You Can Now Take Zoom Calls Inside A Tesla
Tesla and Zoom are teaming up to bring video conferencing capabilities to the vehicles.
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Billionaire and new Twitter owner Elon Musk previously said that video conferencing capabilities would be included in Tesla vehicles someday. That day may occur sooner than anticipated, as Zoom has officially announced that a collaboration is in the works. The company made its announcement about the Zoom calls during its annual Zoomtopia event held virtually on November 8 and 9, 2022.
The ability to participate in Zoom calls on the road is a feature that’s been in the making for over two years. In early 2020 as the pandemic made remote work the new normal, many Tesla owners started tweeting Musk to ask whether the interior car camera could be used for video conferencing. At the time, Musk didn’t reply, but a month later confirmed that the feature was definitely on the table for future vehicle models.
As for Zoom, the company was initially ambivalent about taking their video conferencing on the road. But now, Zoom’s group product manager Nitasha Walia has confirmed that all new Tesla models will include their software. Zoom provided a short demo during Zoomtopia of a Tesla Model Y driver-facing cabin camera providing two-way video conferencing capabilities.
Of course, the immediate concern that comes to mind is whether it’s safe to participate in Zoom calls while driving a Tesla—or any vehicle, for that matter. In the demo clip, it was obvious that the vehicle was parked and charging during the call. The video showed the Zoom call being accessed via the built-in calendar feature on the vehicle’s large touch screen.
A Zoom spokesperson told Mashable.com in an email that safety was a primary concern and acknowledged that people were likely to try to find a way to make Zoom calls while driving. To prevent this, the spokesperson said Tesla could make Zoom accessible only when the car is parked like it is now for gaming or watching YouTube. Only audio will be enabled for Zoom calls happening while the car is in motion.
Zoom used the Zoomtopia event to announce several other new tools such as integrating calendar and email services directly into the app. They also unveiled a new conversational artificial intelligence feature and chatbot to help users troubleshoot problems. Developers were also promised more support in monetizing their apps on Zoom’s App Marketplace.
The Tesla/Zoom partnership points to the strengthening of a corporate relationship that has been tenuous through the years. For example, Musk’s SpaceX banned its employees from using Zoom in April 2020 due to what Musk called “significant privacy and security concerns.” Tesla shares have lost value recently as Ford, Volkswagen and other established automakers vie for a chunk of the booming electric vehicle market.
Neither Tesla nor Zoom have made it clear whether the video conferencing will be available on Wi-Fi only or if it will require a subscription to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity service to function. Either way, the ability to conference call in the privacy of one’s vehicle is a feature welcomed by many. This is particularly true for those with long commutes through heavy traffic that might make them late for meetings otherwise.
