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Elon Musk wants to add videoconferencing to Tesla cars

By Jenny McGrath May 6, 2020

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to add videoconferencing to your Model 3.

The Tesla Owners Silicon Valley group proposed the idea, and Musk seems to think it’s a definite possibility. Musk tweeted Tuesday that videoconferencing will be “a future feature” in the car.

The Tesla Model 3 has a camera in the rearview mirror that points to the car’s interior.

This raises the question of how safe it would be to take a Zoom call in a Tesla? Drivers may want to be able to use the feature while en route to a destination — perhaps dialing in to a meeting they’re running late for. But it’s unclear if this videoconferencing would be permitted while the car is on the road.

Some Tesla entertainment options, like Netflix, only work when the vehicles are parked.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration includes talking on a phone in its description of distracted driving. Adding the element of being on camera with your colleagues could make a driver even more preoccupied than a phone call.

Other potential uses for the mirror have focused more on monitoring the driver’s performance or recording passengers — either to ensure they don’t damage one Tesla’s robotaxis or as part of a car-aoake sing-along session.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

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