Tesla has a secret 'Elon Mode' that removes nagging
MKBHD/Twitter
Well-known Tesla hacker and a treasure trove of undiscovered Tesla secrets, @GreenTheOnly has once again made waves in the Tesla community. His recent Twitter revelation uncovers a hidden gem in Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software - a unique feature named 'Elon Mode'.
@GreenTheOnly's tweets give the world a peek into this under-the-radar feature that is yet to see public release. His deep dive into the hidden depths of Tesla's software brings to light an interesting twist to how Tesla's FSD Beta monitors driver attentiveness.
'Elon Mode' - Redefining Driver Monitoring
The driver monitoring system in Tesla vehicles is known for its 'nag' feature. This alerts drivers to maintain their focus on the road and requires them to exert resistance on the steering wheel, signifying their attentiveness. 'Elon Mode' brings a paradigm shift to this system.
In 'Elon Mode', featured above, the car switches from steering wheel 'nags' to a more advanced driver monitoring method. It employs only the internal camera to keep a watchful eye on the driver, ensuring they are not distracted. This is a significant stride towards enabling hands-off driving, a promising prospect for Tesla's global user base.
Green’s Intriguing Experience with 'Elon Mode'
Taking us on a virtual ride spanning nearly 1,000km, Green shares his firsthand experience with 'Elon Mode'. During this journey, Green enjoyed the luxury of a nag-free ride, thanks to Tesla's computer vision-based driver monitoring.
Green observed that the irritating nuisances of the FSD, such as random lane changes and slower driving speed, become less noticeable if he doesn't have to watch the car continually. He even entertained the idea of reading a book or browsing a website, suggesting that the mild, non-human driving choices made during the journey go virtually unnoticed.
He commended the FSD's performance on divided highways and revealed that there's a fair chance the car can navigate between two points without needing any human input. He even ventured that if this technology were offered as Level 3 automation, where the driver doesn't need to pay attention constantly, it would be a "solid deal at $15k" (historical FSD prices).
Despite the benefits, Green also highlights the downside of 'Elon Mode'. Giving the car free rein to make unnecessary lane changes could incite road rage from other drivers. This suggests there's still room for refinement before 'Elon Mode' is ready for public release.
Green's journey in Elon Mode offers a promising glimpse into the future of autonomous driving. While it's not clear when this hidden mode will be publicly accessible, one thing is certain - the future of driving is closer than we think.
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Having the ability to open your trunk hands-free can be incredibly useful when your hands are full, especially in a busy parking lot.
Tesla vehicles now support opening the vehicle’s trunk or frunk completely hands-free — no foot waving required.
What is Hands-Free Frunk and Trunk?
Tesla implemented its hands-free feature by leveraging your phone’s position in relation to the vehicle. When you stand still behind your vehicle, the trunk will automagically open for you.
While this functionality isn’t available on every vehicle, it’s available on every vehicle Tesla manufactures today, including the new Model Y, the Cybertruck and other recent models.
With a compatible device and a supported vehicle, you can now open your Tesla’s trunk hands-free.
How It Works
Tesla’s hands-free feature requires the use of ultrawide-band (UWB) in the vehicle and on your phone. Apple and Samsung have supported ultra-wideband for a number of years and most flagship Android devices also support the low-energy feature.
Ultra-wideband allows another device to precisely detect its relative location. In this case, the vehicle is tracking where the driver’s phone is in relation to the vehicle. Since the vehicle is able to more precisely track the phone’s location, ultra-wideband also improves Tesla’s phone key feature.
Since the vehicle depends on your phone, you’ll need to have your phone on you in order to activate the hands-free feature. Simply stand within 2.5 to 3 feet from the front or rear of your vehicle for the frunk or trunk to open. You’ll then hear a couple of chimes. If you continue to stand still, then your frunk or trunk will open automatically.
The chimes serve as a warning that the trunk will open if you don’t move, which helps reduce accidental openings.
Hands-Free Trunk in Action
The video below shows how Tesla’s hands-free trunk feature works.
Supported Models
Since Tesla uses ultra-wideband to power the hands-free feature, only vehicles with the needed hardware are supported. The list of supported vehicles includes:
2021 Model S and later
2021 Model X and later
2024 Model 3 (Highland) and later
2026 Model Y (Juniper) and later
All Cybertrucks
Supported Phones
Your phone will also need to support UWB. Luckily, most manufacturers have included UWB in their devices for several years.
Apple: All Apple devices since the iPhone 11 have included UWB, except for the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation). The iPhone 16e also has UWB.
Android: Most Android phones - especially flagship devices - already support and use UWB for other uses, but it’s not available on all phones. If you have a Google Pixel 6 or higher, Samsung Fold 2 or higher, Samsung S21+, or other recent Android phone, then your phone already supports ultra wideband.
Which Models Support Hands-Free Frunk
Unfortunately, not every supported model supports the hands-free frunk and trunk feature. The hands-free frunk feature is only supported on the Model S, Model X, and the Cybertruck. In addition, the Cyebrtruck is the only vehicle with a powered frunk, so while the Model S and Model X will unlock the frunk for you, you’ll still need to lift it and close it manually. The Cybertruck will open the frunk for you, much like the trunk on another Tesla.
Which Models Support Hands-Free Trunk
While most supported Tesla vehicles can use the hands-free trunk, it excludes the Cybertruck, which doesn’t have a powered trunk.
Enable Hands-Free Trunk / Frunk
If you plan to use your vehicle’s hands-free trunk feature, you’ll need to enable it in settings, as it’s off by default. Simply open Controls by tapping the vehicle icon in the bottom left corner, then navigate to the Locks section.
Within the Hands-Free section, you’ll find a few options, depending on your model. You’ll be able to choose whether to enable the hands-free frunk or trunk and whether you’d like to disable the feature at home.
Preventing Accidental Opening - Exclude Home
Although the hands-free feature requires you to stay still in front or behind your vehicle for a couple of seconds, it can still be triggered accidentally if you’re working around your garage. To prevent accidental opening of the frunk or trunk, Tesla allows you to disable the feature while your vehicle is parked at home.
Tesla determines your home location by the address that’s set in your vehicle. However, it also adds a buffer, meaning that your hands-free trunk feature will also not work in your driveway or at your neighbor’s home. The exclude home feature is located in the same spot as other hands-free trunk features, Controls > Locks > Hands-Free > Exclude Home.
If you have a recent Tesla that’s supported, go ahead and give the feature a try.
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.
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