Tesla Releases Dog Mode And Sentry Mode Updates
Tesla has added two new pieces of software to its range of vehicles, both of which are currently being rolled out globally via over-the-air updates. The updates add a dog-friendly cabin environment setting and a new security system tasked with preventing car theft. Dog Mode was announced on Tesla鈥檚 Twitter account. The new software adds the option to set the cabin to a climate comfortable for dogs at the touch of a button. When enabled, the system enters a 'standby' mode, like a home alarm system, scanning the immediate area for potential threats using the Tesla鈥檚 external cameras. An alert is triggered by any minimal threat, such as someone leaning on the car, activating a warning message on the touchscreen to inform bystanders that the vehicle鈥檚 cameras are recording. A more serious threat, such as someone breaking a window, activates the Sentry Mode鈥檚 'Alarm' state, which blares the car鈥檚 alarm, increases the brightness of the centre display and plays music from the car鈥檚 stereo at maximum volume. The system again records the incident and sends a notification to the owner鈥檚 smartphone, informing them of the attack.
But 1968 was the year when the E-type ceased to be Browns Lane鈥檚 main attraction. There was a new kid on the block, and it was unveiled on 26th September. The Jaguar XJ6 was the culmination of all Jaguar Cars technical expertise all in one car. In terms of ride, handling, stability and comfort it was in a different league to what had gone before. Not only that, but it was able to carry four people in comfort and the manual version was available with overdrive, something the E-type never had, yet was available on cheaper sports cars such as the MGB and Triumph Spitfire. The acclaim for the saloon was instantaneous and a huge waiting list soon built up and Jaguar began phasing out its older saloons to free up production capacity to produce even more. It was also reported at the time that V8 and V12 engines were in the offing. At that year鈥檚 Earls Court motor show, the Series 2 E-type, codenamed X12, was announced.
2 FHC, was a redesigned windscreen, eliminating the earlier 鈥榟igh hat鈥?look with the angle of rake increased from 46 degrees to 53.5 degrees from the vertical - a change which also improved aerodynamic efficiency. The new E-types had sturdier bumpers, which wrapped around the entire nose and tail, giving better body protection. Beneath them were new, enlarged indicators, with bigger twin stop lights at the rear. For the first time, Jaguar offered bolt-on, pressed steel wheels as alternatives to the wire-spoke type, at extra cost. The front air intake had been re-shaped and enlarged, with a 68% aperture increase to give reserve capacity when air conditioning equipment was fitted. Also for the first time the E-type was offered with power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering as an optional extra. Jaguar XJ6 saloon. Air conditioning was now an option on American market cars and the car now featured a crossflow radiator with twin electric fans. Power on the US bound cars was now down to 245bhp SAE or 171bhp (net).
The new American regulations demanded a reduction in hydrocarbon emissions, and this was an area where the six-cylinder XK engine did not perform well. So how did the Series 2 E-type perform? In November 1970, John Bolster tested a two-seat FHC forAutosport. Bolster still managed a respectable 142mph and a 0-60mph time of 7.2 seconds. Again the alterations seemed to pay off, with 9948 leaving Browns Lane in 1969, the peak year of production - and 8643 of these were exported. And this was despite a five-week strike at Leyland Vehicles in Lancashire, which supplied XK cylinder blocks which forced Jaguar to lay off workers. This was also the year Williams Heynes retired as Technical Director, to be succeeded by Walter Hassan. In 1969, the American car magazine Road & Track carried out a survey of 100 E-type owners, and came up with mixed results. By and large, Americans owners liked the car, but the survey revealed it did have a penchant for unreliability. The main faults were inaccurate instruments, overheating, oil leaks, dodgy electrics, failing clutches, water leaks and body parts falling off. There were complaints about lack of ventilation, lack of space, poor heating and de-misting.