In Tesla software update 2023.38.6 Tesla is quietly adding two new options that gives owners better control over their privacy. In this update, Tesla is adding the ability to disable remote commands and the option to turn off remote debugging.
The move improves privacy and allows Tesla owners to gain greater control over who can access their vehicles and when.
Last week, we reported that a user was seeing a new option in FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 that allowed him to disable remote commands. This change allowed him to prevent Tesla from executing commands remotely, such as unlocking or starting the vehicle.
The change appears to have been added through a server-side configuration update, although most users with FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 still lack the new option.
Although giving Tesla the ability to execute commands remotely can be beneficial, such as if you’re locked out of your vehicle, this new option gives more privacy conscious owners the ability to limit Tesla’s access to their vehicle.
This new option is now also a part of Tesla’s latest update, version 2023.38.6. However, it’s important to note that this new option only limits Tesla’s access to execute commands, and not any other third-parties that may have access to the vehicle through their own services.
Owners are now noticing that Tesla has added another privacy-focused option in the 2023.38 update. In this update owners now have access to disable or enable remote debugging of their vehicle. Although it’s not completely clear what Tesla considers “debugging,” it seems that this new option will limit Tesla’s ability to connect to the vehicle remotely to run specific commands or look at vehicle logs.
Both of these new privacy options are enabled by default, but they can be changed by navigating to Controls > Service and looking for the new ‘Allow Tesla to Remote Start’ and ‘Allow Remote Debugging’ options at the bottom.
While these new options increase Tesla’s transparency and privacy, they can limit Tesla’s ability to help owners in certain situations. In most cases, the owners will have access to their vehicle and the ability to temporarily enable these options if they need Tesla’s help to start their vehicle or help debug any potential issues.
Tesla vehicles are some of the most advanced vehicles on the market in terms of software and connectivity and this is an important step towards achieving a healthy balance between ensuring customer trust and maintaining the necessary access to deliver the exceptional and cutting-edge experience for which the brand is known.
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Tesla vehicles have already been driving themselves off factory assembly lines and into delivery lots since last year. This type of automated logistics has saved a lot of time on the factory floor, and Tesla even made history last year by autonomously delivering its first vehicle to a customer's doorstep from Gigafactory Texas. Now, that same autonomous tech is expanding deeper into the final assembly steps.
Tesla's Vice President of Engineering, Lars Moravy, recently sat down for an interview with longtime Tesla enthusiast Herbert Ong and shared how Full Self-Driving has taken over the very end of the factory validation process. Moravy revealed that new vehicles now completely drive themselves through the bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) section of the production line. This serves as the final validation track before cars are cleared to leave the factory floor, which they also do autonomously.
While the car drives the BSR course, built-in cabin microphones listen intently and report any assembly issues back to the engineering team. Moravy announced that Tesla is even working on a specialized AI system called "Full Self-Hearing" to detect these minor imperfections automatically before delivery.
The factory teams are also using internal AI agents across engineering, supply chain, service, and manufacturing quality control. This goes hand-in-hand with ongoing early-life failure testing to validate new components and manufacturing processes for Tesla’s products. That said, the interview extended well beyond just manufacturing automation and technologies.
During the chat, Moravy dished plenty of new details on the highly anticipated Cybercab robotaxi. The exec said that Cybercab production lines are expected to scale far beyond what current market estimates dictate. The factory setup for the vehicle is incredibly high-tech, with about 90% of the Cybercab manufacturing line being fully automated.
Thanks to this efficiency, Tesla may eventually produce more Cybercabs than any other vehicle model in its history. For perspective, the reigning volume champion, the Model Y, has seen roughly four million units produced to date.
Moravy also dropped a hint about connectivity, suggesting that Starlink could eventually make its way to the Cybercab to guarantee cellular reception for the fully autonomous vehicle in rural areas. This kind of satellite internet integration has not only been long rumored for Tesla vehicles but has also been among the most requested features from customers. It looks like Tesla's purpose-built robotaxi might lead the charge. We previously even saw a production Cybercab unit testing with a Starlink dish attached to its roof.
The interview also shed light on how the Optimus humanoid robot program is progressing. Tesla's first official Optimus production line has successfully landed at the Fremont factory, and crews have already started the installation process. The line uses a completely modular design so the layout can adapt as the robot and its manufacturing process evolve, and engineers expect to scale up to dozens of individual sub-lines over time.
While initial production will take place in California, the actual manufacturing equipment for the robot is currently being built and validated in Germany, involving roughly 40 distinct sub-lines. Moravy noted that Tesla's bill of materials for a standard car is technically higher than a robot's, but he didn't offer an exact timeframe for full commercial Optimus production. Due to the mechanical complexity and tight safety requirements of a humanoid robot, the exec said Optimus will be manufactured more like a modern car than a standard smartphone.
Before closing out the interview, Moravy also teased a big announcement regarding production scaling at Giga Texas that's coming Tuesday, July 7. You can check out the full interview below:
Tesla is making serious moves to build out its internal semiconductor expertise, successfully poaching high-level talent from the top ranks of the chip industry. Intel veteran Gary Jiang's LinkedIn page now lists his designation as a Director at Tesla, marking the first big leadership hire tied directly to the ambitious TERAFAB chip project. Jiang spent more than 17 years at Intel, where his most recent role was Factory Manager, leading tooling and production ramps for cutting-edge semiconductor nodes.
According to a report from Electrek, Jiang started on-site in Austin this month. His deep background in technology transfer and factory startups is exactly the kind of specialized experience Tesla needs to bring its plans to fruition. While Tesla has excelled at designing custom silicon for years, physically manufacturing microchips at scale is an entirely different beast.
Jiang's track record at Intel makes him a perfect fit for a project built from the ground up. At his previous employer, he was responsible for construction, equipment installation, and high-volume manufacturing preparation for advanced chip technologies. Before managing those next-generation lines, he ran area operations at Intel's massive Arizona campus, covering high-volume output for legacy 14nm and 22nm hardware.
Bringing in an executive who knows how to budget capital equipment and fix production yields shows Tesla is looking to skip the typical growing pains of chip fabrication. The move comes right as recruitment efforts pick up in Texas, with recent job postings seeking program managers capable of overseeing massive capital expenditure budgets for raw factory construction. Recent regulatory filings indicate the initial phases of the TERAFAB project have a total projected investment of $119 billion, and, per Elon Musk, that too is flexible.
Musk first broke down his vision for TERAFAB at a launch event back in March, positioning it as the most ambitious chip-building project in human history. The concept aims to bring together the combined technological forces of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI (which SpaceX now owns) to consolidate chip design, advanced packaging, fabrication, and testing under one roof, allowing for unprecedented iteration and production cycles. We saw the foundation click into place when Tesla and SpaceX partnered with Intel in April, confirming the latter would supply the core manufacturing know-how.
The scope of this multi-company mega-project has grown at a staggering pace. To support this scale, SpaceX recently filed for a TERAFAB construction site in Texas, located in Grimes County. This new executive hire proves that the coalition is aggressively buying up the exact institutional knowledge required to turn those massive site plans into active, high-volume chip production lines.
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