UPDATE Dec 18, 2018: Tesla Model 3, Model X and Model S to get new Easter Eggs update with Romance Mode and some “Toilet Humor” – check out the “fart app” video. Hilarious!
After the fashion of Apple Inc., which regularly hides Easter eggs in new versions of iOS, Tesla, too, loves to hide Easter eggs in its software, and has been doing so for years. In the Model 3, the very first Easter egg was discovered shortly after deliveries began at the end of 2017. It was a photo of the Model 3 development team that could be accessed through the About dialog box.
How to access it: Tap on the ‘T’ on the touchscreen, then tap and hold the numeral 3 on the model type in the About box for about 10 seconds. Voila!
A similar Easter egg was seen on the Model S as well when it first came out.
Since then, there have been quite a few Easter egg ‘discoveries’ within the Model 3 software. Most of these are also on the software used on Model S and X, but who knows – maybe they’ll start putting out some M3-exclusive Easter eggs soon.
Map of Mars and the Sketchpad
This little quirk turns your screen into a Mars Curiosity rover and shows a map of Mars. Go to the “About Your Tesla” section and tap and hold the screen until another one pops up. You’ll see familiar Easter eggs like Rainbow Road and More Cowbell. In addition, there’s a sketchpad just in case you want to take down notes or doodle something while on Autopilot. Kidding, of course. You can also access the sketchpad by tapping on the T three times.
More Cowbell – Because That’s What Cures Every Disease!
You can access this nifty trick by pushing down on the drive stick 4 times to the first detent. What it does is to show your car driving down a ‘Rainbow Road’ accompanied by the sound of a cowbell keeping time to the music playing in the background. Pretty cool, but can be a little distracting if you’re trying out for the first time on a highway.
Santa Mode and the Holiday Show
Press the Tesla icon – T – for 5 seconds, and in the access code field, type in ‘holiday’, and the car shows you a message that it will now perform a holiday show for you – flapping doors, lights, music, the works. Pretty cool, but best done when you’re in your garage (if you’re an introvert) or parked at the curb after dark (for extroverts.)
Ahoy-Hoy
In version 9 of the Tesla software, pressing and holding the call icon on the touchscreen will turn the text under the icon to “Ahoy-hoy” instead of “Call.” Interestingly, Ahoy-hoy was Alexander Graham-Bell’s preferred salutation when answering the phone that he developed. It’s also shown as being used by Montgomery Burns, Homer Simpson’s really old boss in the hit series The Simpsons:
Spotted any more Easter eggs on the Model 3? Let us know if we missed anything.
Spotted any more Easter eggs on the Model 3? Let us know if we missed anything.
