Zoom announces its video conferencing app is coming to Tesla

By Gabe Rodriguez Morrison
Zoom announces Tesla integration at Zoomtopia Keynote
Zoom announces Tesla integration at Zoomtopia Keynote
Zoom

Elon has previously announced that video conference capabilities will be available in Teslas, but Zoom has now officially announced its video conferencing software will be available in Teslas soon.

Zoom made the announcement during its annual 2022 event, Zoomtopia.

Although Zoom made the announcement, it looks like the integration is being developed by Tesla.

Tesla looks to be leveraging Zoom's popular web interface for this new feature. This means that Zoom will function much like Netflix and Youtube currently do in the vehicle, where it's run in a chromeless browser and Tesla essentially builds on top of this.

The Zoom app is expected to become a part of Tesla Theater when it's released and is largely expected to function the same way, such as requiring Premium Connectivity and only being available while the vehicle is parked.

Camera and Resolution

Instead of requiring a separate camera, the Zoom app appears to utilize the vehicle's interior camera, which means it'll be the first time we have direct access to the cabin camera video stream, although hacks by GreenTheOnly have previously shown the capabilities of the camera.

The vehicle's cabin camera has a resolution of 1280x960, which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. However, Tesla may be cropping this camera feed to 16:9, which means it'll end up with a resolution of 1280x720, or 720p.

The only remaining cameras that will not be directly accessible by the driver will be the b-pillar cameras and two of the front-facing cameras.

Controls

The new Zoom controls are similar to those when on a phone call. In a Model 3 and Model Y, the controls will appear on the bottom left corner of the display and feature options to toggle the video and mic on and off.

The last two buttons appear to be used to view the participants on the call and end the meeting.

In the video, it was also shown that Zoom meeting links will now appear on your vehicle's calendar if available. Tapping on the link will automatically launch Zoom and start the meeting.

Vehicle Support

Since this new feature will likely rely on the vehicle's cabin camera, it will most likely be limited to the Model 3, Model Y and the new Model S and Model X.

During the announcement, Zoom said the feature was coming to “all new Tesla models soon.”

It's not clear whether this means Zoom will only be offered on MCU3-based vehicles, or older models with Atom processors as well. However, given the similarity to other streaming apps, we expect this feature to be offered on MCU 2 and MCU 3 cars.

Elon previously alluded to video conferencing being added back in 2020 and the first MCU 3 vehicle was introduced in June 2021.

App Store

When a Zoom icon was found earlier this year in a Tesla interface video it sparked rumors of an app store coming to Teslas.

However, we don't believe that's what's happening here. While an app store may be an idea that is being developed at Tesla, we think this Zoom integration will simply be another app that is offered in addition to YouTube and others.

Release Date

Zoom and Tesla haven't shared an official timeframe for release of this feature, but Zoom did mention the feature would be available soon during its keynote.

It's possible Zoom let the cat out of the bag with this announcement and that it was planned as one of the surprise features in Tesla's upcoming 2022 Christmas update.

Zoom in Action

Watch Zoom’s segment on its Tesla video conferencing integration below.

Tesla Accelerates India Entry: Eyes Gigafactory India

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s much-anticipated official entry into the Indian market appears to be shifting to a higher gear, with recent reports from Business Standard (paywall) indicating that Tesla is now looking into establishing Gigafactory India. Business Standard points to Tesla exploring land options in Satara, Maharashtra.

Satara is about 250km (155 mi) from the Port of Mumbai, placing it in an excellent location to easily receive parts and materials from other countries, as well as ship completed vehicles elsewhere around the world. The potential facility is reportedly planned as a “Completely Knocked Down” or CKD assembly plant, which means that Tesla would import parts and then assemble them locally. 

This is key to Tesla’s strategy in addressing India’s traditionally high import tariffs on fully built vehicles, which have been a major hurdle for Tesla in the past. This push aligns with India’s updated EV policy, which calls for reduced import duties on EVs priced at $35,000 USD or above for companies that commit to investing at least $500m USD in local manufacturing facilities between 2024 and 2027. 

According to the report, Tesla is prepared to invest substantially more, with figures around $2-3 billion USD cited for a plant capable of doing final assembly on up to 500,000 vehicles. Tesla supposedly aims to roll out the first locally assembled vehicle from the facility no later than March 2026.

Building the Indian Foundation

Beyond just manufacturing plans, Tesla has been actively laying the groundwork for its future Indian operations. Tesla has reportedly finalized leases for its first showrooms in Mumbai and Delhi - two of the largest cities in India. An office space in Mumbai to headquarter Indian operations is also on that leasing list.

Tesla has also begun to hire its initial tranche of employees, with over 30 positions already posted. Tesla is also hiring Autopilot Vehicle Operators in several locations, indicating that Tesla intends to test at least the FSD suite in one of the most complex traffic situations around the world. 

Elon Musk also confirmed that he plans to visit India and speak to the Indian Prime Minister, likely to broker a deal focusing on building out Tesla’s presence and bringing new technology to the country.

The road to India has not been without its complexities. Reports confirmed the resignation of Prashanth Menon, Tesla's India head, with oversight of Indian operations temporarily shifting to Tesla's China team. Furthermore, earlier discussions with potential joint venture partners, such as Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering for land acquisition, reportedly did not materialize, leading Tesla to explore other avenues and locations like Satara.

Despite all the setbacks, Tesla’s efforts indicate that they are more determined than ever to make a formal and official entry into the Indian market.

Tesla's Spring Update Tear Down: New Grok Code, Ridesharing Features and More

By Karan Singh
Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s software updates often contain far more than the release notes show, whether they’re undocumented features or preparation for the next big thing. The 2025 Spring Update is no exception - it’s filled with undocumented changes and, of course, new, inaccessible code that points to upcoming features.

Tesla hacker greentheonly on X has been digging into update 2025.14 and found some intriguing additions and hints about what’s coming next, so let’s take a look.

Grok Incoming

New hidden UI elements have been found pointing towards the integration of a Grok-powered smart assistant for Teslas. This includes references to a “personality” button, just like the Grok app. Tesla is likely hard at work on an advanced conversational AI and integrating the ability to control your vehicle

Grok is the smart assistant that’s expected to replace the ancient voice commands that are available today. However, expect anything beyond vehicle commands to require Tesla’s Premium Connectivity.

While none of these new elements are active just yet, it is a good indication that it is likely on its way quite soon.

Siren Detection UI Removed

Code related to user-facing elements for siren detection has now been removed. We’ve confirmed that the orange dot is still in place with the Spring Update, but elements related to future changes and a UI for siren detection have since been removed from the code base.

Removals don’t indicate much - Tesla could be refactoring the code while they’re working on this or have changed directions on how to implement a future.

Insights into the New Dashcam Viewer

More significantly, for users on HW3, Green reported that the newly improved Dashcam Viewer isn’t just an improved version of the video viewer, but it was built from the ground up, and it’s now web-based. This technical detail explains why the updated viewer is only rolling out to AMD Ryzen vehicles and not older, Intel-based vehicles. HTML-based apps are often quicker to develop but usually require more resources to perform smoothly, which may be why we’re seeing the Ryzen infotainment system requirement.

This likely means that the new Dashcam Viewer won’t arrive on Intel vehicles in a future update unless Tesla can optimize the viewer enough to perform adequately on the older hardware.

HW3 vehicles already missed out on the new B-pillar recording feature. While Green thinks it’s technically possible to bring this feature to HW3 cars, unknown technical issues are likely preventing it. Older HW3 vehicles without a USB port in the glovebox only include USB 2 ports, limiting bandwidth, which could be one of the reasons, among others.

New Key Types

Perhaps a hint at Tesla’s third-party Robotaxi fleet ambitions, Tesla is building out new types of keys.

Rider Keys: These new keys appear to be designed to allow designated riders to access vehicles that are operating in “fleet mode.” This functionality sounds very much like what will be needed to allow Robotaxi customers to access a vehicle temporarily while they’re being given a ride.

Pre-Delivery Keys: Another new key type found is “pre-delivery.” While we don’t have an exact purpose nailed down quite yet, we’re assuming this could potentially allow new owners limited access to their vehicles for inspection prior to officially accepting delivery.

That’s plenty of interesting stuff found in the 2025 Spring Update - and we’re excited to see even more in just a few short weeks once Tesla launches their Robotaxi network in Austin.

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