Tesla cars should get YouTube and Netflix in the next update

Watching TV while you drive is a terrible idea, but can your fully stopped car double as a self-contained entertainment center? That’s what Elon Musk and Tesla are betting on.

Netflix streaming and YouTube streaming are both coming to Tesla vehicles “soon,” according to a Saturday tweet from Musk. The feature will only work while the car is stopped, though Musk noted in a follow-up tweet that the safeguard won’t be in place forever.

Once regulators approve full self-driving, he said, video while moving will be switched on.

The revelation of Netflix and YouTube support for Tesla isn’t surprising. Musk talked about Tesla’s gaming and entertainment plans in June during the annual video games industry trade show, E3. The real news is that it’s coming soon.

Musk didn’t share a specific date, but he did verify that support should be rolled in as part of the upcoming V10 update. In addition to games like Cuphead and multimedia portals like YouTube and Netflix, the update will also bring improvements to Autopilot and Smart Summon.

Musk noted in a subsequent tweet that the wide release for V10 should be in full swing by the end of August, almost a full year after the last major update released in Sept. 2018.

He also mentioned that “some” of the new “infotainment” features added in the forthcoming update may be tied to Tesla’s “premium connectivity” internet package. For now, the $100/year option includes access to satellite view, in-car streaming music, and a web browser. It’s not clear which other new features would be folded in as part of the premium package.