Tesla vehicles to get a “major navigation overhaul” in 2018

Tesla is reworking its approach to in-car navigation, and will deploy a “major navigation overhaul” in “early 2018,” per Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who shared the news in response to a customer inquiry on Twitter. Musk added that the rollout will only take place after current testing underway is complete, but that it will be “light-years ahead” of the current navigation offering included in Tesla vehicles.

Musk was responding to a Tesla owner who noted that in three years of vehicle ownership, he’s only seen one update of the onboard maps, and even then the information pushed to the vehicle was already out of date. Musk’s response suggests that Tesla is thinking far behind simple map updates with its new navigation software, and instead will be making top-to-bottom changes to how the system works overall across its vehicles.

Major navigation overhaul coming in early 2018. Will be light-years ahead of current system, but we are testing it rigorously before rolling out.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 21, 2017

Tesla’s current navigation software doesn’t differ that much from the kinds of navigation apps you’ll get on mobile devices, including smartphones, but it does build-in key information like the location of Tesla chargers and Superchargers. Still, it’s one of the areas users have identified as a consistent pain point.