Google Maps has always been a primary medium for our navigation, hasn’t it? Why not try something else that could replace it pretty soon, for now, the Tesla owners will be enjoying it.
The Tesla Live Traffic Visualization is typically more or less identical to Google Maps. You can see which area or route has the traffic pressure right now, which route might save you time, and others. Tesla has an addition here, specifying how much time you can save by using the alternative routes.
While the visualization can create a live situation where you can see pedestrians, other cars, cones, speed bumps, etc. which aren’t there for real.
To know how you can use it and for troubleshooting stick with us till the end.
What is and How does Tesla Traffic Visualization work
We got ourselves a combined question right here. First, we need to know what a Tesla Traffic Visualization is. Well, we pretty much told you earlier that it is a similar navigation tool to Google Maps.
Although you can visualize pedestrians and other cars with the eight cameras installed in your Tesla car.
Now, let’s see how it works. It basically is a feature that you’ve to unlock through Tesla Premium Connectivity. Not to mention you can see the traffic build-up on the screen using the satellites owned by Elon Musk (for the record, it’s owned by SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk).
You can notice the green, pink, orange, and red colors on the traffic build-up, depending on how worse the traffic jam is. You can also get a visualization of the traffic once you click on the map’s right bottom corner button.
The way How to turn on live traffic on Tesla
We assume that you’ve subscribed to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity and can access their premium services through the app. But how do you turn on traffic on a Tesla?
The trick to turning on the live traffic on Tesla is not something you need to learn from SpaceX scientists. Just follow through with the steps we are going to show you and you’ll be fine.
Finding Controls Bar
There is a shortcut way to get into the navigation, but we are showing you the old-school method first.
Drop down the menu bar from the top of your screen. Tesla Model 3 cars always come with a touch-screen interface. Slide down the top of the screen to reveal the menu bar.
From there search for the “Controls” bar and then click on it. You should find “Navigations” there. Click on it to find “Stop Light Symbol”, and just select it.
Clicking the “. . .” Navigation Settings icon
You should find a … icon on the bottom right of your display. Click on it to skip all the Controls>Navigation scenarios. Just find the “Stop Light Symbol” as usual and select it to enable the live traffic on your Model 3 Tesla.
Understanding the Navigation instructions
Only enabling the live traffic won’t be enough. We need to understand what each of the instructions says in order to fully utilize the Tesla cars.
For traffic routes, four different colors indicate different states of the traffic- Green, Orange, Red, and Pink.
Green: Green straight lines indicate that the route is completely traffic-free. You can easily driveway the road without facing any traffic jams. Remember, the information would be based in real-time and you can also get a live visualization when you turn on the live traffic.
Orange: The color orange indicates that the route has light traffic. Traffic is close to negligible. You need to wait at least 3 to 5 minutes there.
Red: The red lines will tell you that the routes have a moderate level of traffic. Not too much nor too little. Just traffic that could waste 10 to 15 minutes of your life.
Pink: You know what, you should always avoid the pink line roads. It’s going to waste at least 25 to 40 minutes and not to mention the charge of your Tesla. But you don’t have to worry because the Tesla Live Traffic Visualization system will show you an alternative route and also mention how much time you can save if you go through that route.
Although the Tesla Live Traffic Visualization is a great feature to add on, we are afraid it has issues and many Tesla owners complain about it to the Tesla Support group all the time.
Let’s see how we can troubleshoot all the problems Tesla live traffic is causing.
Troubleshooting “Tesla Live Traffic Not Working”
Let’s see what problems we are going to face with the Tesla Live Traffic feature-
- Picking up only parked cars as traffic cars. No oncoming traffics.
- Missing cars from the Visualization, hence showing less traffic.
- Showing both parked and running cars as a part of the traffic.
- Seeing nothing on the map, not even the construction cones.
Now let’s see how you can fix it.
Updating the Tesla App/Software
Navigate to “Controls”. Then, go to the “Software”, and see if there are any updates pending for the software. If it’s available, then press, “Update Software”. It will start updating your app/software. Once the update finishes, your live traffic should be working fine.
Rebooting the Software
It’s almost like the updating procedure, go to the “Controls” bar, then select the “Safety & Security” option. After that press the “Power OFF” button. It will reboot many features in your Tesla Model 3, including the Tesla App/Software.
If updating and rebooting the software doesn’t work, then reach out to the Tesla Support group to fix your problems. We are pretty much sure they can fix your issues or compensate for them.
Final Words
Elon Musk has been working much harder to take the world into the future sooner than it should. Although his efforts have some flaws like the live traffic not working, it’s still fine if you can fix it.
The Tesla Live Traffic Visualization can replace the GMaps in the near future, and who knows other automobile companies will start to make their own navigation software as Tesla did.
