Tesla drivers will soon be able to view video clips recorded by four of the car’s eight cameras via their smartphone app, CEO and co-founder Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter on Thursday (US time).
Known as “Sentry Mode”, the security system that comes native in Tesla cars is a market-leading feature. It captures imagery seen by the from and rear and two side cameras and can record this onto an SD card.
It can be set to capture incidents “on honk”, such as the time the lorry in front dropped a massive piece of landscaping stone right in front of this Tesla owner when going through a roundabout. Thankfully it didn’t hit the car.
It can also record incidents when parked, as The Driven’s David Waterworth noted in his article on the matter here. (Keep in mind that can chew up some of the battery charge. For that reason, this Tesla owner has it turned off when it is sitting in the driveway.)
Tesla watchers often keep an eye on code in the EV maker’s app and website updates because it can give away clues about upcoming features being added by Tesla. One recent example was the addition of code that suggested remote access to the dashcam was going to be added.
A recent tweet from Musk in response to a question about when this would be made available as a feature revealed it should be available “very soon.”
Very soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2021
One problem with Sentry Mode recording footage automatically to the car’s SD card is that it can fill up with “false positives” (such as a trolley coming too close in the shopping Centre carpark). If it gets too full, it may miss recording incidents which may require a video to unequivocally submit a successful insurance claim.
According to the screenshot of app code shared by Teslascope on Twitter, the remote access update may include the ability to free up space.
Tesla owners will also be able to view live footage from the cameras.
The update will also include the ability to make the car “speak” by projecting your voice through the car’s AVAS (acoustic warning alert system), otherwise known as a PWS (pedestrian warning system).
Dashcam Live Streaming is now CONFIRMED in addition to viewing Dashcam clips!
You will also be able to speak directly via your mobile phone and project your voice via the PWS (Pedestrian Warning System). pic.twitter.com/g9DVRJVAB6
— Teslascope (@teslascope) October 14, 2021
Unfortunately for Australian drivers this particular feature may not be available, as there are no AVAS laws in place here it seems that Tesla does not ship its EVs with an exterior speaker.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.