特斯拉升级：将自动避开坑洼

    在中国电商阿里巴巴集团（Alibaba）首次公开募股和苹果（Apple）iPhone 6开售吸引了所有关注的当天，特斯拉汽车公司（Tesla Motors）对其旗舰车型Model S的无线软件进行了升级，添加了许多新特色，这一举动给关注科技的大众再添了一笔谈资。其中最有特色的功能是一款可以根据位置进行变化的空气悬架，它可以记住坑洼和陡峭的车道，并自动调整高度避开它们。

    这一功能只有装配空气悬架的Model S车型可以使用，它能够记忆驾驶员之前选择的悬架高度，并自动在这些位置提高汽车底盘。

    Model S通过无线软件升级实现的其他功能还包括：基于交通情况的导航系统（该导航会根据其他特斯拉汽车共享的路况数据作出决定），与司机的智能手机同步的日历，遥控启动，电源管理，以及给汽车“命名”。车主注册昵称后，该昵称将会出现在特斯拉的移动应用，以及车内17英寸触摸屏上的“关于你的特斯拉”菜单中。

    美国权威汽车价值评估网站Kelley Blue Book的分析师卡尔•布劳尔表示，升级汽车无线软件并非独特的技术，但特斯拉根据位置自动调整的空气悬架是一个他从未见过的有趣特色。

    布劳尔说：“任何拥有内置无线网络的汽车，从技术上讲都能够升级其软件。比如，装有安吉星（OnStar）的通用汽车（GM）都具有远程启动功能，该软件有些时候也会进行无线升级。”

    但是，特斯拉汽车软件的无线升级不仅是为了修复漏洞，还会借此推出新的特色以增强汽车性能、为客户量身营造驾驶体验，这体现了汽车业内的一种转变。

    Navigant Research公司研究总监约翰•高德纳表示：“保持软件升级，维持汽车和汽车制造商之间通讯链的重要性会日益增加，并将成为推动汽车业继续发展的关键因素。”

    高德纳补充道，所有的汽车都将朝这个趋势发展，但电动汽车制造商在这点上尤其干劲十足。

    电动汽车依靠软件和计算能力驱动，它们可以通过无线升级推出新的特色功能，在竞争中保持领先。

    有时候，这也会用于帮助和加速召回工作。

    今年1月，在主动召回29,222辆Model S汽车后，特斯拉升级了无线软件，让汽车的车载充电系统能够检测输入电源中任何非正常的电压波动或电阻升高。

    软件升级的目的是解决用户对电源适配器、电线和墙面电源在充电时过热的担忧。不过与其他官方的主动召回不同，特斯拉的车主不需要把汽车送到代理商那里维修。（财富中文网）

    译者：严匡正

    On a day dominated by the initial public offering of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba’s and the first sales of Apple’s new iPhone 6, Tesla Motors added to the tech-centric buzz by wirelessly upgrading its Model S electric car with a number of new features. Among them? A location-based air suspension that remembers potholes and steep driveways and automatically adjusts to avoid them.

    The feature, which is only available in Model S cars equipped with air suspension, remembers where the driver previously selected high ride heights and automatically raises the car in those spots.

    Other features, which were added to Model S sedans through a wireless software upgrade, include traffic-based navigation that will take into account data shared by other Tesla vehicles on the road, a calendar that syncs with a driver’s smartphone, remote start, power management, and ability to “name” your car. Once the car registers the car’s nickname, it will appear in the Tesla mobile app and in the About Your Tesla section on the 17-inch touch-screen display.

    The ability to wirelessly upgrade a vehicle’s software isn’t unique, according to Kelley Blue Book analyst Karl Brauer, who noted Tesla’s location-based air suspension was an interesting feature he hadn’t seen before.

    “Any car with built-in Wi-fi technically has the ability to update its software,” said Brauer. “For instance, GM cars equipped with OnStar have been able to remote start cars or make wireless upgrades for some time.”

    Still the Tesla’s practice of wirelessly upgrading the car’s software to not only fix bugs, but also roll out new features that improve performance and customize the driving experience, illustrates a shift within the auto industry.

    “The importance of software upgrades and maintaining a communication link between the car and the automaker will increase and become more pivotal moving forward,” said John Gartner, research director with Navigant Research.

    All vehicles are moving in that direction, but electric vehicle manufacturers are particularly aggressive on that front, added Gartner.

    Electric vehicles, which rely on software and computing power, use wireless upgrades to introduce new features and stay ahead of the competition.

    In some cases, it’s been used to facilitate—and speed up—a recall.

    In January, after voluntarily recalling 29,222 Model S vehicles, Tesla used a wireless software update to enable the car’s on-board charging system to detect any unexpected fluctuations in the input power or higher resistance connections to the vehicle.

    The software upgrade aimed to address concerns that the adapter, cord or wall outlet could overheat while charging. But unlike other official voluntary recalls, Tesla owners didn’t have to bring their cars to a dealership for a fix.