The Tesla App Store

[Haxster]

What if Tesla created an App Store that would let you "install" free and fee features and upgrades? Apps that seldom required additional hardware. Just like your smart phone!

These could go well beyond the standard vehicle configuration settings. The apps could let you personalize your car even more. And, who knows, Tesla might even allow qualified outside developers to participate.

So what kinds of apps might there be? Things like (in no particular order):

Autopilot (different versions and features)
Suspension, performance, and handling settings (e.g. valet, teenager, twisty, snow, rain, "Wild Harry")
Smart portals to in-vehicle smart phones (e.g. use a main screen window as your phone or tablet screen)Cow-bell tunes (like ringtones, but for low speed pedestrian awareness)
Horn tunes for cars equipped with a speaker-horn (e.g. conventional car horn, train whistle, beep-beep, ooh-gah, air-horn, screeching brakes)
Location based entertainment (e.g. car asks "Who knows what's growing in the field on the right?")Advanced lighting control (e.g. tail lights pulse brightly during hard braking, headlights stay on with passenger in car)
Audio system enhancements (e.g. volume limiting, compression, equalization, noise cancellation, smart level control)
Supercharger access (for Model 3)
Window, locks, door & security options (e.g. don't lock the car when it's in the garage)
Customization settings for additional drivers
Dashboard display "skins"
Simulated engine sounds (e.g. Ferrari, tractor, motorcycle, jet turbine, Model T, old clunker)
Audio greetings (e.g. "Good morning Fred, you have a meeting with....")
Advanced voice commands
Additional languages
Track modes and performance monitors for owners who "track" their car
Speeding ticket risk management
Advanced climate control tuning
Car-to-car awareness (e.g. another Tesla is coming toward you around a blind curve)
Detailed diagnostic data
Smart home interface
Games
Camera and sensor recording and analysis (e.g. captures the rime, date, and license plate number of a hit-and-run vehicle)
Enhanced navigation features and subscriptions

Note: I'm assuming that Tesla will provide all primary safety enhancements in their routine updates. So they will not be separate apps.

 

[Ludus]

I'm guessing they currently want to avoid third party developers and any even minor increased exposure to security flaws. Malware that causes irritations on a smartphone might be fatal in a car.

 

[Blackout]

I add this idea when I was in university an app that play a sound of an engine through the speaker... So let's say you are listening to music or radio, you would still be able to adjust the volume of the radio vs the volume of the fake engine... And the sound would increase /decrease depending on your speed/acceleration... And you would be able to download different sound... Like the Lexus LFA car or a formula one or a Ferrari Lamborghini American muscle... You name it... Just to give the feeling that you are diving these cars gas hungry car while there is no emission... Lol
Not really the philosophy behind Tesla but I still though it was a cool app and would love to see something like that in an app store...

 

[Dstrohl]

I suspect (I hope) it would be limited to non-driving features if for no other reason to limit liability.

something that alerted me earlier to slow down to avoid a ticket would be good, but I don't think I want an app developer having access to the controls to try to slow down for me.

Lots of non driving things are certainly feasible though, and I could easily see them being able to be integrated... things like skins, integrations with home automation stuff, geo-fencing options (play channel x when here, change to channel y when you are there), navigation stuff. accessory integration, advanced nav stuff, etc...

HOWEVER, as soon as we open this door, right behind it will come the Tesla app store, charging something for every sale, and immediately behind that will be advertisers, When "Waze" first came out it was cool, now, I cant drive for more than a couple of minutes without it popping up another advertisement for someone. (though it's still pretty cool).

I cant see one without the others... do we think it is worth the flexibility of being able to install apps, to start to have to deal with advertisements? (honestly, I don't know myself, possibly...) and I suspect it is inevitable anyway that someone is going to figure out how to push their ads onto that huge display in the car... there's too much money in it to be kept at bay for too long.