by - The surveillance mode uses Tesla’s external cameras to record events around the car.
- Although the system is useful, it has been criticized for draining the electric car’s battery.
- Recently, more than 80 Tesla models were damaged at a facility in Canada.
Tesla will do everything possible to combat incidents in the USA, and it has been confirmed that all cars in showrooms will have surveillance mode enabled. This initiative is aimed at the growing number of targeted attacks on Tesla models both in the USA and abroad, and the automaker likely hopes this will help identify all involved parties.
Yesterday, a well-known American supporter and investor in Tesla expressed the opinion that the car manufacturer should place guards on watch 24/7 at all its showrooms and service centers in the USA and Canada until the situation stabilizes. The head of Tesla immediately responded, stating that “Tesla has strengthened security and enabled surveillance mode on all vehicles in stores.”
Although he did not specify what additional security measures Tesla is taking, activating surveillance mode seems like a sensible step. This system uses external cameras that are on all Tesla models to continuously record events happening around the car. It has proven very useful for owners over the years, monitoring events live. Any person heading to a Tesla site with the intent to damage cars may unintentionally be caught on video.
Of course, now that Musk has disclosed this information, potential vandals will know to come better prepared and cover their faces to avoid detection. Perhaps Musk should have kept this security change a secret.
Despite the usefulness of surveillance mode, it has its drawbacks. Tesla has never disclosed how much the system drains the batteries of its electric vehicles, but independent tests have shown that Sentry Mode can use 10-15% of the battery charge daily. This means that stores and service centers will need to regularly charge the vehicles under their care to ensure the security system operates continuously.
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A few months ago, Tesla introduced an update to the Sentry Mode function, which reportedly reduced battery drain by about 40%.
Information about this new measure from Tesla came soon after news of vandalism at the dealership in Hamilton, Ontario. These cars were reportedly scratched and had broken tires.
