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Tesla is launching their developer APIs

developer.tesla.com

121–130 of 131 posts

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you trying to say that Tesla will sell bulk user data to advertisers or insurers or credit bureaus or something? That's not what's happening here at all. Users must explicitly authorize each app using this API individually.

That's not at all what I'm implying. I do know how oauth2 works, but charging for API access adds another revenue stream for Tesla that in many other business models is just considered part of the ecosystem attractiveness.

I think it's far more likely that this API is intended to encourage fleet deployments of Teslas and value add from third party apps, rather than for the API fees themselves to be a profit center. That seems far fetched, and I have trouble seeing how that could discourage someone from buying a Tesla anyway, since you can simply choose not to use these features like the vast majority of owners today.

There are real costs to Tesla to run this API, likely primarily the cell bandwidth, so it makes sense to pass those costs on to users instead of subsiding them, which would likely lead to inefficient use of the API or even abuse.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#122
post #120
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CarPlay is irelevant for this use case. You can say Hey Siri/OK Google into the air and just state your request. The phone can connect to the audio system via Bluetooth just like in any other car.

So, experience with CarPlay/Auto: * Press speak button on the steering wheel, speak the query (via car microphone), hear answer via car stereo system with UI response rendered on cars' screen while having the ability to actually control apps on your phone which can then render on car screen. * Yell at your phone over the car noise and only hear response via audio link and have no ability to control the infotainment s…

Have you tried it?

Siri hears me perfectly well in the car without having to yell. The car is rather silent afterall. (Siri is a bad assistant, but that's a separate problem.)

CarPlay would be great but I don't see the relevance to this use case.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give a singular example

I would love Overcast. The podcast app sucks and the dev has mentioned he would probably do it if they released an SDK.

None of this matters to me because I have a car that actually has CarPlay. Living in the future.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#124

I wish they'd do the same for their solar panels. Trying to get to that solar panel data seems much harder than it should be.

Does this not include solar? I know Powerwall was part of the older API.

I tried signing up but was rejected. It did mention energy products so it might include it if you gain access.

It looks like they are just doing a free trial to hook in business focused customers so I'm doubtful it would be a good source for personal use when Elon turns on the money spigot.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#125
post #120
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CarPlay is irelevant for this use case. You can say Hey Siri/OK Google into the air and just state your request. The phone can connect to the audio system via Bluetooth just like in any other car.

So, experience with CarPlay/Auto: * Press speak button on the steering wheel, speak the query (via car microphone), hear answer via car stereo system with UI response rendered on cars' screen while having the ability to actually control apps on your phone which can then render on car screen. * Yell at your phone over the car noise and only hear response via audio link and have no ability to control the infotainment s…

What? When you connect your phone to your car over bluetooth it uses the car microphone just like carplay or android auto would use. Why are you yelling at your phone over car noise?

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#126
post #40
post #16

Given the state of the Twitter API post-Elon, I'd be incredibly unlikely to rely on this unless I have a business contract directly with Tesla with appropriate penalties if my app / access were to be revoked.

It's funny the Elon haters downvote the person saying that the Tesla development is solid yet the parent gets no downvotes and has nothing to prove their statement other than referencing something about Twitter. They are separate companies and APIs. The API used by the Tesla phone app can be used unofficially. I've used it for 5 years, every day. It has been completely reliable for the 5 years I've owned my Tesla.

What’s to “prove”? I don’t have to prove that Twitter turned off its API after Elon bought the company, that’s a fact. I also don’t have to prove he had something to do with it, it was well-reported at the time (admittedly that isn’t quite the same level of fact, but he clearly had the influence necessary and if he didn’t agree with it he could have stopped it from happening). I believe I don’t have to prove that if Elon said Tesla should shut off its API because he didn’t like something someone built, that it would happen. He is the CEO after all.

He’s clearly one of the most impetuous CEOs in the tech industry. If you think that won’t affect people’s decision to partner with the companies he runs, well, you don’t have enough experience with these sorts of deals.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#127
post #16

Given the state of the Twitter API post-Elon, I'd be incredibly unlikely to rely on this unless I have a business contract directly with Tesla with appropriate penalties if my app / access were to be revoked.

Twitter is more alive, vibrant and honest than ever, so this seems like a strange comparison.

It’s also losing more money than it has since it went public. And it turned off its API because Elon didn’t like it. The latter is what makes it a reasonable comparison.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#128
post #95
post #16

Given the state of the Twitter API post-Elon, I'd be incredibly unlikely to rely on this unless I have a business contract directly with Tesla with appropriate penalties if my app / access were to be revoked.

Elon isn't exactly known for honoring valid business contracts.

So far he’s not proven immune to court proceedings, tho.

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#129

If you are wondering about the state of auto API's here's a partial list of loads of makes and models that have some form of over the air endpoints via a 3rd party: https://connectyourcar.com/compatibility/makes/

that isn't a list of cars that support anything "via 3rd party" or have APIs. these are mostly cars with first party over the air apps.

It's a list of cars that you can connect to smartcar.com and then access endpoints via the smartcar api. Other than that you are totally correct.

https://smartcar.com/

Re: Tesla is launching their developer APIs

#130
post #6

Does anyone actually get approved to use these APIs? Or is this another example of Tesla making big claims of openness without following through?

Given that this is named "Fleet API", I'd wager that its pointed at corporations that own a bunch of Teslas for employee use, or for companies looking to start a Tesla based rental car company more than anything.

It's named "Fleet API", because Tesla refers to the Teslas out there as "fleet".
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