8. Use the right steering wheel buttons to change what displays on the right side of theinstrument panel whenever a phone call is not active (see Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons
on page 37).
9. Total estimated driving distance (or energy) available. Instead of driving distance, you can display the percentage of battery energy remaining. To do so, touch Controls > Settings >
Units & Format > Energy & Charging (see Settings on page 99).
Note: When anticipating when you need to charge, use range estimates as a general guideline only.
Note: In cold weather, some of the stored energy in the Battery may not be available on your drive because the Battery is too cold. When this happens, a portion of the Battery meter isblue and the driving distance value has a
snowflake image next to it. If Model S is plugged in,
you can heat your Battery using wall power by turning on climate control using the mobile app. When the Battery warms up, the blue portion on the meter and the
snowflake image are
no longer displayed.
10. The speed limit (if available) that is currently being detected by Speed Assist (see Speed
Assist on page 88).
11. The car in front of you (if applicable).
12. Pay attention to important driving-related messages that appear at the bottom center of the instrument panel.
13. Your Model S.
14. When Autosteer is active, the driving lane is highlighted in blue (see Autosteer on page 74).
The lane may highlight in red If a front wheel passes over a lane marking and the associated
turn signal is
off (see Lane Assist on page 83).
15. The following distance that Traffic-Aware Cruise Control will maintain from the car in front of
you. You can adjust the following distance as appropriate for driving conditions (see Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control on page 68).
16. Currently selected gear: Park, Reverse, Neutral, or Drive.
Instrument Panel
Driving47
Lane Change Flash
To indicate a lane change, quickly press the
lever up or down against the spring pressure,
then release. The corresponding turn signal
flashes three times.
Hazard Warning Flashers To turn on the hazard warning
flashers, press
the button located on the side of the
touchscreen closest to the steering wheel. All turn signals
flash. Press again to turn off.
Note: Hazard warning flashers operate even
without a Model S key nearby.
Lights
52Model S Owner
Braking Systems
Model S has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) that prevents the wheels from locking when
you apply maximum brake pressure. This
improves steering control during heavy
braking in most road conditions.
During emergency braking conditions, the
ABS constantly monitors the speed of each
wheel and varies the brake pressure according
to the grip available.
The alteration of brake pressure can be felt as
a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal.
This demonstrates that the ABS is operating
and is not a cause for concern. Keep
firm and
steady pressure on the brake pedal while
experiencing the pulsing.
The ABS indicator flashes briefly on
the instrument panel when you firststart Model S. If this indicator lights
up at any other time, an ABS fault
has occurred and the ABS is not
operating. Contact Tesla. The braking system remains fully operational and
is not
affected by an ABS failure.
However, braking distances may increase.
If the instrument panel displays this
indicator at any time other than
displaying
briefly when you first start
Model S, a brake system fault is
detected or the brake
fluid level is
low. Contact Tesla immediately.
Emergency Braking
In an emergency, fully press the brake pedal
and maintain
firm pressure, even on low
traction surfaces. The ABS varies the braking
pressure to each wheel according to the
amount of traction available. This prevents
wheels from locking and ensures that you stop
as safely as possible.
Warning: Do not pump the brake pedal.
Doing so interrupts operation of the ABS
and can increase braking distance.Warning: Always maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you and be
aware of hazardous driving conditions.
While the ABS can improve stopping
distance, it cannot overcome the laws of physics. It also does not prevent the
danger of hydroplaning (where a layer of
water prevents direct contact between the tires and the road).
If Model S is equipped with Autopilot
hardware, Automatic Emergency Braking
automatically applies full braking in situations
where a collision is considered imminent (see
Automatic Emergency Braking on page 86).
Brake Wear Model S brake pads are equipped with wear
indicators. A wear indicator is a thin metal
strip attached to the brake pad that squeals as it rubs against the rotor when the pad wears
down. This squealing sound indicates that the
brake pads have reached the end of their
service life and require replacement. To stop
the squealing, contact Tesla Service.
Warning: Neglecting to replace worn
brake pads results in damage to the
braking system and can create a braking
hazard.
Brakes
54Model S Owner
Regenerative Braking
Whenever Model S is moving and your foot is
off the accelerator, regenerative braking slows
down Model S and feeds any surplus energy
back to the Battery.
By anticipating your stops and simply
removing pressure from the accelerator to slow down, you can take advantage ofregenerative braking to increase driving range.
Of course, this is no substitute for regular
braking when needed for safety.
Note: If regenerative braking is aggressively
slowing Model S, such as on a steep descent,
brake lights turn on to alert other road users
that you are slowing down.
The Energy app displays real-time feedback
on the amount of energy being gained by
regenerative braking. You can also display the
power meter on either side of the instrument
panel by choosing Energy using the scroll
button on the steering wheel (see Steering
Wheel on page 37).
The amount of energy fed back to the Battery using regenerative braking can depend on the
current state of the Battery and the charge
level setting that you are using. If regenerative
braking is limited, a dashed yellow line
displays on the power meter. For example,
regenerative braking may be limited if the Battery is already fully charged or if the
ambient temperature is low.
To Set the Regenerative Braking Level
You can use the touchscreen to change the
level of regenerative braking:
1. Touch Controls > Driving > Regenerative Braking.
2. Choose from two levels:
How It WorksThe traction control system constantly
monitors the speed of the front and rear
wheels. If Model S experiences a loss of
traction, the system minimizes wheel spin by
controlling brake pressure and motor power.
By default, the traction control system is
always active. Under normal conditions, it should remain active to ensure maximum
safety.
On standard (single motor) Model S vehicles,
traction control can be turned
off at any time.
Turn it off only in circumstances where you
deliberately want the wheels to spin, such as
when Model S is stuck in snow or mud.
On a dual motor Model S, you can enable slip
start to allow the wheels to spin at a limited speed. Slip start can be enabled only when
Model S is moving 20 mph (32 km/h) or
slower. Slip start automatically disables when
the speed exceeds 40 mph (64 km/h).
This indicator flashes on the
instrument panel whenever the
traction control system is actively
controlling brake pressure and motor
power to minimize wheel spin. If the
indicator stays on, a fault is detected with the traction control system.
Contact Tesla Service.Warning: Traction control can not prevent
accidents caused by driving dangerously
or turning too sharply at high speeds.Warning: If the above indicator remains
illuminated without turning off traction
control (single motor vehicles) or
enabling slip start (dual motor vehicles), the traction control system may not be
operating correctly. Contact Tesla Service immediately.
Disabling Traction Control (single motor
vehicles)
Under normal conditions, the traction control
system should remain enabled. Disable it only
in circumstances where you deliberately want
the wheels to spin, such as:
How Park Assist Works
Model S has several sensors designed to detect the presence of objects nearby. When
moving slowly in Drive or Reverse, the sensors
alert you if an object is detected in close proximity to the front and rear of your
Model S.
Note: Depending on date of manufacture and options selected at time of purchase, someModel S vehicles are not equipped with theparking sensors.Warning: The Park Assist images provided
below are representative only. The exact
number and location of sensors may vary
depending on the date your Model S was
manufactured.
The sensors are activated when driving less
than 5 mph (8 km/h).
Warning: Never depend on Park Assist to
inform you if an area you are approaching is free of objects and/or people. Several
external factors can reduce the
performance of Park Assist, causingeither no readings or false readings (see
Limitations and False Warnings on page
58). Therefore, depending on Park Assist
to determine if Model S is approaching an obstruction can result in damage to the
vehicle and/or objects, and can
potentially cause serious injury. Always
inspect the area with your own eyes.
When reversing, perform shoulder checks and use all mirrors. Park assist does not
detect children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
animals, or objects that are moving, protruding, located too far above or
below the sensors, or too close or too far
from the sensors. Park Assist is for
guidance purposes only and is not intended to replace your own direct visual
checks. It is not a substitute for careful
driving.
Visual and Audio Feedback
When you shift to Reverse, the Park Assist
view displays on the left side of the instrument
panel, showing any objects that are in close
proximity to the front and rear of Model S.
This view closes when you shift into Drive
unless objects are detected close to the front
of the Model S, in which case the Park Assist
view closes automatically when your driving
speed exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h) . When
reversing, visual feedback also displays on the
touchscreen, immediately below the camera
view (see Rear View Camera on page 64).
You can manually close the park assist view on
the touchscreen by touching the X in the
upper left corner.
When driving with the Camera app displayed
on the touchscreen, you can switch to the
Park Assist view when driving at speeds below
5 mph (8 km/h) . Touch the button located in the upper left corner of the Camera appwindow. This is useful if you need assistance
with parallel parking.
If chimes are turned on (see Controlling
Audible Feedback on page 58), an audible
beep sounds as you approach an object. You
can temporarily mute the chime by pressing
the scroll wheel on the left side of the steering
wheel or by touching the mute button located
on the in the bottom left corner of the Park Assist view.
Note: If Model S is equipped with software
version 6.1 or newer, and you are driving with
the camera app displayed on the touchscreen,
you can switch to the Park Assist view by
touching the icon in the upper left corner of
Park Assist
Driving57
the camera app window. You must be drivingat speeds below 5 mph (8 km/h).
Note: If a sensor is unable to provide
feedback, the instrument panel displays an
alert message.Caution: Keep sensors clean from dirt,
debris, snow, and ice. Avoid using a high
pressure power washer on the sensors
and do not clean a sensor with a sharp or abrasive object that can scratch or
damage its surface.Caution: Do not install accessories or
stickers on or near the parking sensors.
Controlling Audible Feedback
You can use Park Assist with or without
audible feedback. To turn chimes on or
off,touch Controls > Settings > Safety &
Security > Park Assist Chimes.
You can also mute the chimes temporarily by
pressing the scroll wheel on the left side of the steering wheel or by touching the mute buttonin the bottom left corner of the Park Assist
view. The chimes are muted until you shift into
a
different gear or drive over 5 mph (8 km/h).
Limitations and False Warnings
The parking sensors may not function
correctly in these situations:
Displaying Trip InformationTrip information displays on the touchscreen
when you touch Controls > Trips. There are
two trip meters available, A and B. To reset a
particular trip meter, touch its associated
RESET.
Note: You can also display range and trip
information on the instrument panel (see Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page
37).
Trip Information
Driving61