In a recent set of tweets this weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that more voice commands would be rolled out to the Model 3 as it continues to evolve towards full autonomy.
Tyson Edwards, a photographer from Phoenix, AZ, asked Musk on Twitter if Model 3 owners can look forward to more voice-activated features in the future. According to Edwards, Model 3’s minimalistic interior require drivers to take their attention off the road, when accessing the vehicle’s suite of features that are largely controlled by the touchscreen interface. Doing so might ultimately make it a hazard for drivers.
Responding to the electric car enthusiast, Musk promptly stated that such improvements are definitely on the way, while further asserting that drivers would pretty much be able to do “anything” via voice commands. Musk explained that the enhancements to the Model 3’s voice-activated features would be rolled out as soon as the vehicle’s core functionality was completed.
Definitely. You will be able to do pretty much anything via voice command. Software team is focused on core Model 3 functionality right now, but that will be done soon, then we will add a lot more features.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2018
In a lot of ways, this does make perfect sense. Voice commands, after all, would be a pivotal part of the Tesla experience once the Model 3 achieves Full Self-Driving capabilities. According to Elon Musk’s Master Plan Part Deux, the Model 3 would play a pertinent part in ushering in an era where self-driving vehicles can accommodate the transportation needs of the commuting public. Considering that the electric cars would, in essence, be driving themselves, advanced voice commands feel like a must.
Even at its current iteration, Tesla’s voice command suite is already feature-rich. A couple of years ago, we covered the Model S’ features that can be accessed via voice, and even during that time, the vehicle could already perform numerous actions that make driving a Tesla a truly comfortable experience. Since then, the voice-activated features of the electric car have improved significantly, and based on Musk’s recent statement on Twitter, it wouldn’t be long before it gets even better.
Also this Sunday, David Burrus, one of Elon Musk’s Twitter followers and a Tesla owner, tweeted to the CEO about a possible feature for its vehicles. According to Burrus, it would be better if the steering wheel’s heaters could turn on automatically, the same way the car’s heated seats do when drivers start the vehicle. While Burrus did not specify if he owned a Model S or Model X, Musk promptly responded to his Twitter follower’s request, stating that the feature will be rolled out in the next update.
Teslas continue to get more features as the California-based electric carmaker proceeds with the development and refinement of its hardware and software. Just recently, we reported on the official rollout of Autopilot vehicles’ AI-based automatic rain-sensing wipers, a feature that has been highly-anticipated by the Tesla community.
