A series of updates from Elon Musk this past weekend hinted at what could very well be a serious initiative to push Tesla’s in-car gaming capabilities. Through a series of tweets, Musk announced that Tesla is porting Unity and Unreal Engine for the company’s vehicles, and popular sandbox titles such as Minecraft and Roblox might be coming too. If the electric car maker pulls this off, it will make Tesla’s vehicles as the largest, arguably coolest gaming rigs on the planet.

Musk’s gaming announcements began as a response to a Tesla owner who expressed his thanks for TeslAtari’s Asteroids, which is now capable of being controlled using a gaming controller. Musk noted that more games are coming to Tesla’s electric cars once the company is finished porting Unity. In a later tweet, Musk stated that Tesla was also porting Unreal Engine, which could open a portal to an even larger library of premium games.

In following tweets, Musk mentioned that popular sandbox-type titles such as Minecraft and Roblox would be great for Tesla’s in-car gaming systems as well. Minecraft has not issued a response to Musk’s invitation as of yet, though Roblox‘s official Twitter account has already responded positively to the CEO’s invitation.

The quick response from the Roblox team was unsurprising, considering that some of the prolific creators on its platform are avid fans of Tesla. One of Roblox’s most popular games, Jailbreak, for example, features the Tesla Model 3, and the game’s developers even took the time to make the vehicle’s attributes as close to the real electric car as possible. The Model 3 is among the popular cars in Jailbreak, since it’s almost as quick as a supercar, affordable, large enough to hold four players, and incredibly quiet (making it very practical for team getaways).

Tesla’s gaming features today are quite basic, with only a handful of titles available, but with the addition of Unity and Unreal Engine ports, the company could very well blaze a trail in the in-car gaming market. The idea of gaming subscription services is starting to become mainstream, as proven by the announcement of services such as Apple Arcade. Perhaps Tesla could roll out a similar service for AAA Unreal Engine and Unity titles in the future? Such an idea is not too farfetched.  

Tesla’s more robust in-car gaming system is a perfect match for the company’s Full Self-Driving efforts, particularly Elon Musk’s idea for a Robotaxi service. During long trips, passengers in full self-driving vehicles will require compelling forms of entertainment. Games and video streaming services (another feature announced by Musk on Twitter) are definitely among the best ways to foster a fun and enjoyable drive.

A Tesla owner is thanking his Model 3’s built-in dashcam after his vehicle helped him avoid a potential case of insurance fraud. Armed with recordings of a suspicious accident involving a cyclist who fled the scene, the Tesla owner was able to prove to his insurance company that he was not at fault.

Herman Nagra was driving his Tesla Model 3 at Cedar and Shaw in Fresno, CA, when a cyclist struck his vehicle. The cyclist in question traveled four lanes and crashed into the moving sedan. Recordings from the electric sedan’s built-in dashcam show that the traffic lights were green when the Model 3 driver crossed the intersection. 

After the incident, Nagra promptly pulled over to check on the cyclist, but strangely, the bike rider got up and took off quickly. Police who later questioned the Model 3 owner was suspicious of the story. Speaking to local news, Nagra noted that the authorities questioned him in a “very aggressive demeanor,” asking him about the cyclist whereabouts. “I said I don’t know the accident occurred less than a hundred feet away; he’s not there he’s got on his bike and left. He’s the one that’s actually fled the scene,” the Tesla owner said.

The police did catch up to the cyclist and confirmed that he was not hurt. The rider even informed the authorities that his bike was undamaged from the accident. The story could have ended there, but a couple of hours later, the cyclist changed his recollection of the accident. “An hour or two later, my insurance company calls and says this person is trying to get some money,” the Model 3 owner said.

Fortunately for Nagra, his Tesla Model 3 recorded the entire incident using its built-in dashcam feature. Thanks to an update that allowed the vehicle’s side cameras to record footage while the car is in motion, the Model 3 was able to clearly capture footage of the cyclist crashing into the electric car, getting up, and fleeing the scene of the accident. With the footage of the incident, Nagra’s insurance provider promptly dealt with the matter.

The incident has the trademark signs of an auto insurance scam. Among the most prominent forms of auto insurance fraud involves scammers pretending to get hit by vehicles and filing for alleged damages. The emergence of dashcams have helped curb some of these scams, but the fraudulent practice has not entirely disappeared. The only surefire way for car owners to evade insurance scams similar to the one Nagra and his Model 3 experience is to fight against these false claims with camera footage.

“You know you don’t have to believe the bicyclist, you don’t have to believe me or the witness, the cameras are what the best non-biased information is this collision, believe the cameras,” Nagra said. 

<span data-mce-type=»bookmark» style=»display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;» class=»mce_SELRES_start»></span>

Tesla is unique among its competitors in the auto industry in the way that the company does not advertise its vehicles. Despite this, Tesla maintains a strong brand, with competitive intelligence analysis firm BrandTotal noting that the electric car maker’s organic social media engagement exceeds that of other automakers who utilize paid ads on platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.

Part of the reason behind the strength of Tesla’s brand is a close-knit community of owners and enthusiasts who are passionate about the company’s products and mission. These, as well as factors like CEO Elon Musk’s celebrity status, has allowed Tesla to become a prominent brand mostly through word-of-mouth. This has worked for years, though considering the current climate surrounding the company, it might finally be time for Tesla to seriously consider advertising its vehicles using more traditional avenues.

A successful misinformation campaign

A quick look through comments in news sites and social media would reveal that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding Tesla and its vehicles. Even at this point, there are still a notable number of people who peddle the long tailpipe argument, and the belief that Teslas are more dangerous than internal combustion cars is still prevalent. Add this to the constant talk of the company’s alleged demise that’s supposed to be just around the corner, and one can see just how much noise is surrounding Tesla today.

Tesla has always been polarizing for mainstream media, though it is difficult not to notice that the narrative surrounding the company has gotten more negative over the past few months. A pervading negative slant from mainstream coverage has become notable lately, as is a dismissal of breakthroughs from the company. A perfect example of this could be found in the little coverage being given to Gigafactory 3’s potentially record-setting buildout in Shanghai, and the close coverage given to every Tesla fire or accident.

It’s unfortunate, but these add to the misconception that Tesla is consistently a hot mess, or that its cars are equally bad, or that the company is being led by an unstable leader who’s but a few steps away from being mad. These are, of course, untrue, but it would take the layman a lot of effort and research to reach this conclusion. At this point, Tesla needs a way to battle and correct the misinformation surrounding itself, and the perfect way to do this would be through actual advertisements. In this light, ads promoting and explaining Autopilot could be at the forefront of this initiative.

Setting the record straight

Partly due to the misinformation surrounding the company, Autopilot is at times perceived to be a full self-driving system that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel. Both assumptions are incorrect, of course, as Tesla specifically informs drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to intervene at any time when Autopilot is engaged. The Tesla community knows this. The public? Not so much.

Perhaps Tesla can actually run advertisements showing what Autopilot is (a driver-assist system) and how it’s supposed to be used. Doing so not only raises awareness of the feature’s real nature; it also dispels the notion that the company is pushing a dangerous self-driving software on the road. If the layman is saturated with the correct information about Autopilot, then there is a good chance that he will not openly accept misconceptions about the system, nor will he be “misled” by the feature when he uses it.

The same is true for the vehicles’ safety. Tesla’s entire lineup of vehicles are among the safest cars on the road today, but the insistent coverage of crashes involving the company’s vehicles would suggest otherwise. An ad campaign surrounding the safety features inherent in electric cars, such as their huge crumple zones due to their lack of an engine, would help the company spread the word that its vehicles are safe.

Even over-the-air upgrades such as Sentry Mode could benefit from an advertising push. With the general public knowing that Teslas are capable of recording footage, fewer vandals or thieves might attempt to break into the company’s electric cars. Ads could also help dispel the public’s reservations about range and charging, as well as debunk the ridiculous misconception that Tesla’s are less “American” than the next Ford or GM truck. These are but the tip of the iceberg.

Beyond word of mouth

Overall, word-of-mouth is an incredibly powerful tool, and it has served Tesla well. With the company entering the mass market with the Model 3, and later on, the Model Y, the time might be right for Tesla to start adopting  (at least to a certain degree) information campaigns that are effectively used by its competitors. Teslas are among the safest, most advanced, most fun vehicles on the road, but until the public becomes fully aware of these, the company’s electric cars will mostly remain as niche vehicles. With the right information, perhaps the public will finally perceive Teslas the way they are meant to be perceived — as vehicles designed to accelerate the shift to sustainable transportation.

Think of it this way. Tesla’s brand has reached this point with word-of-mouth alone. Just imagine what it could do with a boost from smart, targeted advertising campaigns.

A report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has stated that Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assist system was engaged during a fatal Model 3 crash in Delray Beach, FL last March. Released on Thursday, the NTSB’s report stated that the Model 3’s driver had engaged Autopilot about 10 seconds before the vehicle crashed into a semitrailer.

The driver of the ill-fated Model 3 was traveling about 68 mph on a highway with a 55 mph speed limit, according to the report’s findings. The NTSB further noted that neither the vehicle’s driver nor Autopilot was able to perform any evasive maneuvers in the seconds leading up to the impact.

Tesla requires drivers to constantly put pressure on the steering wheel when Autopilot is engaged, emphasizing that the driver-assist feature is not a full self-driving system. Tesla has also issued constant reminders urging drivers to stay alert and be ready to take over their vehicles at any time. Nevertheless, Reuters notes that some Tesla owners have pointed out that they are able to avoid putting their hands on their vehicles’ steering wheel for extended periods of time while Autopilot is engaged.

The NTSB’s report noted that the driver operating the semitrailer was attempting to cross the highway’s southbound lanes and turn into the northbound lanes. The truck driver slowed as it crossed into the southbound lanes, blocking the Model 3’s path. The electric sedan crashed into the side of the semitrailer, shearing off its roof as it passed underneath the truck’s trailer. The Model 3 came to a stop on the median, about 1,600 feet away from the truck.

The report issued on Thursday is a preliminary report, and investigations into the crash are still ongoing. The NTSB has declined to place the blame on the accident, at least as of writing.

A Tesla spokesperson has issued a statement following the release of the NTSB’s report.

“We are deeply saddened by this accident and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Tesla drivers have logged more than one billion miles with Autopilot engaged, and our data shows that, when used properly by an attentive driver who is prepared to take control at all times, drivers supported by Autopilot are safer than those operating without assistance. For the past three quarters we have released quarterly safety data directly from our vehicles which demonstrates that.”

The NTSB’s report could be accessed here.