News
Tesla quietly added this extra Sentry Mode feature to deter vandals
Tesla’s Sentry Mode gets another feature, set to add an extra layer of security against vandalism.
Amidst increased vandalism events against Tesla’s vehicles in recent weeks, the company’s Sentry Mode has increasingly been in the spotlight as a deterrent for criminal activity. As part of an update to its website this week, Tesla has also revealed a subtle addition to the recording system that should help deter vandals caught in the act.
Tesla’s Sentry Mode on Cybertrucks will soon play music at the maximum volume when the vehicle’s cameras detect activity, as detailed on the company’s redesigned Cybertruck web page this week and initially spotted by Not a Tesla App. The detail was quietly added to the Cybertruck web page, as part of the larger Sentry Mode suite of features that lets owners check out the external cameras on their electric vehicles (EVs) even when away.
“Enable Sentry Mode to monitor your unattended vehicle or trailer, and automatically activate the alarm, increase the touchscreen brightness and play music at max volume if a threat is detected,” Tesla writes on the Cybertruck page.
The music feature could use the Cybertruck’s superhorn and external speaker to play the music outside the vehicle for an even louder response to potential threats, though it’s not clear at this point whether the added feature will utilize the external or internal speakers. The music feature is also not detailed on Tesla’s web pages for other vehicles at this point, though it would be surprising to see it only available on the Cybertruck given that Sentry Mode is available across the company’s entire lineup.
You can also see the Sentry Mode image that appears on the touchscreen when activated below.
Credit: Tesla
READ MORE ON TESLA SENTRY MODE: Tesla is about to ship a fix to a big Sentry Mode issue
Tesla details the features from Sentry Mode in its owner’s manuals as follows:
When enabled, your vehicle’s cameras remain powered on and ready to record suspicious activity around your vehicle when Cybertruck is locked and in Park. Think of Sentry Mode as an intelligent vehicle security system that alerts you when it detects possible threats nearby.
If a threat is detected or the vehicle sensors determine there is a lot of jerky movement like when getting towed or shaken, Sentry Mode:
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- Pulses the headlights.
- Sounds the alarm.
- Displays a message on the touchscreen that indicates cameras may be recording to inform individuals outside of the vehicles.
- Alerts you of the alarm on the mobile app.
- Saves footage of the event to a USB drive (if installed)
Earlier this week, CEO Elon Musk also said that Tesla was increasing security at the company’s stores, along with activating Sentry Mode on all vehicles at the company’s locations. Musk also said earlier this month that it could make its vehicles automatically honk at people who come near or touch the vehicle, which would take a similar approach to scaring off people potentially keying or otherwise vandalizing a Tesla.
Tesla has ramped up security and activated Sentry Mode on all vehicles at stores https://t.co/3HwUgE8ZoF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2025
Following a substantial uptick in protests and vandalism targeting Tesla’s vehicles in response to Musk’s recent actions at Trump’s inauguration and since with the newly created government efficiency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun looking into several of these incidents.
Additionally, President Donald Trump said that Tesla attacks would be categorized as “domestic terrorism,” even suggesting that some of those who have been recently arrested in these cases could be sent to prison camps in El Salvador, where the administration has recently been sending migrants.
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!”
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
