In 2019, Tesla introduced Joe Mode, a volume setting that helps ensure that sleeping passengers in the rear seats are not disturbed by the vehicle's chimes and alerts. This volume setting is practical for those who have young children who may be sleeping and could be disturbed by loud noises.

In a recent tweet, Elon Musk said that Tesla could make the Joe Mode volume setting even quieter. Elon responded to a tweet from Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, in which they asked if Joe Mode’s alerts could be made quieter.

I guess we could make Joe mode quieter

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2022

Joe Mode is a feature that ensures passengers in the back seat (especially kids) are not disturbed in their sleep by reducing the volume of sounds by 50%. Joe Mode reduces the sound volume from turn signals, ultra-sonic sensors and Autopilot chimes in order to minimize disruption, while maintaining an effective alert volume for the driver. Since this feature was introduced with the V10 software update, Tesla owners have repeatedly shared requests in the past to make Joe Mode even quieter.

For many owners, the alerts and chimes from the car are still loud enough to disturb or wake up kids even with the Joe Mode feature enabled. The inside of a Tesla is already fairly quiet, so any loud sounds like Autopilot/TACC chimes can seem even louder and easily wake someone up. To enable Joe Mode, tap Controls > Safety & Security > Joe Mode.

The feature Joe Mode is named after a guy named Joe, who asked Elon Musk if Tesla could reduce the Autopilot chimes in the vehicle because they kept waking up his baby.

Tesla listened to Joe and added the feature via a software update. Tesla honored Joe by naming the feature 'Joe Mode.'

Back in 2020 Tesla Owners Silicon Valley asked Elon Musk on Twitter whether Tesla could add a volume slider to Joe Mode so that owners could set their own preferred volume.

At the time Elon Musk responded with 'Yes,' but it's now been a couple years since that interaction, so it's not clear whether Tesla still plans on adding a volumne slider to Joe Mode, or simply reduce its volume.

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2020

Tesla Software Update 2023.38 Adds Two New Privacy-Focused Options

In Tesla software update 2023.38.6 Tesla is quietly adding two new options that gives owners better control over their privacy. In this update, Tesla is adding the ability to disable remote commands and the option to turn off remote debugging.

The move improves privacy and allows Tesla owners to gain greater control over who can access their vehicles and when.

Limit Remote Commands

Last week, we reported that a user was seeing a new option in FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 that allowed him to disable remote commands. This change allowed him to prevent Tesla from executing commands remotely, such as unlocking or starting the vehicle.

The change appears to have been added through a server-side configuration update, although most users with FSD Beta 11.4.7.3 still lack the new option.

Although giving Tesla the ability to execute commands remotely can be beneficial, such as if you're locked out of your vehicle, this new option gives more privacy conscious owners the ability to limit Tesla's access to their vehicle.

This new option is now also a part of Tesla's latest update, version 2023.38.6. However, it's important to note that this new option only limits Tesla's access to execute commands, and not any other third-parties that may have access to the vehicle through their own services.

Disable Remote Debugging

Owners are now noticing that Tesla has added another privacy-focused option in the 2023.38 update. In this update owners now have access to disable or enable remote debugging of their vehicle. Although it's not completely clear what Tesla considers "debugging," it seems that this new option will limit Tesla's ability to connect to the vehicle remotely to run specific commands or look at vehicle logs.

Privacy Comes First

Both of these new privacy options are enabled by default, but they can be changed by navigating to Controls > Service and looking for the new 'Allow Tesla to Remote Start' and 'Allow Remote Debugging' options at the bottom.

While these new options increase Tesla's transparency and privacy, they can limit Tesla's ability to help owners in certain situations. In most cases, the owners will have access to their vehicle and the ability to temporarily enable these options if they need Tesla's help to start their vehicle or help debug any potential issues.

Tesla vehicles are some of the most advanced vehicles on the market in terms of software and connectivity and this is an important step towards achieving a healthy balance between ensuring customer trust and maintaining the necessary access to deliver the exceptional and cutting-edge experience for which the brand is known.

Tesla China Opens Superchargers for SAIC General Motors

Tesla China is opening select Superchargers in the country for electric vehicles manufactured by SAIC General Motors. This was the company's first such collaboration in China with the local manufacturer.

Tesla opens its Supercharger to SAIC-GM in China

SAIC General Motors announced Friday that it is entering into an agreement with Tesla China. As part of it, electric vehicles produced by SAIC-GM will have access to the largest and highest quality network of charging stations in the world, the Tesla Supercharger network. The goal of the collaboration is to combine charging networks to jointly create efficient and convenient sharing services.

The agreement will come into force this year

Under the terms, starting in late 2023, owners of fully electric Cadillac and Buick models based on GM's Ultium platform in China will have access to Tesla Superchargers and Destination Chargers. They will be able to log into the brand's apps and use the charge map feature to access Superchargers open to select electric vehicles. Using the app, owners of SAIC-GM electric vehicles will also be able to easily pay for charging.

Superchargers are already open to non-Tesla EVs in China

According to a press release from SAIC-GM, Tesla has already opened its charging network in mainland China. There are currently 10 Supercharger sites and more than 200 Destination Chargers open to drivers of select non-Tesla electric vehicles. As the US manufacturer gradually expands the scope of opening its network of charging stations in mainland China, there will be more in the future.

With this powerful alliance, SAIC-GM also became the first domestic company to enter into a charging network collaboration with Tesla China. The agreement comes after Tesla had already opened its Superchargers to electric vehicles from other manufacturers in Europe and in the United States. In addition, almost all companies that manufacture electric vehicles and sell them in the US have already entered into an agreement with Tesla to open up Superchargers for their EVs. Those manufacturers are ready to equip their EVs with North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports.

SAIC-GM expands its charging network

To date, SAIC-GM has built 52 charging stations under its own brand. They offer access to a total of 246 charging stalls. In addition to this and its collaboration with Tesla China, SAIC-GM is currently working with six other major charger operators to provide 500,000 charger stalls to its customers in more than 320 cities nationwide.