Tesla Bioweapon Defense Mode: What It Is and How It Works

You can activate Bioweapon Defense Mode from the climate section of your Tesla

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Tesla is known for its advanced technology and innovative features, and 'Bioweapon Defense Mode' is one of those features. With increasing concerns about air pollution worldwide, this advanced air filtration system demonstrates Tesla's commitment to passenger safety and well-being.

What is Bioweapon Defense Mode?

Bioweapon Defense Mode is a state-of-the-art air filtration system designed to protect vehicle occupants from various air pollutants, including exhaust fumes, smoke, allergens, airborne pathogens, and other potentially hazardous particles. This feature uses a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, capable of capturing 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 micrometers in diameter, and a secondary filtration system with activated carbon filters to remove odors, gases, bacteria, viruses, pollen, and mold spores.

Tesla's Inspiration and Development of Bioweapon Defense Mode

Tesla's commitment to protecting passengers from air pollution goes beyond merely producing electric vehicles to contribute to a cleaner environment. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has credited Google co-founder Larry Page for inspiring him to develop a more powerful air filtration system for Tesla vehicles. The idea is not only to reduce local air pollution but also to minimize the direct impact of air pollution on the occupants of Tesla vehicles.

How Does Bioweapon Defense Mode Work?

The HEPA filter in Bioweapon Defense Mode is inspired by air filtration systems used in hospitals, clean rooms, and the aerospace industry. When activated, the climate control system pulls in outside air and filters it through the HEPA filter and secondary filtration system. This process effectively removes harmful particles and contaminants from the air.

In addition to the filtration process, Bioweapon Defense Mode creates a positive-pressure environment inside the cabin. This feature, borrowed from hospital settings, prevents outside air from leaking into the vehicle. The result is an air-tight cabin that continuously filters and circulates clean air to protect passengers from pollutants, pathogens, and allergens.

Which Tesla Models Have Bioweapon Defense Mode

Tesla introduced the HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode in 2016 on the Model X and Model S with the new front fascia. As of 2020, Bioweapon Defense Mode also became standard on Model Y. Tesla could not include the large HEPA filter required for the Bioweapon Defense Mode in Model 3 due to space constraints. However, the bigger Model Y does have enough space to accommodate the filter. Tesla initially introduced the filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode in electric SUVs produced in China and later made it a standard feature in all Model Y vehicles produced.

How to Check If You Have Bioweapon Defense Mode

Tesla owners can confirm whether their vehicle is equipped with Bioweapon Defense Mode by opening the HVAC control screen and looking for the biohazard symbol. If the vehicle is equipped with Bioweapon Defense Mode, there will be a biohazard icon located near the top right of the screen, next to the recirculation icon. If the symbol is present, the vehicle has the feature.

How to Turn On Bioweapon Defense Mode

You can activate Bioweapon Defense Mode from within your car or through the Tesla mobile app.

To activate it within the car, go to the climate control screen and tap the biohazard symbol. The vehicle will immediately start using air from outside the vehicle and running it through its HEPA filter.

To enable the filter from your Tesla app, you can go to the Climate section then swipe up from the bottom. This will reveal several options, including Bioweapon Defense Mode.

Bioweapon Defense Mode Retrofits

For Model S and Model X owners without the HEPA filter, Tesla offers a retrofit option for $500, which includes shipping and installation at a Tesla service center.

Tesla does not offer an official retrofit for for the Model Y, although some owners have shown that it is possible through a DIY solution.

Scientific Testing of Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode

When Tesla first introduced the Bioweapon Defense Mode in the Model X in 2015, the company released test results with particulate matter 2.5 air quality readings. The results showed that the system significantly improved air quality when needed. This further validates Tesla's claims about the effectiveness of its advanced air filtration system in protecting passengers from air pollution and other harmful particles.

Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Bioweapon Defense Mode

Tesla's test shows on Bioweapon Defense Mode cleans the air inside of the vehicle after just a couple minutes

Tesla

Tesla has conducted experiments (video below) to demonstrate the effectiveness of its HEPA filtration system and Bioweapon Defense Mode. In one such experiment, a Tesla Model Y and a BMW X3 were parked inside a giant bubble, and smoke bombs were detonated. The Model Y had Bioweapon Defense Mode activated, while the BMW X3 relied on its standard filtration system.

During the experiment, a Tesla employee sat in the driver's seat of the Model Y to showcase the company's confidence in its product. The video showed that the cabin of the Model Y remained free from red smoke, while the interior of the BMW X3 was invaded by it. After the experiment, Model Y's activated carbon filters and HEPA filters were removed, revealing that they had captured a significant amount of red dust.

The filtration system is active whenever climate control is pulling in outside air. In extreme conditions, users can activate Bioweapon Defense Mode, which positively pressurizes the vehicle’s cabin, preventing pollutants from leaking. All air is filtered through the HEPA and gas media filters in this mode.

The Importance of Air Quality in Vehicles

Air pollution is a global issue, and prolonged exposure to air pollutants, such as when stuck in traffic, can have significant health effects, including respiratory and cardiovascular issues. With more time spent in vehicles, ensuring that the air inside the cabin is clean and safe for passengers is crucial. Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode addresses this concern by providing a superior air filtration system that reduces exposure to harmful pollutants. This feature not only contributes to the overall well-being of passengers but also sets Tesla apart from other automakers who may not offer such advanced air filtration systems.

Comparison with Other Automakers

The HEPA filter and activated carbon filters in the Model Y

Tesla

While other automakers offer air filtration systems in their vehicles, few can match the level of protection provided by Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode. For instance, the BMW X3, which was used in the previously mentioned experiment, does not offer a feature similar to Bioweapon Defense Mode. The experiment highlighted the stark contrast between Tesla's advanced air filtration system and the standard filtration systems found in other vehicles, emphasizing Tesla's commitment to innovation and passenger safety.

Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode is a groundbreaking feature demonstrating the company's dedication to passenger safety and well-being. By offering an advanced air filtration system capable of protecting occupants from various air pollutants, Tesla sets itself apart from other automakers in the industry. As air quality continues to be a significant concern worldwide, the Bioweapon Defense Mode is a valuable asset for Tesla owners, ensuring they can breathe clean and safe air inside their vehicles.

Is Tesla Planning to Add Steam Support to All Vehicles?

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Yesterday, we reported that Tesla updated their Steam integration on Model S and Model X vehicles. The update was part of their 2024 Holiday Update, but it looks like there may be more to this than a simple update.

Steam, a video game library app, makes it easy for users to buy or launch games on their computers. However, a couple of years ago, Valve, who created Steam, launched their own standalone device, the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck runs a custom OS based on Linux.

Steam Launch

When Tesla launched the redesigned Model S and Model X, Tesla introduced a dedicated gaming GPU with 16GB of RAM and touted the ability to play top-tier PC games in Tesla vehicles.

In 2022, Tesla finally launched the Steam app for the Model S and Model X as part of its 2022 Holiday Update. The Steam app runs Steam OS, the same OS as the Steam Deck in a virtual environment.

However, earlier this year, Tesla stopped including the GPU and Steam (Beta) in their vehicles, and we haven’t seen any updates to the Steam in quite some time. In fact, we thought Tesla was axing their gaming-on-the-go dreams.

SteamOS Update

The Steam app, which is still in Beta, is getting an interesting update for the Model S and Model X vehicles with the discrete GPU.

Those vehicles received an update to SteamOS 3.6 - the same version of SteamOS that runs on the Steam Deck. While nothing has visually changed, there’s a long list of performance optimizations under the hood to get things running smoother.

Comparing Steam Deck to Tesla Vehicles

Let’s take a look at the Steam Deck - according to Valve, its onboard Zen4 CPU and GPU combined push a total of 2 TFlops of data, which is fairly respectable, but much lower than today’s home consoles. The Steam Deck is capable of 720p gaming fairly seamlessly on low-to-medium settings on the go and is also built on the AMD platform.

AMD-equipped Teslas, including the Model 3 and Model Y, are packing an older Zen+ (Zen 1.5) APU (processor with a combined CPU and GPU). AMD claims that the V1000 - the same embedded chip as on AMD Tesla vehicles (YE1807C3T4MFB), brings up to 3.6 TFLops of processing power with it, including 4K encoding and decoding with the integrated GPU on board.

While that’s not enough for 4K gaming or comparable to a full-blown console or desktop GPU, that’s enough raw horsepower for light gaming and is currently more powerful than the Steam Deck.

The Model S and Model X’s GPU brings that up to about 10TFlops of power - comparable to modern consoles like the Xbox Series X at 12 TFlops.

Steam Gaming for All Vehicles?

The fact that Tesla is updating SteamOS even though the feature is no longer available in any new vehicles could indicate that Tesla is not only bringing Steam back to Teslas but that it’s going to play a much bigger role.

While SteamOS is run in a virtual environment on top of Tesla’s own OS, we could see Tesla bring SteamOS to all of its current vehicles, including the Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck. Steam in these vehicles would likely support any game that’s capable of running on the Steam Deck.

We think this Steam update, which includes performance improvements and a variety of fixes, has quietly passed under most people’s radars. This could be a very exciting update for those who enjoy gaming, especially for those who love to do it in their Tesla.

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Tesla Holiday Update Weather Features: All the Small Details

Robert Rosenfeld / YouTube

As part of Tesla’s 2024 Holiday Update, Tesla included two awesome new features - Weather at Destination and the long-awaited Weather Radar Overlay. These two features are big upgrades built upon the weather feature that was added in update 2024.26. The original weather feature added an hourly forecast, as well as the chance of precipitation, UV index, Air Quality Index, and other data.

However, this update also added some smaller weather touches, such as the vehicle alerting you if the weather at the destination will be drastically different from the current weather.

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Weather At Destination

When you’re navigating to a destination and viewing the full navigation direction list, the text under the arrival time will show you the expected weather next to your destination. You can also tap this, and the full weather pop-up will show up, showing your destination's full set of weather information.

Note the weather under the arrival time

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You can also tap the weather icon at the top of the interface at any time and tap Destination to switch between the weather at your current location and the weather at your destination.

You’re probably considering that the weather at your destination doesn’t matter when you’re three hours away - but that’s all taken into account by the trip planner. It will add in both charge time and travel time and show you the weather at your destination at your expected arrival time.

And if the weather is drastically different or inclement, such as rain or snow, while you’ve got sunshine and rainbows - the weather will be shown above the destination ETA for a few moments before it tucks itself away.

Tesla also recently introduced a new voice command. Asking, “What’s the weather?” or something similar will now bring up Tesla’s weather popup.

The weather pop-up above the ETA

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One limitation, though—if you’re planning a long road trip that is more than a day of driving, the weather at destination feature won’t be available until you get closer.

Weather Radar Overlay

As part of the improvements to weather, Tesla has also added a radar overlay for precipitation. You can access the new radar overlay by tapping the map and then tapping the weather icon on the right side of the map. It’ll bring up a radar overlay centered on your vehicle. It’ll animate through the radar data over the last 3 hours so that you can see the direction of the storm, but you can also pause it at any point.

You’re able to scroll around in this view and see the weather anywhere, even if you zoom out. It also works while you’re driving, although it can be a little confusing if you’re trying to pay attention to the navigation system. If you like to have Points of Interest enabled on your map, the weather overlay will hide POIs except for Charging POIs.

Requirements / Data

Unfortunately, you’ll need Premium Connectivity for any of the weather features to work, and being on WiFi or using a hotspot will not be enough to get the data to show up. The data, including the weather radar, is provided by The Weather Channel.

As for supported models, weather and weather at destination are available on all vehicles except for the 2012-2020 Model S and Model X. The weather radar has more strict requirements and requires the newer AMD Ryzen-powered infotainment center available on the 2021+ Model S and Model X and more recent Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

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