Zoom has revealed that it does video conferencing software will come to Tesla cars, although it is unclear when the service will be made publicly available.
The announcement was made at the company’s Zoomtopia event by Nitasha Walia, product manager for Zoom Group for Meetings, who said the company expects to roll out the service to “all new Tesla models” soon.
But apart from the short one trial (opens in a new tab) at an event that revealed that the Zoom platform will use a “cabin camera” that resides in the Tesla vehicle’s rearview mirror and integrates with the Tesla OS calendar, details were thin on the ground.
Intelligent vehicle hazards
The official launch comes after carmarker gave some big hints that Zoom could be headed to Tesla OS in behind-the-scenes look (opens in a new tab)in V11 software in 2021. In this video, the Zoom logo was spotted on the UI, prompting enthusiasts to speculate.
The demo shows Zoom in use while the Tesla vehicle is charging, but it remains unclear whether, like the Tesla Arcade gaming offering, Zoom calls will only be available when the vehicle is parked.
One might hope so, given the obvious danger to life if drivers are distracted. But it also happens that if it’s a software limitation coded by Tesla, it can be disabled by an enterprising, reckless programmer.
It is also unknown if the app will require Wi-Fi or will be enabled as part of Tesla’s Premium Connectivity car data subscription. Requiring the former may be a simple solution to forcing the car to stop, although this may also be used in the future.
There are also very real concerns about the cabin camera and the data it sends to Tesla. Tesla’s website states that “By default, images and video from the camera do not leave the vehicle itself and are not sent to anyone, including Tesla, unless you enable data sharing.”
This, like any promise made by a tech company, should be taken with a grain of salt until proven otherwise. As such, the notion that Tesla may be eavesdropping on a private or confidential conversation may not sit well with some customers.