Tesla has added a new option that allows owners to transform their cars into megaphones as part of its annual holiday software update.
News platform Electrek unearthed the update, which is only available in newer Tesla models (2019 or later), according to the publication. This is due to the fact that the feature relies on external speakers, which were added in current Tesla vehicles in order to comply with US rules. These rules stipulate that electric cars, which are otherwise silent, must be able to warn pedestrians of their presence at low speeds.
Tesla included a ‘Boombox’ function in last year’s holiday update that allowed users to play pre-recorded noises over the speaker. With this year’s upgrade, the manufacturer is adding a megaphone option to the ‘Boombox’ feature, allowing drivers to use the device as if it were a megaphone.
The feature is demonstrated in the video below, which shows the external speakers echoing everything the driver says with a short delay and a bass-heavy echo. It’s unclear whether or not this distortion can be altered or removed.
Electrek opined that the feature will be incredibly valuable to Tesla owners, and it will not be irritating at all. The news outlet further wrote that in all seriousness, it’s incredible how Tesla was able to flip a compulsory feature that was imposed on them by regulators and that many Tesla owners were unhappy with into a feature that people are actually thrilled to use.
Tesla has announced that it will be adding new functionality to its vehicles and that a feature that allows drivers to play video games while driving will be removed. A car with a loudspeaker is less distracting than one with a video game on the screen.