Tech

Elon Musk says Teslas will soon be able to stream Netflix and YouTube

Key Points
  • CEO Elon Musk says Tesla will "soon" enable users to stream Netflix or YouTube on the car's center display.
  • Drivers will only be able to watch content when the car is parked, but if regulators approve full self-driving technology, that could change.
  • But there continues to be skepticism around Tesla's autonomous driving technology, called Autopilot.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacts during a conversation at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, June 13, 2019.
Mike Blake | Reuters

Tesla owners may be able to stream video from YouTube and Netflix on their car's touchscreen display.

CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter this weekend that the company will "soon" enable video streaming on the in-car display. He added that the streaming feature could arrive as soon as August, but could slip to a few months after that.

Drivers will only be able to play videos while their car is parked, similar to how Tesla owners can play video games on the car's center screen. Musk said that could change if regulators give the green light to full self-driving technology.

"When full self-driving is approved by regulators, we will enable video while moving," Musk said in a tweet.

Netflix declined to comment. YouTube parent company Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Elon Musk tweet

Musk has promised to deliver the company's advanced driver assistance system, called Autopilot, to hundreds of thousands of cars this year. In April, he said he's "very confident" Tesla will have autonomous robotaxis on the roads by 2020. Autopilot currently enables self-driving on highways.

But it's unlikely that regulators will approve the technology anytime soon. Earlier this month, two consumer advocacy groups called on the Federal Trade Commission and the California Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate Tesla's Autopilot technology.

Additionally, there have been at least three fatal crashes involving Tesla's Autopilot system.

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