A useless but funny feature that may cause problems on the street
Tesla has always tried to enrich its cars with a myriad of tech features, not for nothing their cars have an autopilot to self-drive. However, there are also minor features you probably think they’re useless but exist, such as the so-called “Emissions Testing Mode” that allows you to make your Tesla fart on command.
Yes, it’s not a joke, and this is not an issue of the car, it’s a real feature.
It’s not something new, Tesla owners probably know this well because this feature debuted in 2018 as an Easter Egg for a software update and over the years the “Emissions Testing Mode” has also seen updates.
Here’s how to activate it:
- Enter the Application Launcher on your Tesla touchscreen;
- Tap the Tesla Toy Box;
- Tap the whoopie cushion icon to access “Emissions Testing Mode”;
- You can choose either “fart on demand”, and/or “fart using turn signal”;
- Choose which seat you want the sound come from;
- Tap that chosen seat on the screen or press the left steering wheel button and voila!
But there’s more…
In addition, Tesla offers a menu in which you can choose different fart noises of varying lengths and volumes. At the moment, there are 6 sounds and a randomizer option. Here is the list:
- Not a Fart
- Short Shorts Ripper
- Falcon Heavy
- Ludicrous Fart
- Neurastink
- Boring Fart
- I’m So Random
One thing to keep in mind is that if you enable Emissions Testing Mode, the setting will turn off automatically whenever the Tesla does. Keep it in mind if you want to make a joke to someone.
Recent improvements
With its recent software update, Tesla has now expanded the reach of its flatulence outside of the vehicle.
Select your desired fart sound, then position the cushion on the exterior speaker instead of an interior seat to activate this new feature. The left scroll wheel button or the turn signal can then be used to play a selected fart.
It’s almost ironic that the manufacturer has built a market capitalization of almost $800 billion by fighting gas-powered automobiles with electric vehicles that generate their own “gas”.
Butt that’s not all
More recently, it has been found that the latest Boombox feature that does not comply with US safety regulations because it lets drivers swap out their normal horn honk for sounds like a goat, la Cucaracha, or a custom song clip, including the fart sound.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, such farts could drown out the pedestrian warning noises needed in all-electric and hybrid vehicles, potentially increasing the danger of a crash.
At low speeds, the federal government requires hybrid and electric automobiles to emit some type of sound so pedestrians may hear them coming. This is commonly produced as a high-pitched whining or whirring noise. Electric automobiles are significantly quieter than their internal combustion equivalents, thus it’s essential.
After arguing with regulators over whether Boombox could interfere with Tesla’s pedestrian warning system, the company agreed to recall the function and send a remote fix. Therefore, Boombox will be disabled when a car is in drive, reverse, or neutral after the update.
In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla stated that “Boombox can enhance the conspicuity of the vehicle to pedestrians”, implying that a pedestrian might look up if they were crossing the street and heard, for example, the sound of farts getting louder and louder. Nonetheless, it noted that regulations restrict manufacturers from “altering or modifying the sound-emitting capability of the pedestrian warning system”.
Tesla has conducted multiple recalls in recent months, as a result of increased government scrutiny.
Source electrek.co
