Hidden message in Tesla Model 3 shows Elon Musk is proud of his team
Although he's described the manufacturing process as "production hell," Elon Musk is apparently quite pleased with the outcome of the Tesla Model 3, his company's newest and most affordable electric vehicle.
The Model 3 is the first truly affordable (i.e. about $35,000) electric sports sedan from Tesla, one that's significantly smaller and cheaper than the high-speed luxury Model X and Model S vehicles.
After a series of well-publicized production setbacks, the first Model 3s are now rolling out to consumers (as opposed to just Tesla employees), and the auto blog Electrek has found an Easter egg -- or hidden message -- in the car's software.
Presumably any Model 3 owner can easily find this hidden message: Try pressing the number "3" in "Model 3" logo while in the "About your Telsa" window to reveal an image of a Tesla Model 3 surrounded by Tesla employees in what looks to be a production or factory setting. At center is a grinning Elon Musk, the company's CEO.
The image makes one thing very clear: Musk is proud of the product. The Model 3 is a critical part of Tesla's future. Nearly every major automative company has announced bold, near-term plans for all-electric vehicle production, so Tesla needed a reliable, mass-market offering that is financially palatable to a wide swathe of consumers.
This certainly isn't the first Easter egg hidden inside Tesla software. At the end of 2017, Musk touted a "Santa mode" option, activated by saying "Ho ho ho," which played "Run Rudolph Run" and changed the on-screen Tesla into Santa's sleigh. In 2016, another Easter egg allowed a Tesla driver to leave Earth entirely -- and find themselves peering down at a rocky Martian landscape while in the car's navigation app.
Where this ranks on the list of most memorable Tesla Easter eggs is still to be determined. We'd venture to say this is one of the geekier surprises, one made solely for fans who appreciate the craft of the product. It reminds us of the original Mac team signing their names to the inside of the case. Only in this instance, we get a photo of everyone's face.
Topics Electric Vehicles Tesla Elon Musk
Mark was the science editor at Mashable. After working as a ranger with the National Park Service, he started a reporting career after seeing the extraordinary value in educating people about the happenings on Earth, and beyond.
He's descended 2,500 feet into the ocean depths in search of the sixgill shark, ventured into the halls of top R&D laboratories, and interviewed some of the most fascinating scientists in the world.
