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Tesla Semi packs a 'Mad Max' mode, because reasons

Tesla's vehicles are rife with fun little references like this.

Tesla

"Ludicrous" vehicle mode is a phrase borrowed from Spaceballs, as is the new Roadster's "Plaid" mode. Now, Tesla's turned to a different movie for its latest vehicle mode, this time on the electric Semi.

In a recent tweet, Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed a screenshot of what is allegedly the Semi's dashboard screen, showing a "Mad Max" option for the truck's blind spot threshold.

It's likely that this setting alludes to how much space the system requires between the Semi and a car behind it during automatic lane-change maneuvers. "Mad Max" won't run another vehicle off the road, but it's probably near the minimum allowable distance.

It's possible that this setting could only exist for debugging purposes, and it might not make it to production. Musk didn't offer any further information. Considering another tab on the Semi's menu is "Developer Actions," it's likely that this system is still in an early form.

What I'd like to know, though, is how the "Augmented Vision" tab works. Autoblog posits that it's probably just a fancy name for a head-up display, but knowing Musk, he might have something weird up his sleeve. Not as weird as thrusters on a sports car, but hey, 2018 has proven thus far that just about anything is possible. 

Tesla Semi looks set to tower over the competition

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Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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Andrew Krok
Read more from Andrew
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

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Article updated on June 25, 2018 at 8:29 AM PDT

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Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
See full bio
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Tesla Semi packs a 'Mad Max' mode, because reasons