Tesla testing in-car Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity with major internet providers

The Wi-Fi hotspot feature could prove useful to improve the connectivity of Tesla vehicles as data requirements are increasing with more internet-based entertainment features.

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The Electric vehicle giant Tesla, has started testing in-car wifi hotspot connectivity with several major internet providers to provide an alternative internet connection for its EV fleet. The feature could prove useful to improve the connectivity of Tesla vehicles as data requirements are increasing with more internet-based entertainment features inside the vehicles and as Tesla is extracting more data from them.

According to reports, connectivity has been a flagship feature of Tesla’s offering in the auto industry. It enables several fun and useful features for customers and has also been used by Tesla to collect data from the fleet and improve features, mainly Autopilot.

Tesla is apparently working on another alternative involving using Wifi hotspots from internet providers. A Twitter user going by Analytic managed to activate the new feature in their vehicle, the report said.

"Tesla appears to be working with several major internet providers in North America, Europe, and Asia to test the feature," it added. Tesla hacker "green" confirmed that the feature is the backend of Tesla's software and the automaker is currently testing it.

In 2018, Tesla started requiring a new paid "premium connectivity" package for a monthly fee to access some of the more data-heavy connectivity features. Since then, Tesla owners have had to decide if they want to pay $10 per month for the premium connectivity service or not.

More recently, the automaker launched a software update to allow owners to use their phones' wifi hotspots while driving as an alternative to LTE connectivity.

(With inputs from IANS)