Tesla’s are aspirational vehicles for many because they can be super fast, drive by themselves with supervision for short periods of time and they’re the first viable daily driver EV that is kind of affordable in the U.S.
However, it’s also the irreverence that CEO Elon Musk continues to infuse the Model S, 3, X and Y with that also makes them appealing. Being able to watch movies, play games or even enjoy a fire (or at least a looped video of one) while you’re in the vehicle is just icing on the cake.
Now, the California-based EV leader is looking to share his innate silliness enjoyed by owners with people outside the vehicle with a new feature called “Boombox.” Part of the latest vehicle update package, it allows owners to download up to five sounds that drivers can use to “honk” at passersby — and yes, a fart noise is one of them.
(Tesla’s Musk was ready to sell EV maker to Apple for $60 billion.)
The engineers patch these sounds through a small speaker in the front of the vehicle, which already emits a low whirring sound designed to inform pedestrians that a Tesla EV is nearby. Unfortunately, this speaker only arrived in 2019 or new model year Teslas.
In addition to passing gas at people on the street, you can bah like a goat, applaud, play the song “La Cucaracha” as well as other sounds. Once you load the noises of your choice into the system, drivers only need to hit the horn to brighten people’s day with applause as they walk down the sidewalk.
There are a few “restrictions.” The sounds are deactivated while the vehicle is in motion so the only sounds coming out of the speaker is the aforementioned whirring noise or the regular horn so the driver to express dismay, alarm, anger or some other necessary warning to others on the road.
(Tesla CEO Musk open to possible merger.)
However, since there are no rules on what sound must come from the vehicle to warn pedestrians of that an EV is in the area, the system can be set up to play downloaded noises continuously. The siren from a fire truck, ambulance or police car, although appealing, is not an option here. The speaker can also be used to stream music while parked as events like tailgates, picnics, etc.
“Boombox” wasn’t the only upgrade owners got recently. Others include updates to the driving visualizer, cabin preconditioning when unplugged, Supercharger display enhancements and new games. The new games include The Battle of Polytopia, Cat Quest and Solitaire.
In addition to the newest updates, Musk realigned the company’s expected move into India. Originally slated for next month, he told a Twitter follower that it wouldn’t be in January, “but definitely this year.” The company will start with vehicle sales in the world’s second most-populous country and later may add production, depending upon demand.
(Tesla gets green light to sell Shanghai-built Model Y in China.)
Plans call for the Model 3, the least expensive of Tesla’s offerings, to hit the subcontinent first, with prices expected to start at over $74,739, or 5.5 million Indian rupees, according to a report in the Economic Times on Saturday.
