Tesla releases Holiday update: Apple Watch, SiriusXM, and more
Tesla has started pushing its 2024 Holiday update, a bigger annual update bundling a bunch of features together.
This year, it includes Apple Watch integration, SiriusXM, and more.
Every year around the holidays, Tesla is known to push a bigger software update with some features that are generally more about fun than being functional.
Tesla regularly pushes new features to its fleet through software updates whenever they are ready, but it sometimes bundles them together for a bigger step change update, which people have been referring to as the “holiday update.”
It most often is the biggest update of the year.
Tesla 2024 Holiday Update
This year’s holiday update is certainly not the biggest, but there are a few things that Tesla owners have been asking for, including a few more “fun” features.
Tesla is finally bringing official Apple Watch integration with its mobile app:
This is something that third-party apps have made available, but not Tesla directly until now.
It’s likely not a coincidence that it is coming now, just after Tesla has destroyed the third-party app ecosystem by introducing ridiculously high API pricing.
Tesla’s new holiday update also includes better ways to access and edit your videos coming from the automaker’s Dashcam and Sentry Mode features.
The company wrote about the new feature:
“Watch Dashcam & Sentry Mode clips directly from the Tesla app and save them to your phone to edit or share.”
Tesla also says that it is also introducing the capacity for Autoshift to “shift between Drive and Reverse on stalkless Model 3.”
The automaker wrote about the new feature:
Autoshift on stalkless Model 3 can now automatically shift between Drive & Reverse to handle parking lot maneuvers & multi-point turns.
This is surprising to me because I thought it was already the case, as this capacity was the whole point of going stalkless.
Tesla announced that SiriusXM is finally coming to its vehicles – something that owners have been asking for for years:
SiriusXM sent out a press release about the Tesla integration with a little more details:
SiriusXM is becoming available in Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update. After the software update is installed, SiriusXM will appear in the media sources menu where drivers can begin a free one-month trial subscription to SiriusXM. A Tesla Premium Connectivity or active Wi-Fi connection is required to access the SiriusXM service. To continue SiriusXM service after the trial, owners can scan the QR code on the Subscription tab. Owners who subscribe prior to March 31, 2025 can access a special limited-time offer of $9.99 a month for their first two years.
Tesla is also adding the capability to set at what state of charge you want to arrive at your destination to adjust the charging stops accordingly:
There are a few other navigation changes, like filtered details with estimated times:
When navigating, search results are now filtered to show options along your route & estimated detour times.
Tesla is also adding a precipitation and weather map overlay, which looks pretty cool:
The update also includes new cross-traffic warnings when in reverse. Tesla released an example:
It sounds like a good idea that makes you think why it wasn’t always a feature.
Tesla Cybertruck Updates
The update includes many features just for the Cybertruck. For example, owners now have the ability to change their in-car vehicle avatar to match custom wraps and license plates:
And a couple more new features just for the Cybertruck
- The rear camera feed is now larger & you can pinch to zoom in or out
- Play games from the backseat while cruising around
Here also a bunch of new minor updates that apply to other vehicles:
- Remotely schedule Light Shows from the Tesla app, including the two new Light Shows in the 2024 Holiday Update
- Boomerang Fu video game now in Tesla Arcade
- The new Seats control panel allows you to adjust the position of the unoccupied passenger seat, including second-row seats
- You can now view & track maintenance items from your vehicle’s touchscreen
- Rear screen remote now allows video playback controls in Drive
- Find Nearby Parking at your destination or at any point of interest
- When reversing, music volume can automatically lower to reduce distractions
- Navigation will dynamically route around road closures
- Sentry Mode – mobile app notification if door handle is pulled
- Energy App Consumption page for Model S & X and CT
- Vehicles without premium connectivity can now see traffic on their navigation route
- When navigating to a Supercharger, upon arrival you will be notified on the touchscreen of any stalls that are currently out of service
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Believe it or not, you can lease an EV for under $200 a month. New deals on models like the 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 are hard to pass up this month.
Electric vehicles have been all over the news lately, with the Trump administration threatening to end federal incentives and introducing new tariffs that are expected to lead to higher prices.
On the positive side, new EV models are arriving, giving buyers more options and driving prices down. Many automakers reported record US electric car sales in the first three months of 2024.
GM remained the number two seller of EVs behind Tesla after sales doubled in Q1 2025. With the new Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs rolling out, Chevy is now the fastest-growing EV brand in the US. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is off to its best sales start since launching, with over 11,600 models sold in the first quarter.
With the 2025 models rolling out and about 15 new EVs arriving this year, many automakers are introducing steep discounts to move vehicles off the lot.
EVs for lease for under $200 a month in April
Although the decade-old Nissan LEAF remains one of the most affordable this April at just $149 per month, there are a few EVs under $200 right now that are worth taking a look at.
The new 2025 Hyundai IONIQ might be the best EV deal this month, with leases as low as $199. Hyundai is currently promoting a 24-month lease deal with $3,999 due at signing.
Hyundai upgraded the electric SUV with a bigger battery for more range (now up to 318 miles), a sleek new look inside and out, and it now comes with an NACS port so you can charge it at Tesla Superchargers.
The offer is for the IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range, which has a driving range of up to 245 miles. For just $229 a month, you can snag the SE RWD model, which has a range of up to 318 miles and a more powerful (225 horsepower) electric motor. It’s also a 24-month lease with $3,999 due at signing.
To sweeten the deal, Hyundai is offering a free ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 EV charger with the purchase or lease of any 2024 or 2025 IONIQ 5. If you already have one, you can opt for a $400 public charging credit.
After slashing lease prices this month, the 2025 Nissan Ariya is actually cheaper than the LEAF in some regions. In Southern California, the 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD is listed at just $129 per month. The AWD model has a range of up to 272 miles.
The deal is for 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing. In April, Nissan cut Ariya lease prices to around $239 in most other parts of the country.
Kia has a few EVs available to lease for under $200 a month in April. The 2025 Kia Niro EV Wind is listed at just $129 for 24 months, with $3,999 due at signing. Kia’s crossover SUV has EPA-estimated range of 253 miles.
The 2024 EV6 may be worth considering at just $179 for 24 months ($3,999 due at signing). In California, the EV6 Light Long Range RWD is only slightly more than the Niro Wind.
In most other parts of the country, you can still find the EV6 for under $200 a month. The Light Long Range RWD trim offers up to 310 miles of EPA-estimated range.
| Lease Price | Term (months) |
Amount Due at Signing | Driving Range | |
| 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SE RWD Standard Range | $199 | 24 | $3,999 | 245 miles |
| 2024 Kia EV6 Light Long Rang RWD | $179 | 24 | $3,999 | 310 miles |
| 2024 Kia Niro EV Wind | $129 | 24 | $3,999 | 253 miles |
| 2025 Nissan Ariya Evolve AWD | $129 | 36 | $4,409 | 272 miles |
| 2025 Nissan LEAF S FWD | $149 | 36 | $2,629 | 149 miles |
| 2024 Fiat 500 INSPI(RED) | $199 | 24 | $2,999 | 149 miles |
And don’t forget the 2024 Fiat 500e, which is now listed at just $199 for 24 months with $2,999 due at signing. The electric hatchback offers a range of up to 149 miles.
If you are looking to spend a little more, check out our list of EVs you can lease for under $300 a month.
Ready to snag the savings while they are still here? At under $200 a month, some of these EV lease deals are hard to pass up right now. Check out our links below to find deals in your area.
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![The US’s first solar panels over canals pilot is now online [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/Project-Nexus-solar-canal.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Project Nexus, the first solar panel canopies over irrigation canals in the US, is now online in California, and there are plans to expand the project to other areas.
Project Nexus is a $20 million pilot in central California’s Turlock Irrigation District launched in October 2022. The project team is exploring solar over canal design, deployment, and co-benefits using canal infrastructure and the electrical grid.
India already has solar panels over canals, but Project Nexus is the first of its kind in the US.
The Turlock Irrigation District was the first irrigation district formed in California in 1887. It provides irrigation water to 4,700 growers who farm around 150,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley.
Project Nexus will explore whether the solar panels reduce water evaporation as a result of midday shade and wind mitigation, create improvements to water quality through reduced vegetative growth, reduce canal maintenance as a result of reduced vegetative growth, and, of course, generate renewable electricity.
The California Department of Water Resources, utility company Turlock Irrigation District, Marin County, California-based water and energy project developer Solar AquaGrid, and The University of California, Merced, are partnering on the pilot. Project Nexus originated from a 2021 research project led by UC Merced alumna and project scientist Brandi McKuin.
Solar panels were installed at two sites over both wide- and narrow-span sections of Turlock Irrigation District canals in Stanislaus County, in various orientations. The sections range from 20 feet wide to 100 feet wide. University of California, Merced has positioned research equipment at both sites to collect baseline data so the researchers can decide where solar will work and where it won’t.
In February 2023, Project Nexus announced it would also deploy long-term iron flow battery storage in the form of two ESS 75kW turnkey “Energy Warehouse” batteries.
You can learn more about Project Nexus here:
Read more: In a US first, California will pilot solar-panel canopies over canals
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