companies are trying to join this privileged network, but very few have actually succeed so far. For some time now, Tesla has been promoting new cargo management companies to join in.

Little by little the charging network is adding new points, although depending on the regions, it is still a long way from matching the numbers of the USA. The Tesla application now adds a new functionality that is very comfortable: the fact that up until now it has only been available in the vehicle itself has not been a big problem, but for a long time many users have requested that the same functionality be present in the phone app. Thus, upon reaching the car, the browser would already know the details abut our trip without having to waste time in the process.

The addition of the trip planner is offered as of version 4.20.69 that was just released. Two new features are specified in the release notes: the first is that the pairing of the mobile phone as a key no longer requires the card. The second is a new claim service for Tesla Insurance policyholders (US customers only). As such the planner does not appear in the list of news, but is actually there, as some users have been able to discover; this is something that not many people have managed to understand yet, because it is a fairly important new feature.

Scheduling a trip will be as easy as going to the vehicle location tab. Once there, the user just needs to indicate destination and “voila”, the system automatically calculates distances and stops. It is exactly the same as what up until now could be done directly in the car, but from the comfort of home. Once the route has been set, with the stops included if necessary, it can be sent to the car so that it will not be necessary to re-enter the trip in your car browser. The function allows you to modify the route, add destinations or add new stops.

Tesla's mobile app update significantly improves the user experience for electric car owners and potential adopters alike, by tackling range anxiety issues. The addition of the trip planner, although not explicitly mentioned in their release notes, demonstrates Tesla's continuous commitment to enhancing sustainable mobility. Features such as easy-to-schedule trips, seamless location tracking, and third-party charging point integration contribute to making long-distance travel worry-free and effortless. As Tesla's charging infrastructure continues to expand globally, users can anticipate even more improvements and functionalities geared towards the ultimate electric vehicle experience.

Source: hibiridosyelectricos

All images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.