Tesla Motors, known for innovative electric vehicles, is quickly becoming known for hiding ‘Easter eggs’ inside their software updates for drivers to find. For context, an Easter egg refers to an undocumented and often amusing feature that can be unlocked and experienced by a user—hidden and fun to find, hence the reference to the holiday tradition.
With software 7.1.2.16.17 pushed out to Model S and Model X over this past weekend, a few drivers discovered that in GPS view, they can drive down the rainbow road from Mario Kart, accompanied by the famous Saturday Night Live sketch about ‘More Cowbell.’ You can see the Easter egg in action here:
Turn on the sound to hear ‘more cowbell below.’ (Credit: Brian Stucki)
https://vine.co/v/iTpji7QVpp5
Tesla founder, Elon Musk responded to the find on Twitter:
Activate autopilot 4X in quick succession for psychedelic cowbell road. And, yes, we are adding more cowbell soon.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 11, 2016
Musk’s tweet implies that more hidden features will be added in the future, which leaves Tesla drivers wondering what’s next. Previously discovered Easter eggs have allowed drivers to see their vehicle on-screen as the Lotus submersible car from the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me; achieving Ludicrous Speed from Space Balls; and an homage to A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is the number 42.
Here’s how to unlock these known Easter eggs on your Tesla:
- Rainbow Road: Activate autopilot 4 times in a row. The GPS will change the normal, grey road into a rainbow one, accompanied by Will Ferrell’s stirring cowbell performance.
- James Bond Mode: Hold the ‘T’ logo, enter ‘007’ into the login, and then adjust your suspension to a depth of 20,000 leagues under the sea. The diagnostic mode will display your car as the Lotus amphibious vehicle from The Spy Who Loved Me.
- Ludicrous Speed: On a Model P90D(L), slide the Acceleration toggle from Sport to Ludicrous and hold for 5 seconds. The display will pay homage to the Ludicrous Speed animation in Space Balls.
- Meaning of Life: Tapping the ‘T’ located towards the top center of the main 17″ touchscreen will reveal the ‘About Your Tesla’ screen. This is the screen that displays your VIN#, your odometer reading, the current firmware’s release note, and the name of your vehicle. Tap the existing name of your vehicle to reveal a pop up which will allow you to rename your vehicle. Erase any existing name that’s present and input ’42.’ Your Tesla’s name will now be displayed as ‘Life, The Universe and Everything’.
Despite recent setbacks, including a recall of 2,700 Model X sport-utility vehicles, Tesla Motors is engaging consumers with unlockable secrets to enjoy and share across social media. The recent discovery of the ‘psychedelic cowbell road’ made headlines this week, and drivers are trying the autopilot trick for themselves. With the upcoming launch of Tesla’s Model 3, for which over 325,000 have been reserved, Tesla is ramping up production but haven’t forgotten their existing fan base and isn’t afraid to inject a little humor into their software updates to keep things fresh.
The resulting buzz has left consumers, like Christopher Walken on SNL, with a fever—and the only cure is more (Easter egg) cowbell.