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Elon Musk promises Tesla dashcam feature coming soon

Dashcam mode would use the cameras on the vehicle normally used for Autopilot and will be released with Tesla software version 9 as a beta feature.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
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2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance
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2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance

Tesla's dashcam mode would use the eight cameras already installed in the vehicle to record footage that could provide evidence in the instance of a crash.

 Nick Miotke/Roadshow

Tesla's Autopilot feature uses a battery of cameras to monitor other cars on the road, and a contingent of Tesla owners have been wondering why their cars can't use this hardware to also function like a dashcam. Well, according to a tweet earlier this week from CEO Elon Musk , that functionality is coming, and soon.

Dashcams are aftermarket pieces of hardware that mount on a vehicle's windshield or dash to record activity in front of (and sometimes behind, if you've got a fancy unit) the vehicle. The downside is that they can clutter up your car's interior, and it's yet another piece of equipment to worry about. It's easy to see why Tesla owners would want a user-enabled dashcam feature built in.

Autopilot has previously been found to function in a manner similar to a dashcam, recording and storing footage from the on-board cameras after a crash, but only to be used for diagnostic purposes by Tesla.

Musk says that the update will be part of Tesla's version 9 software update, though notably, it wasn't in the leaked version of that update that Electrek reported on earlier this month. Musk assured owners on Twitter that the feature is currently undergoing final testing.

Other significant changes that are supposedly in store for version 9 include tweaks to the user interface and new Autopilot functionality.