Tesla has announced two new features for its vehicles that take convenience and technology to the next level – all with their customer’s four-legged friends in mind.
Just when you thought there was a sensor for everything, Tesla has revealed that the newest models of their cars will include Dog Mode. Yes, you heard right, your car can now look after your dog – or at least sort of. Your Tesla won’t be able to go for walkies or dispense kibbles, but Dog Mode ensures that the vehicle is kept at a comfortable temperature whilst you’re out of the car.
To enable Dog Mode, Tesla owners simply tap into their climate control settings on Tesla’s jumbo control center screen and select the self-explanatory “DOG” option. Here, you can adjust the temperature settings to match your requirements. Furthermore, Tesla’s jumbo display will show a message letting passersby know that you’ll be returned to your dog soon. Plus, if your car’s battery drops below 20% whilst you’re away, you’ll get a notification on your phone. However, this isn’t to say that this functionality is only useful for dog owners. Anyone traveling with their furry friends can take advantage of this feature to ensure their car remains a cool, comfortable place for pets.
A less cute and cuddly update is Sentry Mode, which basically enables your car to guard itself. With the help of exterior cameras and motion sensors, Tesla vehicles can now monitor movement and identify potential security threats. Although essentially a glorified car alarm, Sentry Mode does have some pretty cool features. For instance, the car can now assess different levels of threat – so, if someone leans on the vehicle, Sentry Mode registers a low threat and switches to “Alert” state. This will trigger a notification and start recording a video of the incident.
In more serious cases, Sentry Mode will set off the full alarm system, blaring music and recording video – just like a regular alarm, but better. Thanks to this new security camera feature, hit-and-run damage or vehicle thefts will now be much easier to solve. However, to use Sentry Mode, Tesla owners need to make sure they have a formatted USB drive plugged into the system to download the files.
These new features are available on Tesla Model 3 vehicles in the United States from February 14, followed by Model S and Model X cars manufactured after August 2017. Other improvements include a dashcam update that allows the vehicle to record from the sides as well as the front.
