Seven things you didn’t know your Tesla could do

Teslas are already some of the coolest cars on the road, but Elon Musk loves to equip his EVs with hidden modes and Easter eggs.

By their very nature, electric vehicles offer some interesting extra features compared to their petrol-fuelled cousins, but Tesla loves to go above and beyond.

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Elon Musk has a quirky sense of humour so, as you'd expect, some hidden Tesla features are more practical than others.

A few that Tesla owners probably already know about include setting the trunk height, turning down the volume of alerts and keeping your dog cool while it waits in the car.

In case you didn't, we've explained those features, plus called out some of the cooler, lesser-known party tricks your Tesla has up its sleeve...

A powered bootlid, hatch or, in American-speak, trunk, is very handy but, if you have a low carport or garage roof, there's always a danger of scraping the trunk every time you open the boot. No-one wants scratches and dents on the back of their shiny new Tesla.

Thankfully, it's easy to specify how high the trunk hatch lifts. Simply pull it down to your preferred height, then press and hold the trunk close button – located near the trunk's exterior handle – for three seconds. The car will chime to confirm that the new height is set.

Sometimes a smart car can be too smart for its own good, such as when a Tesla's regular chimes and other system sounds wake passengers. It's especially annoying if you've driven the long way home in an effort to get your kids to sleep.

Joe Mode lowers the volume of system sounds by 50 per cent, so they're less likely to disturb passengers.

If you're wondering about the origins of Joe Mode, it's named after the guy who requested the feature.

Tesla owner Joe asked Elon Musk if Tesla could quieten down the car's alerts so as not to wake his sleeping baby. You can activate Joe Mode from the car's touchscreen via Controls > Safety & Security > Joe Mode.

It's generally not safe to leave your dog locked in the car on a hot day, but Dog Mode ensures your Tesla maintains a comfortable temperature no matter how hot or cold it gets outside.

The touchscreen displays a large message which reassures passers-by that you'll be back soon and your dog is fine, as well as displaying the current temperature inside the car.

You can activate Dog Mode from the car's touchscreen via the climate control screen, just hit the Dog icon. It won't engage unless the car's battery is more than 20 per cent charged. Don't be tempted to use Dog Mode with your kids as, in most states and territories across Australia, it is a criminal offence to leave children unattended in a car. 

Setting trunk height, Joe Mode and Dog Mode can certainly make your life easier, but dig a little deeper and you'll find a few hidden gems for getting the most from your Tesla.

Driver profiles are great for automatically customising your Tesla for the different people who drive it, but not everyone realises you can also use profiles to customise the car for yourself, adapting to the seasons.

Creating a Winter driver profile lets your Tesla automatically adapt to the cold, especially if you’re in sub-zero temperatures. Turning off auto-folding mirrors and placing the wipers in the service position avoids them freezing in place, or overworking the motors trying to break them free from ice or snow.

Meanwhile, enabling Chill Mode slows your acceleration, which improves handling in wet and slippery conditions. Chill Mode is also easier on the battery, something which becomes more important with cold weather when battery performance suffers. 

You probably know that Sentry mode records activity while your Tesla is parked, but you can also check on your car from afar with Live Sentry Mode. The Tesla app for iOS and Android lets you see the view from the sentry cameras in real time. You can honk the horn, flash the headlights and even speak through your Tesla's exterior speaker if you need to tell someone to bugger off.

To enable the View Live Sentry Mode, go to the car's touchscreen and tap Controls > Safety > Sentry Mode > View Live Camera via Mobile App. Once everyone is out of the car and the doors are locked, navigate to Safety > Sentry Mode > View Live Camera in the Tesla app to see what's happening around your car. 

While the likelihood of a bioweapon attack while you're driving to the shops is extremely low, especially in Australia, there are a few other times when Tesla's Bioweapon Defence Mode might save the day. 

Bioweapon Defence Mode is only available in Teslas which feature a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration system, which can filter out airborne particles down to a size of 0.3 microns. This should filter out 99 per cent of dust, pollen, mould and bacteria, which could come to your rescue on high pollen days or when driving through bushfire smoke. It's an option on the Model S, X and Y but not Model 3.

You can enable Bioweapon Defence Mode from the car's touchscreen via the climate control screen, just hit the biohazard icon.

Owners of Tesla Tesla Model S or Model X with the air suspension package can imagine they're behind the wheel of Bond's famous underwater car thanks to this Easter egg.

You can activate James Bond Mode by pressing and holding the Tesla logo on the centre display and then entering code '007'. In the controls menu, under the suspension tab, the usual image of the Tesla is replaced by the submarine version of the Lotus Esprit that Bond drove off a pier into the ocean in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Elon Musk actually owns the original submersible used in the film.

A new "Depth (Leagues)" drop down menu appears next to the Esprit and the air suspension raises and lowers depending on the selected depth. Activating the Easter egg a second time replaces the submarine fins with wheels^. Once again, adjusting the depth adjusts the air suspension.