Elon Musk sheds light on why Tesla Model 3 cars have interior cams

The Model 3 from Tesla has been a hot favourite among buyers in several countries and has received rave reviews from experts as well. One of the most affordable offerings from the EV manufacturer, the car pushed the bar in several ways - be it performance, safety, design or the technologies that enhances all of these. One puzzle, however, that had many confounded was why does a Model 3 have an in-cabin camera. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, however, has finally confirmed the reason - robo-taxis.

Model 3 cars have featured an interior camera from the very first batch that was shipped out from Tesla's plant in California. But not many found much use for it. A Twitter user recently speculated that the camera may be used for when the car is used as a robo-taxi in the future. It was elaborated that the camera can check on any act of vandalism by a passenger(s) in the absence of a human driver and consequent action can be taken against him or her or them based on the video footage as evidence. Musk confirmed this in a reply to the tweet.

Correct

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2020

Safety is high on Tesla's list of priorities and its cars come with several novel features to ensure that the vehicle remains in perfect condition when being driven around or even when just parked with the owner not in close proximity to it.

Tesla's Sentry Mode is one such unique way in which the company seeks to ensure safety. The mode uses cameras all around a Tesla car to record footage which has already helped many users check on acts of vandalism. In addition to the cameras, the mode also has an alarm feature and activates either a loud siren or music at high volumes if it detects unauthorized touch or interaction of any kind that is deemed an intrusion.

Tesla is also testing autonomous driving capabilities and while it has faced some flak for certain incidents of accidents, the company hopes to take the lead when time does come for cars to drive people around.