A Tesla ‘Dog Mode’ Could Be in the Works
The feature would display interior car temperatures and a message stating, ‘My owner will be right back.’
Elon Musk may have confirmed via Twitter that Tesla could include a “dog mode” in future Tesla software. The feature could possibly tell onlookers that the dog waiting inside the vehicle is not overheating and its owner will promptly return.
When Twitter users suggested the temperature and message display ideas for future Tesla Model 3s to Musk on social media, the billionaire responded with an agreeable and concise, “Yes.”
While Tesla already has a feature to regulate its electric car interior from overheating, the issue being confronted here largely stems from a long history of confusion between people leaving their dogs in cars and the casual observers panicking at the uncertainty of the animals’ safety.
In many cases, the dog owner is behaving irresponsibly and actively endangering the animal’s life. In many others, though, the air conditioning has been left on, some windows are cracked, and the dog owner isn’t going too far. In either case, however, there’s a confusion on behalf of strangers regarding whether or not to take action.
In August, for instance, an Ohio man smashed a car window to rescue two dogs he felt were in danger of overheating. He used a hammer to free them, which resulted in a citation and a court date to explain his actions. In this particular case, the sunroof and windows were all left slightly open, but the man wasn’t convinced of the dogs' safety.
In that sense, a “dog mode” is a pretty smart, simple, and functional piece of programming to include in future iterations of the Tesla Model 3 software. At the very least, it’ll put people at ease, while at best, it could prevent those same people from breaking your car window.
