Tesla Model S Gaining Wi-Fi, Tethering, Paid Data Plans
Model S owners will soon have access to improved connectivity features lending greater flexibility to their cars.
Tesla’s Mode S electric luxury sedan currently connects to the Internet via 3G like most Smartphones. The data each car uses is currently paid for by the company, but that won’t be true for too much longer according to a company representative familiar with the matter. Instead, owners will probably be allowed to choose the size of data plan for their car according to what they use and prefer to spend. But that isn’t all.
SEE ALSO: Tesla Model S Pricing Changes in Discreet Fashion
The cars will also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing passengers to tap into the connection. Perhaps most importantly, the same source said that the Model S will also soon be able to use an enabled Smartphone as a tethering device, meaning owners won’t be forced to pay for two monthly data subscriptions.
It isn’t clear when the updates will arrive, but the Model S probably already carries the hardware required, which would mean an over-the-air update would be able to unlock the features.
Discuss this story at Tesla-Buzz.com
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
More by Luke Vandezande
Comments
Join the conversation
Another picture of the Model S prototype? Sigh... It doesn't look like this anymore. Please update your Model S photo library. These pictures are WAY outdated.