Tesla electric cars may offer some of the most advanced automotive features, but there’s one feature missing that stands out to many customers: the integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Now, if you’re ready to be a little nerdy, Polish developer Michał Gapiński has found a way to allow smartphone integration for Tesla owners through a smart hack.
The latest update to its “Tesla Android Project” offers the Apple CarPlay experience to more Tesla cars than ever before.
After first releasing an alpha version in April 2022, the current 2022.25.1 update is only the second version. It uses a Raspberry Pi combined with an LTE modem, Geekworm video capture module, Wi-Fi hotspot, microHDMI to HDMI cable and Ethernet cable to allow connection to the car.
Posting on Twitter about the latest release, Gapiński said, “This is a huge version with many (of) new features and bug fixes that allow for 100% functional CarPlay integration for any Tesla.”
It was unclear to which Tesla cars the software update has expanded the project, but on the project’s Twitter account it’s clear that some Model S and Model X owners had successfully followed their website’s instructions for doing so. work. Now, it looks like Model 3 and Model Y owners can get involved in the action as well.
Release notes for the new update include improved audio playback, load times, error handling, screen refresh rate, targeting lock for applications to be open in landscape mode and the correct resolution for the CarPlay screen.
Hacking has also been updated to Android 12.1 to improve stability and performance.
If you want to try it for yourself, you can check out Tesla’s Android project site here.
Bridie Schmidt is an associate editor of The Driven, a sister site to Renew Economy. He has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018 and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emission transport should play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is a co-organizer of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also has a Tesla Model 3 and has it available for rent at evee.com.au.