MOTORING NEWS - Tesla is rolling out a new advanced alarm system called Sentry Mode, as well as new protection for pets left in the vehicle called Dog Mode, which sets a comfortable cabin temperature while the car's owner is away.
Sentry Mode continuously monitors the vehicle's surrounding environment when it's left unattended. It starts with a standby state, which uses the vehicle's external cameras to watch for potential threats.
It moves itself into alert status if there is a small threat and a message on the vehicle's huge centre touch- screen warns onlookers that the cameras are recording.
If the threat escalates to a broken window, for example, the alarm activates, the brightness of the centre display is cranked up and the audio system plays music at maximum volume, while the owner is alerted on mobile app.
The owner can download a video recording of the incident remotely. The video recording begins, provided the owner has inserted a formatted USB drive into the car before enabling Sentry Mode.
Tesla began adding Sentry Mode to its owners' vehicles recently via over-the-air updates.
Dog Mode
Tesla's huge centre screen is also key to its new Dog Mode, which the company announced on Twitter. Dog Mode sets a cabin temperature that keeps the owners' pets comfortable when the driver leaves the car.
The screen lets any concerned passers-by know the pets are safe with messages like "My owner will be back soon" while prominently displaying the interior temperature.
Dog Mode is also being added to all Teslas via wireless update.
It can take mere minutes for a vehicle's interior cabin temperature to get to lethal levels for dogs and other pets. Each year, hundreds of dogs die from heatstroke as a result of their owners leaving them inside a vehicle while running out for a "quick errand".
Tesla's Dog Mode keeps the Model S, Model X and Model 3 climate control on, even when the vehicle is turned off. The company released Overheat Cabin Protection in 2016.
While Overheat Cabin Protection is designed to intermittently activate a vehicle's air conditioning, Dog Mode will maintain a driver-selected temperature. This includes cooling and heating.
Sources: www.teslarati.com and www.greencarreports.com
