Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company is working on a dash cam feature using cameras embedded in its electric vehicles that owners will be able to access.
New Tesla vehicles—the Model S, Model X sport utility vehicle, and the new Model 3— are already equipped with a package of eight cameras, 12 sensors, and forward-facing radar, which is used to enable the company’s popular semi-autonomous driving feature Autopilot.
Tesla (TSLA) has the ability to access video data from those cameras. Earlier this year, Tesla asked owners for permission to collect more video data to help it develop self-driving
But owners do not have access to video, causing many to buy an aftermarket dash cam so they keep an eye on their pricey rides.
Musk responded Wednesday in a tweet to one follower who commented “That many cameras on board and we still have to buy a separate Dashcam?! I hope @elonmusk adds a feature to export last x mins of video.” Musk responded with a “feature coming soon” comment.
Feature coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 30, 2017
Tesla wouldn’t need to add any new hardware since there are plenty of cameras already in its cars. Instead, it could enable a dashcam feature through a software update. This would allow owners to use the onboard cameras to capture video of everything that’s going on around the vehicle. It could also be a valuable tool if a Tesla is involved in an accident.
