Tesla's newest update, update 2024.26, should be a big hit with drivers, especially parents of young drivers. According to Teslarati, the new update comes with Parental Control options, allowing a parent to monitor and control some aspects of their child's driving habits.
The newest update, which as of July 10 was only released to Tesla employees, will include features like YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Navigate to Sub-Destination, and Weather Forecast and Air Quality features, among others.
It's the parental controls feature that's getting the most attention and will likely be the most consequential.
The parental controls rolled out in the new update will allow parents to set a maximum speed limit, limit acceleration, and turn on safety features like Speed Limit Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Forward Collision Warning. The parental controls also include a Night Curfew feature that will notify parents if the car is driven past a set curfew.
Besides providing some peace of mind for parents of children who drive a Tesla, the update can potentially persuade parents of young drivers, especially new drivers, to get their child a Tesla in part because of these features. Or the update could persuade parents to make their next car a Tesla if they have a child who might sometimes drive their car.
If this update leads to more Teslas on the road, there's a larger benefit as well. For every electric vehicle on the road, that's one less car that runs on dirty energy and releases harmful pollutants that contribute to the warming of the planet.
Dr. Chris Hingston, an ICU doctor at University Hospital in Wales, reacted to news of the Parental Controls option with a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"Great to see Tesla testing parental controls on cars, limiting performance," Hingston posted. "Has the potential to make a huge difference to road safety and some of the tragic deaths I frequently see."
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