News
Tesla Sentry Mode becomes more convenient with Ring’s new Car Connect feature
Ring, the security doorbell camera company known for its comedic and celebrity-driven commercials, has developed a device that has the potential to expand the capabilities of Tesla’s Sentry Mode. Using the software API for Ring’s new line of car products, Tesla owners will be able to install a device that taps into their Model S, 3, X, or Y’s cameras and gives them expanded security capabilities that can be used in real-time.
Currently, Tesla owners with Sentry Mode are alerted when a significant event is detected, such as a bump or break-in on the vehicle. The owner then receives an alert on their phone with the option to record and save the relevant video beginning from about 10 minutes prior to the alert being sent. It seems that with the new Ring device, Tesla owners will be able to check on their car immediately with a live view.
Own a @Tesla? We’ve created a way to view recorded footage from Tesla’s built-in cameras so you can keep an eye out directly from the Ring App with an optional connectivity plan.
Learn more about Ring Car Connect here: https://t.co/A62pZUuYDa [US Only] pic.twitter.com/u2RxxHrwMe
— Ring (@ring) September 24, 2020
Interestingly, Ring’s car security software also has a feature that may integrate with the interior camera included on the Model 3 rearview mirror intended for future Robotaxis. When pulled over by police, a driver can use the phrase “Alexa, I’m being pulled over” to trigger the cameras to begin recording, save the interaction to the cloud, and notify loved ones of the event. However, specifics of the Tesla-Ring software were not provided in Ring’s announcement. Ring has also announced that its new product will be compatible with any car manufacturer. Tesla is simply the first automaker whose vehicles support the accessory.
https://twitter.com/ring/status/1309249838995787778?s=20
Tesla’s Sentry Mode is designed to be quite sensitive, with the vehicles’ eight cameras recording events that transpire around the car. Tesla’s integrated vehicle cameras, primarily meant for Autopilot functionality, can be a huge boon to owners, and the feature has been credited with helping solve several headline-making crimes along with assisting with a few neighbor disputes. It looks to be a win-win for the two companies to join forces to enhance vehicle security rather than compete directly.
The relevant part of Ring’s product announcement can be read below:
Ring Car Connect
Newer cars are automatically integrating interior and exterior cameras into their design to bring customers peace of mind for things like back-up assist, blind spot notification and more. With Ring Car Connect, an API for car manufacturers, we’re bringing customers this information right to their Ring app, by offering a way to integrate cars with the Ring experience. Starting today, we will be working with car manufacturers to use this API, making it easy for customers to check in on what’s going on in and around their car from anywhere.
Ring Car Connect for Tesla
Building off the Ring Car Connect API, we created an aftermarket device specifically designed for Tesla models 3, X, S, and Y. With this, we’ve created a way to view Tesla Sentry Mode and recorded driving footage directly in the Ring App over WiFi or LTE.
Update:
A previous iteration of this article suggested that Tesla was a partner in Ring’s development of Car Connect. The article has been updated to reflect Ring’s clarifications.
News
Tesla is coming to Estonia and Latvia in latest European expansion: report
Tesla seems to be accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania.
Recent reports have indicated that Tesla has taken a step toward entering the Baltic states by registering new subsidiaries in Latvia and Estonia.
Filings suggest that Tesla is accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania, with service centers likely coming before full sales operations.
Official entities in Latvia and Estonia
Tesla has established two new legal entities, Tesla Latvia SIA and Tesla Estonia OÜ, both owned by Tesla International B.V., as noted in an EV Wire report. Corporate records show the Estonian entity was formed on December 16, 2025, while the Latvian subsidiary was registered earlier, on November 7.
Both entities list senior Tesla executives on their boards, including regional and finance leadership responsible for new market expansion across Europe. Importantly, the entities are registered under “repair and maintenance of motor vehicles,” rather than strictly vehicle sales. This suggests that Tesla service centers will likely be launched in both countries.
The move mirrors Tesla’s recent Baltic rollout strategy. When Tesla entered Lithuania, it first established a local entity, followed by a pop-up store within weeks and a permanent service center a few months later. It would then not be surprising if Tesla follows a similar strategy in Estonia and Latvia, and service and retail operations arrive in the first half of 2026.
Tesla’s European push
Tesla saw a drop in sales in Europe in 2025, though the company is currently attempting to push more sales in the region by introducing its most affordable vehicles yet, the Model 3 Standard and the Model Y Standard. Both vehicles effectively lower the price of entry into the Tesla ecosystem, which may make them attractive to consumers.
Tesla is also hard at work in its efforts to get FSD approved for the region. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Tesla rolled out an FSD ride-along program in several European countries, allowing consumers to experience the capabilities of FSD firsthand. In early December, reports emerged indicating that the FSD ride-along program would be extended in several European territories until the end of March 2026.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X will start using a Tesla-like software update strategy
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X will adopt a Tesla-esque approach to software updates for its algorithm.
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
X’s updates to its updates
As per Musk in a post on X, the social media company will be making a new algorithm to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users. These updates would then be repeated every four weeks.
“We will make the new 𝕏 algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days. This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” Musk wrote in his post.
The initiative somewhat mirrors Tesla’s over-the-air update model, where vehicle software is regularly refined and pushed to users with detailed release notes. This should allow users to better understand the details of X’s every update and foster a healthy feedback loop for the social media platform.
xAI and X
X, formerly Twitter, has been acquired by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI last year. Since then, xAI has seen a rapid rise in valuation. Following the company’s the company’s upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, estimates now suggest that xAI is worth tens about $230 to $235 billion. That’s several times larger than Tesla when Elon Musk received his controversial 2018 CEO Performance Award.
As per xAI, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others. Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.
News
Tesla FSD Supervised wins MotorTrend’s Best Driver Assistance Award
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has been named the best driver-assistance technology on the market, earning top honors at the 2026 MotorTrend Best Tech Awards.
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system. And it wasn’t even close.
MotorTrend reverses course
MotorTrend awarded Tesla FSD (Supervised) its 2026 Best Tech Driver Assistance title after extensive testing of the latest v14 software. The publication acknowledged that it had previously criticized earlier versions of FSD for erratic behavior and near-miss incidents, ultimately favoring rivals such as GM’s Super Cruise in earlier evaluations.
According to MotorTrend, the newest iteration of FSD resolved many of those shortcomings. Testers said v14 showed far smoother behavior in complex urban scenarios, including unprotected left turns, traffic circles, emergency vehicles, and dense city streets. While the system still requires constant driver supervision, judges concluded that no other advanced driver-assistance system currently matches its breadth of capability.
Unlike rival systems that rely on combinations of cameras, radar, lidar, and mapped highways, Tesla’s FSD operates using a camera-only approach and is capable of driving on city streets, rural roads, and freeways. MotorTrend stated that pure utility, the ability to handle nearly all road types, ultimately separated FSD from competitors like Ford BlueCruise, GM Super Cruise, and BMW’s Highway Assistant.
High cost and high capability
MotorTrend also addressed FSD’s pricing, which remains significantly higher than rival systems. Tesla currently charges $8,000 for a one-time purchase or $99 per month for a subscription, compared with far lower upfront and subscription costs from other automakers. The publication noted that the premium is justified given FSD’s unmatched scope and continuous software evolution.
Safety remained a central focus of the evaluation. While testers reported collision-free operation over thousands of miles, they noted ongoing concerns around FSD’s configurable driving modes, including options that allow aggressive driving and speeds beyond posted limits. MotorTrend emphasized that, like all Level 2 systems, FSD still depends on a fully attentive human driver at all times.
Despite those caveats, the publication concluded that Tesla’s rapid software progress fundamentally reshaped the competitive landscape. For drivers seeking the most capable hands-on driver-assistance system available today, MotorTrend concluded Tesla FSD (Supervised) now stands alone at the top.