Tesla Music Streaming Services and Apps (Spotify, TIDAL, Slacker, TuneIn and more)

Tesla supports various music services

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While Teslas are filled with a plethora of industry-leading features, new owners are often surprised by the incredible quality of the Tesla audio system and its audio features.

In fact, it is believed that Tesla’s sound systems are on-par with premium Bang and Olufsen systems ($12,000 optional sound system in vehicles like the Audi A8). Elon Musk even admitted in a tweet that they used former Bang and Olufsen engineers to design the audio systems found in the Model 3 and Model Y.

Tesla continues to refine the audio experience for Tesla owners, as indicated by the release of the new subwoofer equalizer settings as of update 2021.44.25.

With this incredible audio experience standard across all models, it should come as no surprise that music streaming is a priority for Tesla.

Premium Connectivity

Part of the selling points of Tesla’s Premium Connectivity is the seamless music streaming abilities offered by Tesla.

With a Premium Connectivity plan, drivers can easily stream audio without the use of cellphone pairing solutions or Bluetooth streaming.

Bluetooth Audio

If a Tesla driver chooses not to purchase the Tesla Premium Connectivity Plan, they can stream audio via Bluetooth from their cellphone.

Audiophiles would point out that the act of streaming via Bluetooth degrades the quality of the music to compress the data stream for wireless transmission. A physical connection with a USB cable connected to a cellphone is not currently supported by Tesla.

Hotspot

In addition, drivers can use their cellphone as a hotspot, allowing the vehicle to stream audio such as Spotify using their device's data connection.

When using your device as a hotspot, you'll have access to almost all of Tesla's features included in Premium Connectivity. These include audio and video streaming services like Spotify and Netflix (accounts with these services are still required), Caraoke and more.

The only options it doesn't include are live traffic visualizations and satellite-view maps.

Available Tesla Music Streaming Services

Like many modern vehicle manufacturers, Tesla has focused on developing an infotainment ecosystem that relies on streaming services to deliver music and podcast streams to the driver via Wi-Fi and cellular connections.

Many of these services are premium services not routinely found in standard car software. Currently, Tesla offers a direct stream from Apple Music, Spotify, Slacker, TIDAL, and TuneIn. This is in addition to FM radio and SiriusXM for the Model S and Model X.

Tesla Streaming (Slacker Radio)

While branded as a Tesla streaming service, Tesla has partnered with Slacker Radio to provide a free Slacker Plus account (ad-free) to Tesla Premium Connectivity customers. In the US, this music service shows up in the vehicle simply as "Streaming."

This account mirrors the features of a Slacker Premium account, enabling drivers to search for songs using voice commands, create and stream playlists, and enjoy curated streaming stations for their enjoyment.

Spotify

Arguably the most well-known of the streaming options, Spotify has built a reputation for exclusive high-quality podcasts and playlist management that makes them one of the most popular streaming services in the world (current market share of 31% of the global streaming market). While not known for its audio playback quality, Spotify’s streaming service offers an industry-leading catalog of material that is popular with Tesla drivers.

Although Spotify offers the ability to stream songs with a higher bit rate (HQ), it is currently not available in Teslas.

Apple Music

Apple Music is the second most popular music streaming service in the U.S. It was notably absent from Tesla's software until recently. However, with the 2022 holiday update, Tesla finally added support for the popular music service.

Apple Music is offered on all Teslas, spanning all the way back to 2012 with the first Model S. It's also included in the Model 3, Model Y and Model X, however, availability does vary by country. It's available in most countries around the globe, but there are a few exceptions.

Although Tesla offers access to Apple Music in their vehicles, not all Apple Music features are available. Notably missing is support for Dolby Atmos and Apple Music Sing. You will be able to stream any song on Apple Music and access your own playlists as well as Apple's featured music and playlists. Apple Music, like every any other Tesla music service, is integrated into Tesla's voice commands, letting you play any song through the use of your voice.

TIDAL

Tidal’s ad-free music streaming service is billed as a premium lossless music stream (indicating a higher quality audio experience when compared to other Tesla streaming partners).

Tesla users with a TIDAL HiFi subscription can stream audio files at 1411 Kbps using a lossless codec that doesn’t sacrifice quality for streaming bandwidth speeds.

However, users have noted that streaming these lossless files over an LTE connection can cause frequent buffering issues due to the large file sizes.

TIDAL does offer the ability to download songs via Wi-Fi to prevent buffering issues.

TuneIn

A lesser-known subscription-based streaming product, TuneIn offers Tesla drivers ad-free streaming of music, news networks (CNBC, CNN, FOX News Radio, and MSNBC), and live play-by-play sports with no blackouts from the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

There is a free tier for TuneIn users interested in listening to their curated playlists and sports radio products.

You can simply navigate to TuneIn and start listening; no need to create an account.

SiriusXM

Popular for its large selection of curated music stations, talk radio catalog, and sports streaming, SiriusXM is a leading subscription and semi-ad-supported streaming solution for the U.S. and Canadian markets.

SiriusXM is only available in the Model S and Model X using a satellite receiver which is not available in the Model 3 or Model Y.

While there have been rumors of an internet-based SiriusXM streaming solution for other models, that solution has yet to appear in the Model 3 and Model Y.

Caraoke

Tesla Caraoke is Tesla’s version of the popular karaoke format. The free service (requires Premium Connectivity or Wi-Fi) allows drivers to play and sing popular karaoke songs directly from their car's infotainment system.

USB Drive (Downloaded MP3s)

For owners who prefer to play their own downloaded music collection, Tesla also allows you to plug in a USB drive and play MP3s directly from your device.

This feature can be useful if you don't subscribe to Tesla's Premium Connectivity or sometimes drive in areas with poor reception.

Your USB drive will need to be formatted using exFAT for this to work. Once the drive is plugged in you'll be able to access your music via a new USB icon available in the launcher.

Tesla will then let you view your music by artist, album, song title, or even search for your favorite songs.

Hide Music Apps / Sources

You can hide any music apps that you don't use

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If there are certain music sources that you don't use, you can prevent them from showing up in the vehicle's Apps menu in the launcher. Simply open your music player, select the right-hand most button for options, choose Sources and then unselect any sources you'd like to hide.

You can navigate back to this menu to re-enable sources at any time.

Missing Streaming Services

Amazon Music, the third most popular music streaming service in the U.S. remains absent from Tesla’s streaming options. Pandora is also not yet available from Tesla’s infotainment system.

While a YouTube video app is available in the Theater section of the Tesla infotainment system (while parked), YouTube’s music streaming service, YouTube Music, is currently not supported.

It should be noted that workarounds exist for playing content from excluded streaming services like Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube Music, etc. through the use of Bluetooth streaming.

FM & AM Radio

Tesla's also offer traditional FM radio. The Tesla interface will automatically show you all the available stations around you so that you quickly start listening to a station without having to use a dial.

Although older Model S and Model X vehicles had the ability to listen to AM radio, that capability is no longer available in newer cars. However, TuneIn has many stations available for streaming, so your favorite AM station may also be available to stream for free on TuneIn.

Apple AirPlay & CarPlay Rumors

Recently, Elon Musk indicated in a tweet that Tesla was considering the addition of AirPlay connectivity. While short of an Apple CarPlay integration, Apple Airplay would allow for improved audio streaming from iPhones when compared to current Bluetooth solutions.

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Tesla Enables 325kW Charging at V4 Superchargers Through OTA Update

@BLKMDL3 on X

Tesla has now enabled 325kW charging at its V4 Superchargers. Right now, this is exclusive to the Cybertruck, which is the first vehicle to charge above 250kW at Tesla’s Superchargers. This new charging speed was initially being tested by Tesla in early December 2024 at select Supercharger sites in the United States, but this speed upgrade is now rolling out across North America.

V4 Superchargers

The new 325kW peak charging speed has been enabled at V4 Supercharger posts across North America - in both Canada and the United States. V4 Supercharger posts also bring longer cables - a great boon for the Cybertruck in particular, which can sometimes be hampered by the short V2 cables.

While V3 posts are still the most common, Tesla’s Supercharging team is working on upgrading older sites with V4 hardware, including pull-through tow-friendly Supercharging stalls. Tesla’s V4 stalls currently make up approximately 14% of the Supercharger network today - which is a massive improvement since Q4 2023, where they made up just 2%.

Faster Charging

The new 325kW peak speed will bring about a 5-minute improvement in charge times, as per some initial testing by Cybertruck owners. That brings the current 0-80% charge speed from 40 minutes down to just 35 minutes. This is mostly due to the vehicle not being able to sustain the higher charge speeds for a significant length of time.

And the best part? This new feature was enabled with an OTA update to the Superchargers. Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, pointed out that this overnight change was delivered quickly, efficiently, and quietly - all without on-site visits.

Finding a V4 Post

Your Cybertruck’s touchscreen will display the location of 325kW chargers and automatically prefer navigating to these faster chargers, depending on stall availability. This is similar to how enabling Tow Mode will make your vehicle prioritize Supercharger sites with tow-friendly stalls.

Faster Charging Coming

Tesla also confirmed that it is working on its V4 cabinets, which will further upgrade the peak charging speed of the Cybertruck to a staggering 500kW. That’ll be double what other Teslas can do today - due to the massive improvements brought forward by the new 800V architecture.

We expect the arrival of the new V4 cabinets and their 500kW charge speeds to even further boost just how fast Cybertruck can charge. We expect that 35-minute charge time to drop to 30 minutes or less, depending on the Cybertruck’s updated charge curve.

Other Vehicles Next?

Currently, the Cybertruck is unique with its 800V high voltage and 48V low voltage architectures. While we expected Tesla to bring these two big changes to their first mass-market refresh - the Refreshed Model Y Juniper, that didn’t come true. As such, we don’t expect the new 325kW speed to open up to older vehicles - at least - not yet.

However, there is still room for Tesla to continue improving vehicle charge speeds, features, and curves. They recently enabled a new battery-heating feature for RWD Standard Range vehicles with LFP battery packs, allowing them to Supercharge even faster in cold environments.

Competition is Speedy

Some competitors have exceeded Tesla’s Supercharger speeds - and not just speeds - but overall charge curves. This is especially true with some Chinese competitors - who are pushing LFP battery packs to charge at a stable 150kW across the entire 30-80% range.

Tesla vehicles currently struggle to maintain the charge rate over a longer period of time, which means that while they start fast, they peter out more quickly than other vehicles. The time difference between faster-charging vehicles like the Porche Taycan and the Model 3 was about 60 minutes across an 800-mile distance.

That’s not a huge difference in time overall, especially considering the difference in price points between a Taycan ($101,000 USD - starting) versus a Model 3 ($47,490 USD - LR AWD). It sounds like Tesla is looking for good charging speeds while maintaining battery health and keeping prices low.

While charge speeds may not be the best in the industry, the number of locations and reliability of Superchargers currently more than makeup for it.

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Tesla Completes the Cybertunnel: How It Improves Cybertruck Production

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Tesla’s newly completed Cybertunnel, designed exclusively for transporting Cybertrucks out of Giga Texas, is now fully operational. While its construction briefly delayed Cybertruck production, causing a short three-day pause, the long-term benefits far outweigh the short setback.

With the tunnel now open and operational, Tesla can seamlessly move Cybertrucks from the production floor to the transport area.

Creating the Cybertunnel

This tunnel is anything but boring. Excavated by Elon Musk’s Boring Company, which specializes in cutting-edge tunneling technology, this 1,355-foot passage was built explicitly for the Cybertruck—and that’s exactly what’s rolling through it.

The Boring Co. completed the entire tunnel in just nine weeks—a testament to Prufrock 3’s capabilities.

With a major highway in the way, we needed a faster & safer way to connect production with our end of line shop & outbound lot

So we teamed up with @boringcompany to bore a 1,355 ft tunnel in just 9 weeks – enabling a much more efficient route for @cybertruck pic.twitter.com/qzyORIz8TB

— Tesla (@Tesla) January 28, 2025

Why Build the Cybertunnel

This Cybertunnel isn’t just for the sake of making a grand appearance. It’s responsible for bringing completed Cybertrucks directly from the Giga Texas production line to the outbound shipping lot - which happens to be located on the other side of a major highway. This allows Tesla to quickly load vehicles going anywhere in North America.

By building the underground tunnel, Tesla connects its loading lot to the factory and avoids using public roads or having to load up Cybertrucks at the factory, where space is constrained. Crossing the highway on a level crossing would also mean the trucks would need to be registered and plated, as they’re no longer on private property.

New Cybertruck Route

The Cybertunnel in red, the old route in blue

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The Cybertunnel has interior and exterior lighting. The external face on the outbound lot side looks like a Cybertruck, complete with a Cybertruck lightbar in the front. After Cybertrucks make their way through the tunnel, they take a right turn at the exit of the tunnel and make their way to the outbound lot, all prepped and ready for loading.

The map above shows the Cybertunnel in red and the previous route that Cybertrucks would have to take in blue. The highway is highlighted in yellow.

The Cybertunnel drastically reduces the time and effort it takes to get the Cybertruck to the loading lot. Tesla is all about efficiencies and vertical integration, and this is just one more example of how Tesla is able to reduce vehicle costs by making vehicles more efficiently.

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