You can accelerate at any time when driving ata set speed using Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control. But when you release the accelerator,
Model S returns to the set speed.
When following a vehicle,
Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control remains active at low speeds, even if
Model S comes to a standstill while following a
vehicle. When
traffic is moving again, Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control resumes operating at
your currently set speed. However, if an or
object is detected in front of Model S,
Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control goes into a HOLD state
and the instrument panel displays a message
indicating that you need to resume cruise
control. To resume, press the accelerator pedal
or pull the cruise control lever toward you (see
Canceling and Resuming on page 71).
In right hand
traffic, engaging the right turn
signal when driving in the right-most lane
within 164 feet (50 meters) of an exit (on a
controlled access road only, such as a highway
or freeway), causes
Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control to assume you are exiting. As a result,
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control begins to slow
down the vehicle. Likewise in left hand traffic,when engaging the left turn signal when
driving in the left-most lane within 164 feet
(50 meters) of an exit. The onboard GPS (Global Positioning System) determines if you
are driving in a region with right or left hand
traffic. In situations where GPS data is
unavailable (for example, inadequate signal), engaging the turn signal near an exit does not
cause
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to slow
down the vehicle.
Note: If you double-pull the cruise control
lever (or single-pull when
Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control is active), Autosteer activates and the set speed changes to either your current
driving speed, or the speed limit plus any
offset you have defined, whichever is greater
(see Cruising at the Speed Limit on page
69).
Note: When
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is
actively slowing down Model S to maintain the
selected distance from the vehicle ahead, the brake lights turn on to alert other road users
that you are slowing down. You may also
notice slight movement of the brake pedal.
Warning: Due to limitations inherent in
the onboard GPS, you may experience
situations in which
Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control slows down the vehicle, especially
near highway exits where a curve is
detected and/or you are actively navigating to a destination and not
following the route.
Warning: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control can
not detect all objects and may not brake/
decelerate for stationary vehicles,
especially in situations when you are
driving over 50 mph (80 km/h) and a
vehicle you are following moves out of
your driving path and a stationary vehicle
or object is in front of you instead. Always
pay attention to the road ahead and stay
prepared to take immediate corrective
action. Depending on
Traffic-AwareCruise Control to avoid a collision can
result in serious injury or death. In
addition,
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
may react to vehicles or objects that
either do not exist or are not in the lane
of travel, causing Model S to slow down
unnecessarily or inappropriately.
Warning: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
may be unable to provide adequate
speed control because of limited braking capability and hills. It can also misjudgethe distance from a vehicle ahead. Driving
downhill can increase driving speed, causing Model S to exceed your set
speed. Never depend on
Traffic-AwareCruise Control to slow down the vehicle
enough to prevent a collision. Always
keep your eyes on the road when driving
and be prepared to take corrective action
as needed. Depending on
Traffic-AwareCruise Control to slow the vehicle down enough to prevent a collision can result in
serious injury or death.
Warning: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
may occasionally brake Model S when not required or you are not expecting it. Thiscan be caused by closely following a
vehicle ahead, detecting vehicles or
objects in adjacent lanes (especially on curves), etc.
Adjust your following distance
To adjust the distance you want to maintain
between Model S and a vehicle traveling ahead of you, rotate the cruise control lever to
choose a setting from 1 (the closest following distance) to 7 (the longest following distance).
Each setting corresponds to a time-based
distance that represents how long it takes for
Model S, from its current location, to reach the
location of the rear bumper of the vehicle
ahead.
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
68Model S Owner
Overtake AccelerationWhen following a vehicle with
Traffic-AwareCruise Control active, engaging the turn signal
to indicate a move into the passing lane brieflyaccelerates Model S towards the vehicle
ahead. By momentarily holding the turn signal
lever up or down (depending on the region
you are driving in), you can quickly accelerate up to your set speed without having to press
the accelerator pedal. The turn signal
accelerates Model S only when the following
conditions are met:
Canceling and Resuming
To manually cancel
Traffic-Aware Cruise
Control, briefly push the cruise control lever
away from you or press the brake pedal. The
speedometer icon on the instrument panel
turns gray to indicate that cruise control is not
actively controlling your speed.
To resume cruising at the previously set speed,briefly pull the cruise control lever toward you.
Note: Depending on date of manufacture,
some Model S vehicles have a button on the end of the cruise control lever. Pressing this
button when cruise control is active cancels
cruise control.
Note: When
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
cancels, Model S does not coast. Instead,
regenerative braking slows down Model S in
the same way as when you move your foot
offthe accelerator when driving without cruise control (see Regenerative Braking on page
55).
Warning: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
cancels, or may not be available, in the
following situations:
Note: Autosteer is a BETA feature.
If Model S is equipped with Driver Assistance
components (see About Driver Assistance on
page 65), and you have purchased the optional Autopilot Tech Package, you can use
Autosteer to manage steering and speed under certain circumstances. Autosteer builds
upon
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, intelligently
keeping Model S in its driving lane when
cruising at a set speed. Using the forward
looking camera, the radar sensor, and the ultrasonic sensors, Autosteer detects lanemarkings and the presence of vehicles and
objects, steering Model S based on the lane
markings and the vehicle directly in front of
you.
Warning: Autosteer is a hands-on feature.
You must keep your hands on the steering
wheel at all times.Warning: Autosteer is intended for use
only on highways and limited-access
roads with a fully attentive driver. When using Autosteer, hold the steering wheel
and be mindful of road conditions and
surrounding
traffic. Do not use Autosteer
on city streets, in construction zones, or
in areas where bicyclists or pedestrians
may be present. Never depend on
Autosteer to determine an appropriate driving path. Always be prepared to take
immediate action. Failure to follow these instructions could cause serious property
damage, injury or death.
Operating Autosteer
Before you can operate Autosteer, you must
enable it by touching Controls > Settings >
Driver Assistance > Autosteer > Enable.
To indicate that Autosteer is available (but not actively steering Model S), the instrument
panel displays a gray Autosteer icon on the right side of the driving speed as shown here:
To initiate Autosteer, pull the cruise control
lever toward you twice in quick succession. Autosteer
briefly displays a message on the
instrument panel reminding you to pay
attention to the road and be ready to take
over at any time. To indicate that Autosteer is now actively steering Model S, the instrument
panel displays the Autosteer icon in blue.
When Autosteer is able to detect lane
markings, it also displays the driving lane in blue:
Note: To initiate Autosteer, you must be
driving at least 5 mph (8 km/h) on a roadway
with visible lane markings. If a vehicle is
detected ahead of you, you can initiate
Autosteer at any speed, even when stationary.
Note: In most cases, Autosteer attempts to
center Model S in the driving lane. However, if
the sensors detect the presence of an obstacle (such as a vehicle or guard rail), Autosteer
may steer Model S in a driving path that is
offset from the center of the lane.
Note: In situations where you attempt to
engage Autosteer, but you are not driving
within the required driving speed for Autosteer to operate, or Autosteer is not
receiving adequate data from the camera or
sensors, a message displays on the instrument
panel indicating that Autosteer is temporarily
unavailable.
Autosteer
Driver Assistance73
1. CloseTouch the circled X in the top left corner of a window to close it (or you can touch anywhere
outside the window).
2. Sunroof
If Model S is equipped with a sunroof, touch to adjust its position (see Sunroof on page 15).
3. Suspension
If Model S is equipped with Smart Air Suspension, touch to manually raise or lower Model S, orto remove a previously saved auto-raising location (see Smart Air Suspension on page 106).
Model S must be powered on and you must press the brake pedal before you can change
suspension settings. Smart Air Suspension causes Model S to self-level, even when powered
off. Therefore, when towing or lifting, you must disable self-leveling (see Instructions for
Transporters on page 172 and Jacking and Lifting on page 156).
4. Driving
VentilationOutside air is drawn into Model S through the
grill in front of the windshield. Keep the grill
clear of obstructions such as leaves and snow.
To direct the
flow of air inside Model S, move
the interior vents up, down, or from side to
side.
Note: You can direct the outer face level vents
toward the side windows to help defrost or
defog them.
Cabin Air Filter
Model S has an air
filter that prevents pollen,
industrial fallout, road dust and other particles
from entering through the vents. Tesla
replaces the air
filter at the regularly
scheduled maintenance intervals of every
12 months, or every 12,500 miles (20,000 km).
Cabin Overheat Protection
The climate control system can reduce cabin temperatures in extremely hot ambientconditions for a period of up to twelve hours
after you exit Model S. When enabled, air conditioning turns on when cabin
temperatures exceed 105
Tire Repair Kit
Your Model S has no spare tire. Depending on
the legislations that apply to the region in
which you purchased Model S, a tire repair kit
may or may not be included. If a tire repair kit
was not provided in Model S upon delivery,
you can purchase one from Tesla.
Note: Although Model S does not have a spare
tire, in the event of a
flat tire, Roadside
Assistance provides towing coverage for up to 50 miles.
The tire repair kit consists of a compressor
and a canister of tire sealant (enough to repair
one tire). When injected into a tire, the sealant
can penetrate a small puncture up to 1/4" (6 mm) to form a temporary repair.
Note: For punctures larger than 1/4” (6 mm),
severe tread damage, a damaged sidewall,
ripped tires or tires that have come
off the
rim, call Roadside Assistance.
Warning: The tire repair kit is a temporary
repair only. You must repair or replace a
damaged tire as soon as possible.Warning: Do not exceed 30 mph
(48 km/h) when driving with a tire that
has been temporarily repaired with sealant.Warning: Follow all directions and
warnings on the tire repair kit before
starting a repair.Caution: Do not drive on a deflated tire as
this can cause serious damage.Tire Sealant Canister
The tire sealant provided in the Tesla tire
repair kit is approved for use with Model S and is designed not to damage the TPMS (Tire
Pressure Monitoring System) sensors.
Therefore, you must replace it only with one of
the same type and capacity (see Replacing
the Sealant Canister on page 147). Tire
sealant canisters can be purchased from Tesla.
The tire sealant has an expiration date printed
on the outside of the canister. If the expiration
date has passed, the sealant might not work
as expected. Always replace an expired tire
sealant canister.Warning: Do not use any tire sealant
other than the one available from Tesla.
Doing so could cause tire pressure
sensors to malfunction.Warning: Always read and follow the
safety and handling instructions printed on the sealant canister.Warning: Keep tire sealant out of the
reach of children.Warning: Tire sealant can be harmful if it
contacts the eyes or if swallowed or
inhaled. If the sealant comes into contact with your eyes, immediately
flush with
water and seek medical attention if
irritation persists. If swallowed, do not
induce vomiting and seek medical assistance immediately. If inhaled, breathe
fresh air. Inhalation can cause drowsiness
and dizziness. If breathing is
affected,seek medical assistance immediately.
Temporary Tire Repair
144Model S Owner
Removing the Maintenance Panel
To check
fluid levels, remove the maintenance
panel:
1. Pull the rear edge of the maintenance panel upward to release the
five clips that
hold the panel in place.
2. Maneuver the maintenance panel toward the windshield to remove.
Caution: The maintenance panel protects
the front trunk from water. When re-
attaching, make sure it is fully seated.
Checking Battery Coolant
If the quantity of
fluid in the cooling system
drops below the recommended level, the
instrument panel displays a warning message.
Stop Model S as soon as safety permits and
contact Tesla.
Fluid Level Check
Tesla checks the Battery coolant level at the
regularly scheduled maintenance intervals. On a single motor Model S, you can check it
yourself. To do so, park Model S on level
ground. When Model S is cool, remove the
maintenance panel (see Removing the
Maintenance Panel on page 153).
Check the fluid level visually by looking at the
outside marks on the side of the reservoir. DO
NOT REMOVE THE FILLER CAP AND DO NOT
ADD FLUID. Doing so can result in damage
not covered by the warranty.
The
fluid level should be between the MIN and
the MAX marks. If you notice that the fluidlevel has dropped significantly, contact Tesla
before using Model S.
Topping Up the Battery Coolant
Under no circumstances should you add
coolant. If the instrument panel warns you that
the
fluid level is low, contact Tesla
immediately.
To maximize the performance and life of the Battery, the cooling system uses a
specifictype of G-48 ethylene-glycol coolant (HOAT).
Contact Tesla for more specific information
about the coolant.
Fluid Reservoirs
Maintenance153