Teslas will call 911 for you when airbags are activated

The logo marks the showroom and service center for the US automotive and energy company Tesla in Amsterdam. Picture: John Thys / AFP

The logo marks the showroom and service center for the US automotive and energy company Tesla in Amsterdam. Picture: John Thys / AFP

Published Dec 12, 2023

Share

Teslas will automatically dial 911 if the airbags are activated.

A new holiday update is on the way next week for the EV motors, including the new emergency feature, plus Apple Podcasts support, rear-screen Bluetooth headset support, upgraded park assistance with 3D visuals, and blind spot indicators.

Meanwhile, Tesla recently began deliveries of the Cybertruck.

The company's first new model in nearly four years had been long-delayed but the electric pick-up is now ready to go, though its starting price tag of $60,990 is considerably higher than the just under $40,000 it was originally touted as when the vehicle was first announced in 2019.

The $60,990 model is for a rear-wheel drive model and won't be available until 2025, but an all-wheel drive version will be ready for delivery next year, priced at $79,990. 2024 will also usher in the Cyberbeast, the priciest version at an estimated $99,990.

During a live-streamed event at Tesla's Texas headquarters, founder Elon Musk drove a Cybertruck on stage and hailed it as their "best product".

He said: “I think it’s our best product, I think it’s the most unique thing on the road, and, finally, the future will look like the future.

“As you can see, we’ve got quite a few to deliver here...

“This is going to change the look of the roads.

“I mean, one of them in a parking lot does not look like the other.”

In 2019, at a launch event, the vehicle's window was smashed by a steel ball when testing its supposedly unbreakable qualities, and Elon referenced the incident.

He quipped: “You may remember an incident four years ago [that] didn’t quite go as planned."

He then invited Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen to throw a baseball at the vehicle - and its window fortunately stayed intact.

BANG Showbiz