Tesla’s Elon Musk hints at Sentry Mode video viewer, 12V battery monitoring features

Joey Klender

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Posted on March 16, 2020

Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to numerous questions from Tesla owners on Twitter this past weekend, addressing customer concerns about the 12V battery installed on the company’s vehicles, as well as potential upcoming Sentry Mode features.

The first question came from @Teslaunity, who asked Musk if the health of the 12V battery could be displayed for owners to view. Concerns about not knowing the status of the 12V battery and possibly being blindsided by its failure is something that affects owners of virtually all vehicles, including Teslas. Musk responded by confirming that the feature would indeed be rolling out in a future over-the-air update.

Interestingly, the 12V battery in a Tesla performs many of the same duties that it does in a gas-powered, internal combustion car. It is responsible for powering all of the vehicle’s lights, non-traction motors like the windows and wipers, safety systems like airbags and brake boosters, Autopilot cameras, sensors and radars, and more.

A Tesla’s high-voltage battery pack, on the other hand, powers the vehicle’s main motors, air conditioning compressor, cabin heater, and the DC-to-DC converter for charging the 12V battery.

In addition to the upcoming 12V battery monitoring system, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley asked the Tesla CEO if Sentry Mode videos could be reviewed within the vehicle from the USB drive. Musk replied that he would discuss this option with his team.

The ability to view Sentry Mode videos through the vehicle’s dash screen would be beneficial to owners who get involved in an accident. Tesla Sentry Mode clips are currently viewable by plugging the USB thumb drive or external hard drive into a computer. Another option is to use a third-party USB thumb drive with an Apple Lightning adapter to view the clips directly on an iPhone. If Tesla does roll out a feature that allows Sentry Mode clips to be accessed from within the vehicle, showing pertinent recordings to authorities in the event of an accident or theft would be far more convenient.

Sentry Mode’s versatility has allowed it to become one of the most appreciated features from Tesla owners. It has helped evade traffic tickets, solve accidents, and capture numerous cases of vandalism against the electric cars.

Tesla continues to look at things that owners wish to have for convenience or entertainment and adds them to its cars with software updates. Elon Musk’s vision goes far beyond these additions, but listening to consumers and adding features that they request makes the vehicles more useful and ever-evolving.

Tesla’s Elon Musk hints at Sentry Mode video viewer, 12V battery monitoring features

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Here’s how Tesla Model Y rear seats can recline and passthrough for long cargo

Gene

Posted on March 15, 2020

There’s been a lot of questions circulating on whether Tesla Model Y’s second-row rear seats can recline, but we now learn that it does, plus much more than we expected.

Tesla Model Y is, by many accounts, similar to its first mass-market sedan: the Model 3. With 75% of its design derived from Model 3, Tesla’s first all-electric crossover also seats five adults, with a seven-seat option coming later, but boasts a 15% improvement in rear legroom and a whopping 440% improvement in cargo space. In addition, Tesla has implemented several highly sought after improvements to Model Y, including adjustable rear seats.

Despite not being highlighted in the Tesla’s Owner’s Manual, Model Y rear seats can, in fact, recline to three separate positions by way of a button that’s located inside the upper seat adjustment latch for each outboard rear seat.  Tesla owner and YouTuber Tesla Raj details this in his in-depth video review of the Model Y.

“One unique feature of the Model Y is that the rear seats actually recline. Not only do they fold down, they recline,” notes Raj in his demonstration of the three recline positions.

Tesla Model Y rear seat adjustment (Credit: Tesla Raj via YouTube)

How to recline Tesla Model Y rear seats

Depressing the button inside the rear seat adjustment latch will activate the motorized latching mechanism and recline the seat to the next available position. Pressing the button one time again will recline the rear seat once more. Rear passengers can also hold down the button to recline from the first available upright position to the lowest recline setting.

Model Y rear seats are spring-loaded and can incline by following the reverse procedure. When fully reclined, passengers can tap the button inside the rear seat adjustment latch to incline one position or depress the button to raise the seat to the most upright position.

Model Y Middle Rear Seat

The rear center seat in the Model Y also doubles as an armrest for rear-seat passengers when partially folded down. Inside the armrest are cupholders.

Unique to the Tesla Model Y when compared to Model 3 is a cargo passthrough. Model Y’s middle rear seat can be folded completely down to create a passthrough for stowing sporting equipment like skis and other long cargo. Lowering the middle rear seat can be achieved by pulling on the latch that’s located on the back of the middle seat.

Tesla Model Y middle rear seat adjustment (Credit: Tesla Raj via YouTube) (Credit: Tesla Raj via YouTube)

Being able to fold down Model Y’s rear middle seat adds a nice convenience to the crossover’s utility, however, one can’t overlook the support post that protrudes from the left rear passenger seat.

“I will call out that there’s nubbin’ that sticks out. It’s not retractable. It’s always there. Kinda’ comes in the way if you’re using the passthrough,” points out Raj in his hands-on review of the Model Y.

All-in-all, the spaciousness of Tesla Model Y’s rear seat and the trunk is an undeniable strength of the company’s first mass-market crossover. Priced competitively around $50,000 to start, Model Y catapults itself into the crossover market to become a catalyst that will spark an industry-wide change to electrification among one of legacy auto’s most lucrative category.

Check out Tesla Raj’s in-depth review of the Tesla Model Y below.

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Here’s how Tesla Model Y rear seats can recline and passthrough for long cargo

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Tesla Model Y is what happens when the Model 3 taps into its full potential

Simon Alvarez

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Posted on March 15, 2020

With Tesla Model Y deliveries now starting, the first in-depth reviews of the all-electric crossover have surfaced. These reviews and walkthroughs of the Model Y show that the vehicle is very much like the Model 3, if the all-electric sedan’s utility and practicality were raised to 11. A lot of this has to do with the Y’s driving modes, its storage space, and its spacious interior.

The Model 3 is not a small car by any means, but it is a midsize sedan. It’s a stunning car that beats premium rivals like the BMW 3-Series in terms of performance, but it does lack some points in terms of utility compared to say, Tesla’s flagship sedan, the Model S. The Model 3 has 15 cubic feet of cargo space, which is great for its class, but it is far smaller than the 66 cubic feet of cargo space in a 5-seater Model Y.

Tesla’s vehicles are already optimized for space, but with the added height and size of the Model Y, owners can enjoy a cabin that’s could very well feel closer in proportion to the Model X SUV than its Model 3 sedan sibling. This is particularly evident in the second-row seats, as the all-electric crossover’s tall stance offers ample headroom even for tall passengers. It remains to be seen if the Y’s third-row seats could be usable for adult passengers, but its second-row seats provide a lot of headroom and legroom.

The Model Y even has a particularly unique feature that is not present in the Model 3, or any of Tesla’s current vehicles for that matter. A look at the all-electric crossover’s menus shows that the vehicle has a dedicated “Off-Road Assist” feature. The function allows drivers to gain more control of the vehicle, which would be invaluable when driving on forest trails. Among the Model Y’s features, from its combined cargo area that can fit seven carry-on suitcases to its comfortable cabin with USB-C ports, it is Off-Road Assist that is pretty much the most surprising.

Expectations for the Model Y, after all, have been quite conservative. While Elon Musk has mentioned that the Model Y will likely outsell the Model 3, Model S, and Model X combined, Tesla has been pretty restrained in terms of marketing its crossover. This is classic Tesla (the months of Model 3 anti-selling come to mind), but now that deliveries have begun, it is starting to become evident that the Model Y is designed to become an even bigger disruptor than its sedan sibling. As it turns out, the Model Y is really a vehicle that is designed to take on the best of the premium crossover market, even if it’s off paved roads.

It is fitting that Tesla is producing the Model Y at this point in the company’s history. Tesla has learned valuable lessons with each vehicle that it released so far. One could then argue that the company had to learn the knowledge it gained with the Model 3’s production challenges before it even attempted to ramp the Model Y. Tesla is a much different automaker today, and this is one of the key reasons why now is the perfect time for Tesla to enter the crossover segment. In a way, the Model Y is definitely a lot like the Model 3, only this time, it is disrupting a segment that’s far larger in the auto industry.

Following is an in-depth review of the Tesla Model Y, courtesy of owner-enthusiast Tesla Raj.

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Tesla Model Y is what happens when the Model 3 taps into its full potential

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