Tesla, everyone’s favorite electric car manufacturer, has a beautiful 17-inch touchscreen in the center console of their Model S. At one point, Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk had planned on releasing a SDK for developers to create apps to use that center console display. However, Musk and his team have given it a bit more thought and decided it might be a better idea to allow app mirroring on Android and iPhones to the center console. Tesla still does not want to budge on their stance when it comes to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and leaving both systems out of their cars. While Musk didn’t necessarily confirm that is what they are doing, he did say that is likely what they are planning to do.
It’s likely a better idea for Tesla, as there is security already in place with both Android and iOS platforms. You may remember that there was a hack going around for Tesla Model S’ vehicles. Tesla did quickly push out an update to their fleet to fix the issue that allowed the vehicles to be hacked. But it is still a bit scary that your car can be hacked – and Tesla’s aren’t the only ones that can be hacked, actually. So instead of creating their own app ecosystem, using one that is already established is likely a much better idea.
Then again, why not go with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay? It’s likely much easier to integrate then app mirroring on that center console display. Additionally, Android Auto would look amazing on that display. Tesla is one of the few car makers that have not jumped on board in regards to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Chrysler, and many others are already pushing out cars with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on board. Now Tesla hasn’t publicly stated why they are staying away from Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, but it’s likely due to the information that Google and Apple want to collect. We’ve heard that Google is collecting plenty of information, although most of it is in regards to how a driver uses the apps on Android Auto, and not how they are driving the car.