Tesla update lets drivers turn their cars into megaphones

As part of its annual holiday software update, Tesla has released a new feature that lets drivers turn their cars into megaphones.

The update was spotted by Electrek, which reports that it’s only available in newer Tesla models (2019 or later). This is because the feature uses external speakers that were installed in recent Tesla vehicles to meet US regulations. These regulations stipulate that otherwise silent electric cars should be able to alert pedestrians to their presence at low speeds.

A video of the feature (below) captures these external speakers repeating everything the driver says with a slight delay and an echo-y, bass-heavy distortion. It’s not clear if this distortion can be changed or removed.

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