Tesla to introduce voice-activated gear shifter

Tesla electric cars will now be equipped with a voice-activated gear selector claimed to make the user interface even easier for new customers.

It does away with the conventional gear selector – either a stalk on the right side of the steering column, or a slider on the touchscreen, depending on the model – and moves Tesla cars even closer to requiring no driver input to get an owner to their location.

The new tech will be available on every Model Year 2025 Tesla, including the Roadster.

For existing Tesla customers, a software update will be available in October 2024 – pending any delays – which includes instructions on how to unscrew an existing gear selector stalk at home.

«We no longer want to call our customers ‘drivers’ of their Tesla. Since we are moving away from physical input to drive the car, we tend to refer to them as ‘controllers’ instead,» Tesla global communications director Tush Kreen told a three-hour media conference overnight.

The set-up process involves a simple 30-minute conversation with your Tesla, during which the assistant will familiarise itself with your voice and speech habits.

Once the voice assistant is set up, owners can select the drive gear by announcing, “Tesla, please select the forward gear in my Model Y.”

However, drivers can customise the feature: «Controllers may want to instead say 'Go forth my trusty steed', so we've enabled the system to be fully customisable,» Mr Kreen said.

Tesla says drivers will be required to say the model name of their vehicle, and wait five seconds before the gear is selected, to prevent accidental gear changes from routine conversations in the car.

To maintain the accuracy of the voice assistant – and ensure it will continue to function if the driver has a cold – Tesla will make the 30-minute voice detection calibration mandatory every seven days.

“We recommend Tesla owners wait until a Sunday afternoon to set up their voice-activated gear selector to ensure their mid-week work journeys are not interrupted,” said Mr Kreen.

The executive said initial feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive, and denied the new feature was intended to address criticism of the touchscreen-based gear selector