Traction ControlTraction Control
4.22MODEL S OWNERS MANUAL
Tr a c t i o n C o n t r o lHow It Works
The traction control system constantly
monitors the difference in speed between the
front and rear wheels. If Model S experiences a
loss of traction, the traction control system
minimizes wheel spin by controlling brake
pressure and motor power.
The electronic stability control indicator
displays on the instrument panel
whenever the traction control system is
actively controlling brake pressure and
motor power.
WARNING: Traction control does not
prevent accidents caused by driving
dangerously or turning too sharply at high
speeds.
Turning Off
Under normal conditions, you should leave
traction control on. Turn it off only in
circumstances where you deliberately want the
wheels to spin, such as:
•Starting on a loose surface, such as gravel
or snow.
•Driving in deep snow, sand or mud.
•Rocking out of a hole or deep rut.
To turn traction control off, touch
Controls > Driving > Traction Control > Off.
The Traction Control Off indicator
displays at the top center of the
touchscreen whenever the traction
control system is turned off.
Although traction control turns on again
automatically the next time you start Model S,
turn it on using the touchscreen as soon as the
circumstances that required you to turn it off
have passed.
TC
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Cruise Control
DRIVING4.23
Cruise ControlOperating Cruise Control
Cruise control makes it easy for you to maintain
a consistent speed without holding your foot
on the accelerator. This is useful when driving at
the same speed over a long distance.
You must be driving over 32 km/h to operate
cruise control.
WARNING: Do not use cruise control on
winding or slippery road surfaces, or
when traffic conditions make it unsafe to drive
at a consistent speed.
To operate cruise control:
1.When driving over 32 km/h, touch the end
of the cruise control lever. The light on the
lever turns on.
2.Accelerate until you reach your desired
cruising speed.
3.Move the cruise control lever up or down,
then release.
The instrument panel displays the Cruise On
message above the speedometer and a white
arrow on the speedometer shows your set
speed.
You can accelerate at any time when driving at
a set speed in cruise control. But when you
release the accelerator, your speed returns to
the set speed.
WARNING: Driving downhill can increase
driving speed, causing Model S to exceed
your set speed.
Changing the Cruising Speed
Move the cruise control lever up (increase) or
down (decrease).
•Push the lever up/down to the first position
and release to increase/decrease speed by
1mph.
•Push the lever up/down to the second
position and release to increase/decrease
speed by 8 km/h.
•Hold the lever up or down to
increase/decrease the speed in 3 km/h
increments until your desired speed is
reached.
NOTE: It may take a few seconds for Model S to
reach the new cruising speed. If you decrease
the set speed to less than 32 km/h, cruise
control cancels and the set speed clears.
Canceling and Resuming
Cruise control cancels automatically if you:
•Press the brake.
•Drive below 32 km/h.
•Shift out of Drive.
To cancel cruise control manually, briefly push
the cruise control lever away from you. The
message on the instrument panel turns off, but
the set speed remains displayed until Model S
powers off.
To resume cruising at the previously set speed,
briefly pull the cruise control lever toward you.
Cruise control resumes only if driving over 32
km/h.
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Rear View CameraRear View Camera
4.24MODEL S OWNERS MANUAL
Rear View CameraCamera Location
Model S is equipped with a rear view camera
located above the rear license plate.
Whenever you shift into Reverse, the
touchscreen displays the view from the camera.
NOTE: If Model S is equipped with the optional
Park Assist feature, visual feedback from the
parking sensors displays below the camera
image. See page 4.16.
WA R N I N G : T h e c a m e r a m a y n o t d e t e c t
overhanging objects or barriers that can
potentially cause damage or injury.
Cleaning the Camera
To ensure a clear picture, keep the camera lens
clean and free of obstructions. Remove any
buildup of dirt by occasionally wiping the
camera lens with a soft damp cloth.
CAUTION: Do not use chemical-based or
abrasive cleaners that can scour the
surface of the camera lens.
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Touchscreen OverviewTouchscreen Overview
5.2MODEL S OWNERS MANUAL
USING THE TOUCHSCREEN
Touchscreen OverviewThe Big Picture
The main components of the touchscreen are shown here. To manually control the brightness and
contrast, touch Controls > Displays. When set to Auto, the touchscreen changes between Day and
Night brightness depending on ambient lighting conditions.
NOTE: The following illustration is provided for demonstration purposes only. Depending on vehicle
options, software version and market region, your touchscreen may appear slightly different.
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Touchscreen Overview
USING THE TOUCHSCREEN5.3 1.Status bar
The top line displays status symbols and
provides shortcuts to Charging, HomeLink,
Driver Profiles, vehicle information (the
Tesla “T”), software update notifications,
Bluetooth
® and the passenger airbag
setting. The status symbols show current
temperature, network signal strength,
Bluetooth, passenger airbag status, and
time. If an alert icon (exclamation mark) is
displayed, touch it to see warning messages
that are in effect.
NOTE: Time is automatically set over the
mobile network. To change the units used
to display temperature (C
o or Fo) and time
(12- or 24- hour format), touch Controls >
Settings > Language & Units.
2.Apps
There are several ways to display an app in
the main viewing area:
•Tap the app’s icon to display it in the top
viewing area. If the app is already
displayed, a second tap displays it in
full-screen view (only some apps have a
full-screen mode).
•Drag the app’s icon directly onto the top
or bottom viewing area.
•Touch and hold the app’s icon to display
a popup that lets you choose whether to
display the app in the top or bottom of
the main viewing area. 3.Main viewing area
The main viewing area changes depending
on the app you have chosen (in the
example, the Nav and Media apps are
displayed). For some apps (such as Nav and
Web), you can zoom in and out using
standard touchcreen finger gestures.
4.Maximize/minimize app
Touch the small rectangle to expand the
associated app to fill the entire main
viewing area (some apps are not
expandable). Touch again to display two
apps in half-screen view.
5.Controls
Touch to access all Model S controls and
settings (doors, locks, lights, etc).
6.Climate controls (see page 5.9).
7.Vo l u m e co n t r o l
Touch the up and down arrows to increase
or decrease the volume of the speakers.
You can also adjust the volume using the
scroll wheel on the left side of the steering
wheel.
NOTE: When you open a door to enter
Model S, Media Player begins playing
whatever was playing when you exited. The
volume is low until you sit down and close
the driver’s door, at which point, the volume
ramps up to the previously set level. Then
again, when you open the door to exit, the
volume lowers. When the last door is
closed, Media Player stops playing.
8.Reverse the position of the two currently
displayed apps.
WARNING: Do not read the touchscreen
while driving. Doing so increases the
likelihood of a collision. Everything you need to
know when driving is displayed on the
instrument panel. Media. See page 5.12.
Nav. See page 5.20.
Energy. See page 4.19.
Web. Access the Internet using
the web browser.
Camera. Display the area
behind Model S. This area also
displays automatically
whenever you shift into
Reverse. See page 4.24.
Phone. See page 5.18.
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Touchscreen - Controls
USING THE TOUCHSCREEN5.5 1.Close
Touch the circled X in the top left of a
window to close it. You can also touch
anywhere outside the window to close it.
2.Sunroof
If Model S is equipped with a sunroof, touch
to adjust its position (see page 2.12).
3.Driving
•Suspension
If Model S is equipped with Active Air
Suspension, touch to manually raise or
lower Model S (see page 5.11). You must
press the brake pedal before you can
change suspension settings. Active Air
Suspension causes Model S to self-level,
even when powered off. Therefore, when
lifting or towing, you must disable
self-leveling (see pages 7.23 and 9.3).
•Steering mode
Adjust the amount of effort required to
turn the steering wheel. Sport feels more
responsive whereas Comfort feels easier
to drive and park (see page 4.3).
•Regenerative braking
When you release the accelerator when
driving, regenerative braking slows
Model S and feeds any surplus energy
b a c k t o t h e B a t t e r y. I f s e t t o L o w, M o d e l S
does not slow down as quickly, but you
may experience less range (see
page 4.21).
NOTE: Regardless of the setting, the
energy gained by regenerative braking is
reduced if the Battery is full, or if it is
extremely cold or hot (the surplus energy
is used to heat or cool the Battery).
•Tr a c t i o n C o n t r o l
If you turn off Traction Control, a warning
message displays on the instrument
panel. The off setting stays in effect for
the current drive only (see page 4.22).
•Creep
When on, Model S slowly moves forward
when in Drive and backward in Reverse
when you release the brake (similar to a
conventional vehicle with an automatic
transmission). You can only adjust this
setting when Model S is in Park.4.Cold Weather
If Model S is equipped with the cold
weather option, you can control all seat
heaters and the heated wipers. Note that
you can also control the front driver and
passenger seats using the main climate
control panel located on the bottom of the
touchscreen (see page 5.8).
5.Tr i p s
View and reset the trip meters that
summarize how far you have driven (see
page 4.18).
6.Displays
Manually control the touchscreen’s
brightness and control its day (light
background) or night (dark background)
setting. When set to Auto, the touchscreen
automatically changes between Day and
Night brightness depending on the ambient
lighting conditions.
7.E-Brake & Power Off
You can manually:
•Apply and release the parking brake
(page 4.20).
•Power off (see page 4.6).
•Keep Model S in Neutral by activating
Tow Mode (see page 9.3).
8.Doors & locks (see page 2.4)
9.Control lights (see page 4.11)
WARNING: Do not read the touchscreen
while driving. Doing so increases the
likelihood of a collision. Everything you need to
know when driving is displayed on the
instrument panel.
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Touchscreen - SettingsTouchscreen - Settings
5.6MODEL S OWNERS MANUAL
Touchscreen - SettingsCustomizing Model S
Touch the Settings tab on the Controls window to adjust Model S to suit your preferences.
NOTE: The following illustration is provided for demonstration purposes only. Depending on vehicle
options, software version, and market region, the information displayed may be slightly different. For
example, on U.S. vehicles, the “Language & Units” tab is called “Units & Format.”
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Touchscreen - Settings
USING THE TOUCHSCREEN5.7 1.Adjust settings associated with installed
apps (applications). Apps that have no
settings that you can adjust at this time are
grayed out.
2.Create driver profiles (see page 4.2)
3.Language & Units
Adjust how Model S displays:
•Language: Set the language used when
Model S displays alerts, notification
messages, and navigation instructions (if
equipped).
NOTE: When you change the language,
you experience a brief delay as Model S
shuts down and restarts the touchscreen.
•Region: Choose a region to define the
formatting convention used to display
dates (mm dd yy/dd-mm-yy, etc) and
decimal separators (5.123, 5,123, etc).
•Distance: Miles or kms can be shown on
the range display, speedometer, energy
chart, trip meters, Google map searches
and navigation routes.
•Time: 12 or 24 hour format.
•Temperature:
oF or oC.
•Charging Units: Display energy (kWh) or
distance (miles/kms).
•Range: Rated range (based on ECE R101
testing), or Ideal range (based on the
assumption of driving in ideal conditions
at a steady speed of 89 km/h on a flat
road, and using no additional energy
(seat heaters, air conditioning, etc).
4.Ve h i c l e
•Drive-away Door Lock: If on, all doors
automatically lock whenever you drive
Model S over 8 km/h (see page 2.5).
•Walk-away Door Lock: If on, all doors
automatically lock when you walk away
from Model S, carrying the key with you
(see page 2.5). Available only if Model S is
equipped with the optional tech package.
•Child-Protection Locks: If on, safety locks
prevent the rear doors and the liftgate
from being opened from inside Model S.
•Auto-Present Handles: If on, door handles
extend automatically whenever you
approach Model S carrying a key,
whether locked or unlocked (see
page 2.4.•Mirror Auto-Tilt: If on, exterior mirrors tilt
downward when reversing (see
page 4.5). Available only if Model S is
equipped with the optional tech package.
•Headlights After Exit: If on, headlights
stay on for two minutes after you exit, or
until you lock Model S (see page 4.13).
•Range Mode: If on, Model S conserves
energy by limiting the power of the
climate control system. Cabin heating and
cooling may be less effective.
5.Safety & Security
Turn various safety and security features on
and off:
•Passenger Airbag (see page 3.17).
•Alarm, and security options Model S is
equipped with (see page 5.22).
•Remote access by Tesla’s mobile
applications (see page 5.25).
6.HomeLink
Use HomeLink to control RF-enabled
garage doors, lights, or security systems
(see page 5.23).
WARNING: Do not read the touchscreen
while driving. Doing so increases the
likelihood of a collision. Everything you need to
know when driving is displayed on the
instrument panel.
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