Tesla Model 3 in Australia

[rioli33]

Possibly due to the fact that any internet browser does need an input from someone to 'browse'. Under, at least, NSW law this is illegal. The only time you are able to touch an internet enabled device is to immediately pass it to your passenger. Nothing more. Bluetooth enabled phone is fine... you are not touching it.

I can quote the legislation but it is not hard to find. The more interesting point is how fuzzy this has been become as technology outpaces legislation by orders of magnitude.

iPace has a working internet browser. I asked a Melbourne product specialist during a test drive last year why it wasn't available and she just said that it wasn't legal in Australia.

 

[baillies]

Possibly due to the fact that any internet browser does need an input from someone to 'browse'. Under, at least, NSW law this is illegal. The only time you are able to touch an internet enabled device is to immediately pass it to your passenger. Nothing more. Bluetooth enabled phone is fine... you are not touching it.

I can quote the legislation but it is not hard to find. The more interesting point is how fuzzy this has been become as technology outpaces legislation by orders of magnitude.

Technically operating Spotify is touching an internet browser though...

 

[matsoutback]

Technically operating Spotify is touching an internet browser though...

You need rules for the rules, excellent!

 

[Priit]

The Australian legislation on what is allowed and not in a car is close to stupidity:
Sydney driver cops ‘ridiculous’ fine
So if a passenger uses a phone to talk to someone it is considered distracting the driver, or if a driver has access to a screen that displays a browser, but it is not distracting if that same driver talks on a handsfree? Or looks at a satellite navigation screen? Or talks to the said passenger in the car, which can be the most distracting of those activities...

 

[aegidius]

I get more distracted picking up my sunnies than doing any of those other things. Seriously, if we humans are so easily distracted when driving, we'd really better give that job to a computer...

 

[Candleflame]

The Australian legislation on what is allowed and not in a car is close to stupidity:
Sydney driver cops ‘ridiculous’ fine
So if a passenger uses a phone to talk to someone it is considered distracting the driver, or if a driver has access to a screen that displays a browser, but it is not distracting if that same driver talks on a handsfree? Or looks at a satellite navigation screen? Or talks to the said passenger in the car, which can be the most distracting of those activities...

it is. the problem is not the driving but the act of pressing the mobile phone against your ear, nevermind that you only have one hand to operate the gearstick and your wheel now (which is not legal without a turning aid). Anyway, the primary reason is that using a mobile phone while driving causes tunnel vision.

 

[SPadival]

I want to order my Model 3, but unfortunately when I use my european reservation and switch the orderpage to Australia it removes my reservation number from the browser bar - if i just change the link to en_au it does not work. Presumably the order uses a seperate order and not the reservation number.

Write to [email protected] . Got the refund within a day and my new AU reservation back dated to 2016.

This is what they wrote back to me at the time. But best to write to them first

In order for this to be processed there are a few steps to be taken first. You would need to cancel your reservation placed in the US. You would need to place a new Order through your current country and advise us when this has been done so we can update your same priority for delivery on your new order in AU.

 

[Candleflame]

Write to [email protected] . Got the refund within a day and my new AU reservation back dated to 2016.

This is what they wrote back to me at the time. But best to write to them first

thats what they said when I called them today. Fortunately the bad refund experiences all come from the states with the stupid cheque refund system. In Europe it takes 7-14 days and they just pay it to a bank account which does have to be in the same country you ordered though.

I ordered anyway, the priority/queue is not really relevant to me as I can only take delivery in November probably.

 

[stedes]

Possibly due to the fact that any internet browser does need an input from someone to 'browse'. Under, at least, NSW law this is illegal. The only time you are able to touch an internet enabled device is to immediately pass it to your passenger. Nothing more. Bluetooth enabled phone is fine... you are not touching it.

I can quote the legislation but it is not hard to find. The more interesting point is how fuzzy this has been become as technology outpaces legislation by orders of magnitude.

My BMW F10 has had a working internet browser and movie playback since 2015. It only works when handbrake is on. Early Model S's had it as I remember being demonstrated it on the go during a test drive a few years ago. I guess it's easier to code it completely gone rather than code for it to only be functional when the car is in 'P'. Shame.

 

[paulp]

yes indeed, it's some australian rule that movies and car browser are not allowed to work while the car is moving. Teslas always have left that to the owner rather than disabling them when the car is in drive they just disabled them permanently...

The requirment in SA is that you are not allowed to touch your phone for any reason whilst sitting in the drivers seat unless the vehicle is parked and engine off. Technically tesla’s dont have an engine...but some clever lawyer can win that court case.
There is no reason that tesla can’t provide internet browser that only works when the car is in park. Fairly certain that complies in all states of australia....we need uniform road rules too.

 

[Candleflame]

it's easier to code it completely gone rather than code for it to only be functional when the car is in 'P'. Shame.

im sure that this is the reason too. All they have to do is for the Australian version to not install the browser packet from the Tesla/Ubuntu Repository. Probably took less than 30 seconds to implement.

 

[paulp]

Maybe the issue for australia is more tesla buying sim cards from telstra that have a limited data bundle attached.
I’d sooner supply my own sim and have internet access (when in park), or maybe they can make it only work with wifi, so I then use my phone hotspot.
Given other cars have internet when in park and tesla offer it in other markets, it seems to me that it must be a tesla australia issue.

 

[raynewman]

Maybe the issue for australia is more tesla buying sim cards from telstra that have a limited data bundle attached.
I’d sooner supply my own sim and have internet access (when in park), or maybe they can make it only work with wifi, so I then use my phone hotspot.
Given other cars have internet when in park and tesla offer it in other markets, it seems to me that it must be a tesla australia issue.

Someone is being particularly lazy unfortunately.

 

[Matt_NZ]

Plain white (not pearl white that you currently pay extra for) is going to be the default colour soon. Black is going to cost extra, same price as that midnight silver
Elon Musk on Twitter

 

[SPadival]

I guess it's easier to code it completely gone rather than code for it to only be functional when the car is in 'P'. Shame.

This will change once they have netflix and youtube videos support. Then they have to implement the code anyway for all regions - just need to hook it up to disable the browser itself for AU.

It will help if you keep asking him for this feature on twitter. I keep asking all the time

 

[jgdc]

Technically operating Spotify is touching an internet browser though...

Correct. As I said the legislation simply can't keep up with the rate of technological change that is happening with online cars.

All of you who replied to my post make excellent points. I also had a BMW where all you had to do was make sure the handbrake micro switch was on to get full functionality. Most cars, let alone a Tesla, are much smarter now

I could look further into it but it seems like an endless rabbit hole I will no doubt lose myself in.

 

[Brissienew]

Plain white (not pearl white that you currently pay extra for) is going to be the default colour soon

Finally a common sense decision.

 

[Techno-phile]

Maybe the issue for australia is more tesla buying sim cards from telstra that have a limited data bundle attached.
I’d sooner supply my own sim and have internet access (when in park), or maybe they can make it only work with wifi, so I then use my phone hotspot.
Given other cars have internet when in park and tesla offer it in other markets, it seems to me that it must be a tesla australia issue.

Yes, agree. Main Roads WA have confirmed they do not have an issue with browser being enabled in Park

 

[m4rtin]

Plain white (not pearl white that you currently pay extra for) is going to be the default colour soon. Black is going to cost extra, same price as that midnight silver
Elon Musk on Twitter

I assume from this, probably stating the obvious, that the plain white is cheaper to produce than the black and brings the base cost down for Tesla. Or that black somehow started costing them more (global black paint shortage - joking) and so they're passing on that cost, and bring in the white (global white paint surplus - same bad joke).

 

[Techno-phile]

Now that ChargeFox has confirmed that the UMC available for Oz M3s will only be single phase capable, we must try to get our 3 phase socket locations to accept Tesla HPWCs (assuming the M3 on board chargers are 3 phase so will be able to receive 11kW from a HPWC). This is particularly important for WA where we only have DC chargers south of Perth at the moment, and most of our bush charging sites are 3 phase sockets.
Tesla offered most of our 3 phase sites their HPWCs for free in January, but our AESY team have not made much progress in convincing them since the traffic so far has been light, and the locations have to pay the electricians' fees.
If any new M3 owners in WA want to re-invigorate this campaign, please let me know. If a location gets a few phone calls from several owners, that could persuade them that the demand might be coming.