TESLA OWNERS are only just discovering a secret ‘Easter Egg’ on their EV’s central control screen.
Revealed by popular Tesla-related YouTube channel BecauseTesla, a hidden tribute to James Bond can be found on the brand’s Model X and Model S cars – all you need to do is know where to hold your finger and how to enter the secret passcode.
YouTubePressing the word ‘Model’ in the central console brings up the passcode box[/caption]
YouTubeDrivers can then type ‘007’ before pressing OK to activate the Easter Egg[/caption]
Tesla drivers may already know that they can adjust their motor’s suspension height using the control console.
But few will be aware of an unknown James Bond feature that’s unearthed from the ‘Software’ screen.
From here, drivers can press and hold their finger in the middle part of the word ‘Model’ underneath the image of their Tesla motor for a couple of seconds, before letting go and revealing a passcode box.
Before typing in the secret code, BecauseTesla says: “Everyone knows that James Bond’s codename is ‘007’ – you then press ‘OK’.
“Then, when you go back to the ‘Suspension’ screen, the car has now changed to Jame Bond’s Lotus Esprit.
“This is the car that he drove in the 1977 film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, and it’s also the car that turns into a submarine.”
In a nod to Bond’s aquatic sports car, the picture indeed turns into the side view of the iconic Lotus, while the Tesla’s suspension metrics are now shown as depth with ‘leagues under the sea’ instead of inches.
The famous sports car is best known for a scene in the movie when Bond, played by Roger Moore, is sat alongside Barbara Bach’s character Anya Amasova as they’re chased by villain Jaws.
The pair escape when the motor converts into a submarine – courtesy of the tech boffins from Q Branch.
Tesla boss Elon Musk is a renowned fan of Bond, and even owns the amphibious Esprit from the film.
The car was bought for £616,000 ($997,000) at an auction in London in 2013, with Musk revealing he planned on making its movie transformation from car to submarine a reality.
At the time, Musk said: “It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater.
“I was disappointed to learn that it can’t actually transform.
“What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real.”
This comes as the popularity of EVs like the Tesla continue to grow, with the millionth pure battery electric motor was registered in the UK with sales booming.
Experts reckon more than a fifth of new vehicles in Britain will be electric this year with the target to hit 100 per cent by 2035.
YouTubeThe image of the iconic Lotus replaces the Tesla[/caption]
Lotus Esprit gadgets in The Spy Who Loved Me
Submersible Mode — The car’s most famous feature was it’s ability to transform into a two-man submersible
Cement Jet Sprayer — Concealed behind the rear license plate are four nozzles, two of which spray cement in order to blind pursuers
Surface-to-air missiles — While underwater, the Esprit could employ surface-to-air missiles to deal with enemy aircraft overhead
Black dye slick — Like the cement jets it could use on land, the Esprit was capable of dispensing a think black dye to blind underwater pursuers, similar to an octopus
Mines — Another submarine weapon, small mines could be released from a port beneath the car
Torpedoes — The car could fire small, explosive torpedoes from a flap located between the headlights