Tesla trains clever air suspension system

Electric vehicle automaker Tesla has detailed how it’s collecting fleet data to ready its air suspension system – before hitting a pothole or rough patch on the road.

The company tweeted that its large electric Model S liftback and three-row Model X SUV can now automatically raise their air suspension before hitting a nasty road patch to improve cabin comfort.

Adaptive air suspension setups are not new, with some luxury vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Genesis and Rolls-Royce already using a front camera to detect bumps and potholes to prime the suspension and help soften the impact.

But Tesla’s predictive machine-learning system is based on anonymised data collected from other Tesla vehicles.

It’s unknown whether the feature applies to older 2013 to 2020 Model S and Model Xs fitted with air suspension or just the facelifted versions currently sold overseas.

The Tesla EVs can already adjust the suspension automatically when approaching a set location, such as a driveway for example.

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The company also collects fleet data to improve its safety assistance systems, software, and route drivers to less busy Supercharging stations – as detailed at its Investor Day.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen features a similar ‘Swarm Data’ system for its ID. family of EVs in select European countries.

However, it’s designed to improve adaptive cruise control by steering the vehicle even if there are no line markings based on the driving habits of other equipped ID. road users.