With software update 2024.26, Tesla introduced Parental Controls, a long-awaited feature designed to give parents greater peace of mind while their teens are on the road.
This addition reinforces Tesla’s reputation for safety, offering more controls and monitoring for young drivers. Let’s explore what Parental Controls can do and how to enable them.
What They Do
Tesla’s Parental Controls lets you set restrictions in the vehicle, creating a safer driving experience—especially for young drivers. These controls not only limit certain vehicle functions but also keep parents or owners informed about the vehicle’s location and usage in real-time.
There are four main features of Parental Controls, including reduced speed and acceleration, enforced safety features, and late-night driving alerts. Each of these main features can be turned on or off individually.
Reduced Speed & Acceleration
The standout feature of Tesla’s Parental Controls is the ability to set a maximum speed limit and restrict acceleration to Chill Mode.
By limiting acceleration to Chill Mode, the vehicle reduces horsepower and torque output, making it an excellent safeguard for young or inexperienced drivers.
For Maximum Speed, you can set a limit starting from 50 mph (80 km/h)and up. However, keep in mind that certain driving situations, such as merging onto a highway or passing another vehicle, may require a temporary higher speed.
Additionally, performance-related features are restricted for Parental Control profiles:
• Track Mode is disabled on Performance models or any vehicle that supports it—so no late-night donuts in the parking lot.
• Launch Mode, which is only available on Plaid models is also greyed out, preventing high-powered acceleration.
Enforce Safety Features
Parental controls are enabled in this vehicle, enforcing certain safety features
Not a Tesla App
Tesla’s Parental Controls also enforce key safety features, ensuring they remain active while Parental Controls are enabled. These features include:
Speed Limit Warning
The speed limit warning warns the driver when they go 5 mph (8 kp/h) above the speed limit and can not be adjusted. Audio and visual alerts are enforced.
While most of these safety features should always be enabled for any driver, Tesla allows them to be turned off manually. However, Parental Controls lock these settings, preventing accidental or intentional deactivation.
Night Driving Alert
Parental Controls also allow you to set a curfew, allowing you to be notified if a restricted driver uses the vehicle late at night. Curfew hours are set between 11 pm and 4 am and can not be changed. You’ll receive a Tesla appnotification anytime the car is driven between these hours.
How to Enable Parental Controls
Not a Tesla App
Activating Parental Controls is simple and can be done either in-vehicle or through the Tesla app, making it easy to manage restrictions anytime, anywhere.
• In-Vehicle: Go to Vehicle Settings > Safety, then scroll down to Parental Controls and choose Enable. You can also enable parental controls by tapping on the profile icon at the top of the screen and choosing Parental Controls.
• In the Tesla App: Navigate to Security & Safety to access Parental Controls.
After enabling Parental Controls, you’ll be asked to enter a four-digit code that will be required when turning it off.
How to Turn Off Parental Controls
Parental Controls apply to the entire vehicle and affect all driver profiles. If you’re switching between a driver who needs parental controls and one who doesn't, then parental controls must be enabled or disabled after each driver uses the vehicle.
To turn off parental controls, tap the Profiles icon in the status bar, then tap parental controls and enter your PIN.
How to Tell If Parental Controls Are Enabled
There are a few ways to tell if parental controls are enabled in the vehicle. The easiest way is to tap the Profile icon in the status bar. If parental controls are enabled, you’ll see “Parental Controls Enabled” at the top of the list of profiles.
Which Models Are Supported
Like most Tesla software updates, new features apply to most features. This means that parental controls are available on most Teslas, including all Model 3s, all Model Ys, Cybertrucks, and 2021+ Model S and Model X vehicles.
Future Updates
Since introducing Parental Controls in 2024, Tesla has already added additional functionality, such as requiring Park Assist Chimes, Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance, Automatic 911 Calls, and other features.
There will likely be further improvements to parental controls that will introduce additional capabilities in the future. Such features could include letting guardians customize the curfew hours and locking parental controls to specific profiles.
Parental Controls are an immensely valuable feature if you have a young driver in the house. Similar to Valet Mode, they restrict access to several features, but while Valet Mode focuses on privacy, Parental Controls focuses on safety.
Powershare is a feature that is currently exclusive to the Cybertruck and one of the truck’s best selling points. With its massive 123kWh battery, the Cybertruck can supply power to your home when paired with a Tesla PowerShare setup. This system also includes automatic backup failover, ensuring seamless power during home outages.
Powershare Limitations
One major limitation has been that Tesla Powerwall owners couldn’t use the PowerShare feature due to software conflicts, which took a while to resolve.
However, the challenge wasn’t just software-related—Tesla also had to navigate several regulatory hurdles. A key issue was that homes with solar integrated into their backup solution couldn’t use PowerShare. This meant homeowners had to choose between powering their home with solar or their Cybertruck, rather than combining both sources.
Solar Update
Thanks to a recent update, PowerShare is now available for customers with solar in their backup circuit, allowing them to power their home with solar energy and even charge their Cybertruck during an outage—seamlessly and automatically.
Additionally, PowerShare is now enabled for customers with a backup switch, provided they are in an approved utility region.
Powerwall Update
PowerShare will be available to Powerwall owners using a Wall Connector Gen 3 or Universal Wall Connector starting in Q3 2025. While still a few months away, this is great news for Powerwall users looking to leverage the Cybertruck’s large battery as an extended backup power source for their homes.
Wall Connector Gen 3
Interestingly, Tesla has now enabled PowerShare for the Wall Connector Gen 3, a change that appears to be driven more by regulatory approvals than hardware or software limitations.
Currently, Tesla requires customers in the U.S. and Canada to use the Universal Wall Connector for PowerShare, even if they already own a Gen 3 Wall Connector. However, this policy will likely change in the coming months as the Gen 3 Wall Connector gains official support.
Author’s Note - Powershare Pricing
We’d love to see Tesla reduce the cost of PowerShare installation. The author received a quote for a home setup with two Wall Connectors in a standalone garage with its own breaker panel. Since the home already had an automatic Generac backup failover switch, much of the required electrical work was already in place.
Despite this, the final quote for installation came in just under $12,000 CAD (about $8,500 USD at the time). This covered only the installation of a Tesla Gateway, replacing a single Gen 3 Wall Connector with a Universal Connector, and some additional wiring. Even with the Foundation-Series discount of $3,500 CAD, it won’t be cheap to install.
While this update is a great step forward, Tesla needs to make PowerShare more accessible—both by expanding it to more vehicles and by lowering installation costs. It’s an incredibly useful feature that will help sell vehicles, but affordability remains an issue.
At the Cybertruck event, Tesla showed off the Cybertruck’s extended battery, an optional accessory permanently mounted to the truck’s bed. This was Tesla’s solution to keeping the truck price as low as possible while also giving owners a chance to get close to the truck’s original range of 500 miles.
The Range Extender is engineered to boost the Cybertruck's mileage substantially, increasing the truck’s total range by about 35%.
Tesla's Range Extender is a departure from traditional range-extending methods, often involving gasoline generators. Its design, occupying roughly a third of the truck bed, strikes a balance between added functionality and maintaining the truck’s cargo space. It addresses range limitations and makes the Cybertruck more suitable for towing and long-range trips.
Range / Battery Size
The Ranger Extender extends the Cybertruck total range by 120 miles (193 km). For the Cyberbeast, it’ll take the truck’s range from 320 miles up to 440, whereas for the AWD version, the range will be increased from 325 miles to 445 miles.
These are Tesla’s latest numbers, which have been reduced slightly from Tesla’s original estimates that the Ranger Extender pegged at adding 130 miles.
The Ranger Extender uses a huge 47 kWh battery pack, which explains why it takes up a significant portion of the truck’s bed. For comparison, Tesla’s Standard Range+ Model 3 has a 54 kWh pack, capable of driving about 260 miles.
Price
Though official pricing for the Range Extender has yet to be officially announced, it looks like it’ll be priced at a hefty $16,000 USD. The night the Range Extender was revealed, code was found on Tesla’s website that showed off the $16,000 price tag. However, it’s not clear whether this price was a placeholder or if the price will change before it becomes officially available.
Size & Weight
The Ranger Extender fits perfectly alongside the back of the Cybertruck’s bed. Instead of being laid evenly across the bottom of the bed, it’s nestled up against the cabin, making it easier to load items into the truck.
Elon Musk elaborated on the Range Extender's functionality: "It's an optional pack that fits in about 1/3 of the truck bed. There is still room for plenty of cargo. It's meant for very long trips or towing heavy things up mountains."
With a battery pack of 47 kWh, the Range Extender isn’t going to be something light. The Cybertruck’s “battery pack” is estimated to weigh about 600 to 650 lbs (272 kg to 294 kg), which also means that it’ll reduce the truck’s towing capacity by that much.
Installation
A few Cybertruck owners have discussed a marketing idea for the range extender would be to rent it out. Cybertruck owners could rent it for a weekend trip or an extended holiday camping. It's unlikely that Tesla will take on that business, but it is an idea for when more Cybertrucks are around and need that extra range.
Unfortunately, the Cybertruck Range extender is not something that could be easily removed or added, mostly due to its weight. Tesla has said that the Range Extender will need to be installed by Tesla Service and it’s a “permanent” install. We imagine it could also be removed at a later date, but it’s not something you could just do on your own when you don’t need it.
Unfortunately that means that owners will have to choose between additional range or cargo room. If you use the truck mostly for towing, the reduced cargo space may not be a big deal, but for other owners that use their truck for a variety of tasks, it could be a deal breaker.
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Some Cybertruck owners have suggested renting the Range Extender for weekend trips or extended camping holidays.
However, the Cybertruck’s range extender isn’t designed for easy removal or installation, primarily due to its weight and high-voltage connections. Tesla has stated that installation must be performed by Tesla Service and is considered a “permanent” modification. While removal may be possible later, it won’t be something owners can easily swap in and out as needed.
This means Cybertruck owners will have to choose between additional range or cargo space. For those who use the truck primarily for towing, the reduced cargo capacity may not be a major issue, but for owners who use their truck for a variety of tasks, it may not be an easy decision.
Availability / Release Date
The Range Extender was initially expected to be available for pre-order customers in early 2025, but that timeline has now slipped to mid-2025. Given Tesla’s ambitious production goals this year, it wouldn’t be surprising if it gets pushed even further, possibly into 2026.
One potential reason for the delay is Tesla’s ongoing work on perfecting its dry-cathode battery process. Since the Range Extender is a low-volume product, Tesla may be prioritizing it as a testbed for dry-cathode cells before scaling them to full vehicle production. Unlike an entire truck, a battery pack like the Range Extender is easier to replace or refine if necessary.
In the meantime, Tesla is likely focused on the Cybercab and its next-generation vehicle. The Ranger Extender is expected to use the same 4680 battery cells as the Cybertruck, so Tesla will also want to ensure it has sufficient supply for vehicle production before producing the Range Extender.
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