Tesla will soon bring Netflix and YouTube streaming to its cars, Elon Musk says

Tesla already allows you to turn your car into a gaming console.


Nicholas Miotke/Roadshow

As if turning your car into a mobile gaming console wasn’t enough, Tesla will soon allow owners to stream Netflix and YouTube videos right on their vehicles’ multimedia screens. That’s the story from Elon Musk, anyway, who tweeted the news on Saturday.

Of course, video streaming will only be available while the car is parked, though Musk says that “when full self-driving is approved by regulators, we will enable video while moving.” Just don’t hold your breath for that anytime soon.

Model 3 and upcoming Model Y owners will likely have the best in-car video experience, as Engadget points out, since these vehicles use horizontally oriented screens. The Model S and Model X, on the other hand, have vertically oriented screens… which I guess is good if you like to watch those poorly recorded, portrait-style videos.

Musk says this upgrade will be coming “soon,” and the widespread rollout could happen in August. I’ll admit, while this does sound like an unnecessary bit of distraction if not used properly, the thought of being able to watch a YouTube video or two while waiting to pick up a friend from the airport is pretty cool.


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Originally published July 27, 11:43 a.m. PT.
Update, 12:03 p.m.: Adds rollout timeline information.