Teslas offer numerous easter eggs. While most of them are fun to try, Santa Mode is easily one of the most popular and fun easter eggs. You'll find yourself coming back to Santa Mode again and again throughout the years.
Tesla's Santa Mode easter egg
What Santa Mode Does
After turning on Santa Mode you'll notice various visualizations have changed.
Santa Mode will turn your car on the screen into Santa and his sleigh. The sleigh will be pulled by two reindeer and you'll even see him carrying presents in the back. If you look closely, you'll see that Santa's sleigh is actually a modified Tesla.
You can pan and zoom the visualization to take a closer look at his sleigh.
You'll notice that the roads have suddenly been covered in snow. If you pay close attention, you'll even see that it has now started to snow.
Other vehicles that are normally rendered on the display will also change. Instead of the other vehicles on the road appearing as a car or truck, they have all now been transformed into reindeer.
There are subtle details that show that Tesla went the extra mile with this easter egg.
For example, the speed at which your vehicle and the other vehicles are moving will affect how fast the reindeer legs move. When you slow down, your reindeer will also slow down to a trot.
Your turn signals will also change. Instead of playing the traditional clicking sound that a turn signal makes, the sound has been changed to sleigh bells.
If you look closely at the collars your reindeer are wearing, you'll also see that they light up and flash red when you use your turn signals. If you use your left turn signal, the left reindeer's collar will flash, and if you're using the right turn signal, then the right reindeer's collar will flash. It's subtle, but nicely done.
How to Activate Santa Mode
There are several ways to activate this easter egg. Depending on the way you activate Santa Mode a different song will be played. Unfortunately like other easter eggs, the volume of the song is fairly loud and can not be adjusted.
You can activate Santa Mode by tapping the Apps icon, the icon that looks like a box with an up arrow, and selecting Toy Box. After opening the Toy Box, you can scroll down to Santa Mode and turn it on.
You can also activate Santa Mode via a voice command. If you use the command "Ho Ho Ho," your Tesla will activate Santa Mode and the song "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry will play.
This is the default song that is played and the one that will be used if you activate the easter egg through the Toy Box.
However, there is an alternative song that can only be activated via a voice command. If you use the voice command, "Ho Ho Ho, Not Funny," then Santa Mode will turn on and the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" will be played.
The only difference between the various ways of activating Santa Mode is the song that is played.
Turn Off Santa Mode
To turn off Santa Mode, you can go back to the Toy Box and turn off the slider for Santa Mode, or you can simply use the voice command "Turn Off Santa Mode."
If you keep Santa Mode on, the song will automatically stop and not repeat when it's complete. The visualizations and other features will remain on.
External Speakers (PWS)
If your car is equipped with a Pedestrian Warning System (PWS), you'll also have the ability to play the Santa Mode music through the outside speaker of your car.
You'll know if your car is equipped with the PWS if it emits a low sound on the outside when traveling a low speeds.
In order to play ‘Run Rudolph Run' or ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' through your car's external speaker you'll need to activate the easter egg through the Toy Box and turn on the slider for "Spread Cheer."
Available on All Models
Santa Mode is available on all Tesla models, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y. The Santa Mode easter egg remains largely the same regardless of the Tesla model you have. Although it does require a vehicle with the PWS in order to have the option to play music outside of your vehicle.
Tesla will now reroute you to less busy Superchargers
@cybrtrkguy/Twitter (Edited by NATA)
If you don't have enough range to reach your destination, Tesla’s in-car navigation system will automatically calculate where you should stop in order to charge.
If the Supercharger you’re set to arrive at is suddenly too busy, Tesla's navigation will now reroute you to another Supercharger location that's within range.
According to a recent tweet by @cybrtrkguy, which shows a picture of their trip planner and the message, “Rerouting to a less busy Supercharger” in Sheffield, Ohio.
— The Cybertruck Guy (@cybrtrkguy) June 25, 2022
Tesla drivers will now know when a Supercharge station is congested and will have the option to change their route to reduce their total travel time.
Not only does Tesla know exactly how many vehicles are charging at each location. It also knows the charge level of each vehicle and it could estimate the wait time for a Supercharger based on how many Teslas are nearby with a low state of charge.
Based on all of this information Tesla can come up with great suggestions on the best place to charge to reduce your overall trip time.
Tesla’s Supercharger rerouting feature will be useful, especially as Tesla starts opening its Supercharger sites to non-Tesla vehicles.
Tesla recently chose to open up the Supercharger network to other car brands, which could add additional Supercharger congestion.
With over 30,000 Superchargers (3,500 stations) reported at the end of 2021, Tesla undoubtedly operates the largest and most successful fast-charging networks.
While Tesla plans to solve Supercharger congestion by tripling the size of its network in the next few years, this new navigation feature will certainly help alleviate some Supercharger congestion.
Tesla Model 3 is in the Top 10 best selling cars of 2021
Tesla’s Model 3 has landed a spot as the ninth best-selling car in the world for 2021, which is up 40% from 2020, according to Fiat Group World. The Model 3 accounted for 508,000 unit sales in 2021.
According to the data provided by Fiat Group World, the Toyota RAV4/Wildlander came in at number one, which is up from the second spot in 2020. The Ford F-150 pickup truck landed at number seven, down from the number 6 spot in 2020.
Toyota and Honda have four vehicles in the top 11 spots, while Nissan, Ford, and Tesla only have one spot.
Fiat Group World notes that the Tesla Model 3 continues to rise within the list and is expected to rank in the top five by the end of this year.
Additionally, the author adds that the Model Y is expected to outsell the Model 3 by the end of 2022, which means both the Model 3 and Model Y would both sit in the top five spots. The Model Y currently sits at the 19th spot on the list, which means the Model Y accounted for 392,000 sales in 2021. It rose from the 262nd spot, or 412%, from 2020.
It’s worth noting that the Model Y began its deliveries in 2020, which explains the significant jump in 2021. Earlier this year, it won U.S. News’ Best Luxury Electric SUV award.
Of the 110 vehicles included, the Model S and Model X did not make the cut. This is most likely due to their higher price tag.
With this data available and Fiat Group World’s insights, it’s entirely possible for the Model Y to overtake the Model 3 this year. And with Tesla constantly adding new features and bringing back ‘Enhanced Autopilot,’ consumers will likely jump on-board.
Tesla is currently battling global supply chain restraints, and Musk said at Bloomberg’s Qatar Economic Forum that these restraints are a bigger issue than competition from other competitive automakers.
“Our constraints are much. More in raw materials and being able to scale up productions,” Musk says.
TeslaFi is a service that logs your drives and charging sessions so that you can later refer back to them. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. View their about us page and see everything they have to offer!
DIMO is building a web3, user-owned network dedicated to supporting the next generation of mobility infrastructure. As a user, you can start today by accessing the best connected vehicle experience via the DIMO Mobile App. It works for nearly any vehicle and across any OEM; users are in control of their data and their DIMO wallet is a conduit to other apps and services, saving time and money. Learn more
Find out how to become a sponsor and have your site listed here.
Although we share official Tesla release notes, we are not affiliated with Tesla Motors. We are Tesla fans and supporters.
![Tesla Cybertruck design finalized; to enter production mid-2023: Elon Musk [Video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/cybertruck-1_300w.jpg)
![Bloomberg forum: Elon talks about Trump, Twitter and job cuts [video]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/images/news/2022/elon-musk-qatar-forum_300w.jpg)
