As part of its annual holiday software update, Tesla released a new feature that lets drivers turn their cars into megaphones. Electrek discovered the update, which only works on newer Tesla models (2019 or later). That's because the feature uses external speakers installed on a recent Tesla car to meet U.S. regulations. These regulations stipulate that what would otherwise be silent electric vehicles should be able to alert pedestrians to their presence at low speeds.
Capturing these external speakers has slight delays and echoes when repeating what the driver is saying, as well as distortion of the bass, it's unclear if this distortion can be changed or removed.
This isn't the first creative use Tesla has found for the exterior speakers of its cars. Boombox mode, introduced in last year's holiday update, lets owners replace the default horn sound with any customized audio clips, while Sentinel mode, which lets owners stream live footage from the car's external camera, also includes remote audio capabilities.
In addition to adding new features to its cars, Tesla recently said it would eliminate the ability for drivers to play video games while driving.