Tesla Easter Eggs (Comprehensive List - 2024)

In the realm of software and entertainment, an "Easter egg" is a hidden feature, message, or inside joke deliberately included by the creators. These surprises can be found in various media, video games to movies passing by manga and even in our everyday technology. They are often discovered through specific actions or well hidden, providing users with a sense of joy and connection to the creators' sense of humor once discovered.

Tesla has embraced the concept of Easter eggs within its vehicles. These hidden gems offer Tesla owners a unique way to interact with their cars, often referencing popular culture or showcasing funny features. To activate a Tesla Easter egg, drivers may need to follow certain steps, such as entering a special code on the touchscreen or pressing specific buttons for a prolonged period.

1. Rainbow Road 

Turn the right stalk down 4 times to trigger it. and you teleport to the last level of the legendary video game : Mario Kart! Really cool Easter Egg that might tempt you to throw bananas to other cars—Virtually, of course.

Image Credit : TeslaMotorClub

The most recent version of the Tesla Model 3 Highland, however, does not have a stalk (and future Tesla models might not have it as well), so the rainbow road is therefore accessible from the Toybox menu or by pressing the Autopilot button on the steering wheel 4 times.

2. Mars Map

It is accessed from the Toybox and is activated as your press the "Multi-Planetary Species" button on. Transforming the whole map into Mars and your car logo as an explorer robot. 

Image Credit : X Tesla

You are now ready to Explore Mars.

3. Charge-port having the Rainbow Road Colors

To unlock this hidden feature, ensure the Tesla vehicle is connected to the charger, then quickly press the button on the charger handle 10 times. If done correctly, the lights will start flashing right away.

Image Credit : NotATeslaApp

After activation, the charge port light will fade through all the colors of the rainbow for several seconds before reverting to its normal color. 

Pop Culture References

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Easter Egg

There is a number of Tesla Easter Eggs that are all direct reference to Science-Fiction as it is Elon Musk's favorite genre.

By entering the number "42" as the name of your Tesla vehicle, you can unlock a special Easter egg inspired by "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Once activated, the vehicle’s name changes to "Life, the Universe, and Everything".

This is a direct reference to Douglas Adams' science fiction comedy, where "42" is famously known as the "Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything". 

2. Monty Python Easter Egg

Tesla vehicles can be given custom names via the touchscreen settings, and selecting specific names will trigger a Monty Python-themed Easter egg.

Naming your Tesla "Patsy" "Rabbit of Caerbannog" "Mr. Creosote" "Flying Circus" "Biggus Dickus" or "Unladen Swallow" activates this hidden feature.

Upon doing so, "The Foot of Cupid" will descend down the screen with the accompanying sound of flatulence—a trademark gag from the Monty Python series.

Image Credit : WikiMedia

Once "The Foot of Cupid" disappears, your Tesla Theater Mode will reveal a new Monty Python option. This new feature is just a direct link to the Monty Python YouTube.

The Easter egg was first discovered by Iwan Eberhart, a Model 3 owner in Switzerland, who named his car "The Rabbit of Caerbannog" without knowing about the hidden feature.

3. Back to the Future Hidden Feature in Tesla's Mobile App

This Easter Egg might be the toughest to trigger as you need to have exactly 121 miles (or 121 km) left on your vehicle's battery range. Once you have 121 miles or km left on your vehicle range go to your Mobile App and tap the battery icon.

This triggers a clever nod to the iconic "Back to the Future" movie series. This special Easter egg activates entirely within the mobile app.

Image Credit : NotATeslaApp

A notification pops up, stating "Time Circuits Off" and advising users to "reset your clock to account for temporal displacement". The vehicle's name within the app changes to "OUTATIME", a direct reference to the famous DeLorean's license plate.

Furthermore, "Charging scheduled" transforms into "Time Circuits On" and the range indicator shifts from "121 miles" to "1.21 GW"paying homage to the movie’s power requirements for time travel.

The "Charging" tab in the app changes to "Fuel Chamber", and a note under this tab reads "Current Output: 300R", which could be a subtle reference to the annual production of Back to the Future replica cars by the DeLorean Motor Company.

Additionally, the vehicle’s location on the map is updated to "1600 S Azusa Ave Rowland Heights", one of the filming locations of the movie. A service appointment is humorously scheduled for November 5, 1955, marking a significant date in the movie's plot.

4. Backgammon Lost Reference

In the entertainment menu of a Tesla, you'll find a nod to the TV series "Lost" above the "play game" button for backgammon. The text reads, "Two players, two sides. One is light, one is dark." This quote is from an early episode where John Locke teaches Walt how to play backgammon. 

Image Credit : NotATeslaApp

When you start a game of backgammon on the Tesla in-vehicle display, you’ll notice the numbers "4 8 15 16 23 42" in the lower right corner of the board. These numbers are part of the "Lost" mythology and appear repeatedly throughout the show. Additionally, if a game score matches any of these numbers, it will turn green instead of the usual grey.

5. James Bond – Lotus Esprit Submarine

This Easter egg is exclusive to Tesla vehicles equipped with the air suspension package.

To activate the Lotus Esprit submarine Easter egg in your Tesla, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Tesla "T" icon at the top of the touchscreen display for approximately 5 seconds.
2. A graphic resembling a single water ripple will appear, emanating from the center of the "T" icon.
3. Release the "T" icon to reveal a text box and a keyboard.
4. The text box will prompt you to "please enter access code," with "OK" and "Cancel" buttons below.
5. This text box is primarily used by service centers and showrooms for modes such as Service Mode and Showroom Mode but can also be used to access certain Easter eggs.
6. Enter the code "007" and press "OK."

By entering "007" and pressing "OK," you will activate the Lotus Esprit submarine Easter egg, transforming your vehicle display to resemble the iconic submarine car from the James Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me."

When activated, the controls menu under the suspension tab transforms. Instead of the usual image of your Tesla, you'll see the submarine version of the Lotus Esprit from the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," where Bond drives the car off a pier into the ocean.

A new "Depth (Leagues)" dropdown menu appears next to the Esprit image, allowing you to raise or lower the air suspension based on the selected depth.

Image Credit : TechCrunch

If you activate the Easter egg a second time, the submarine fins are replaced by wheels. Adjusting the "Depth" still alters the air suspension, changing the position of the Esprit in relation to the wheels.

Beyond this Easter egg, there are other notable connections between Tesla, Elon Musk, and 007. In 2013, Musk acquired the original Bond submersible used in the film at an auction. Besides that, Elon Musk also revealed during a 2019 shareholder meeting that Tesla has plans on creating an electric submarine.

Voice Activation Easter Eggs

1. Rick and Morty + Portal – Sentry Mode

The voice commands "Keep Tesla Safe" or "Keep Summer Safe" can be used to activate Sentry Mode in your Tesla. Originally depicted on the in-vehicle display as HAL 9000 from "2001: A Space Odyssey," Sentry Mode's icon was later updated to resemble the eye of a sentient sentry turret from the video game "Portal."

Image Credit : Reddit

The easter egg consist to trigger the sentry mode by using the voice commands "Keep Tesla Safe" or "Keep Summer Safe" as references to a scene from  Rick and Morty. In the episode where Rick instructs his vehicle to protect Morty's sister, Summer, while they venture into Rick's microverse car battery. 

2. Charge-Port Alternative Voice Commands

To open and close the charge port, you can use the voice commands "open butthole" and "close butthole." However, these commands may sometimes open the trunk instead. Another set of commands, "open bunghole" and "close bunghole" also works.

3. Driving Santa Sleigh

This cute easter egg transform your car in Santa sleigh and other cars are now displayed as reindeer. The trigger is really simple you just have to say the infamous Ho-Ho-Ho and it will transform the car display and start to play Run Rodolph Run.

Image Credit : Reddit

You can also trigger it by going to the Toybox and manually active the Santa Mode.

4. Seat Heater Alternative Voice Commands

If you want to turn on the seat heaters, you can use the command "my balls are cold." For specific seats, you can say "eject X seat".

Where X can be "Driver" or "Passenger" to turn that seat's heater to the maximum setting.

Another option is "turn on X seat bacon" which will turn on that seat's heater. Alternatively, you can use "turn on 1, 2, or 3 seat bacons".

5. Climate Control Alternative Voice Command

To control the climate control system, use the command "enable / disable life support" to turn the climate control on or off.

Undiscovered Easter Eggs 

Cthulhu Summoning

Image Credit : X

In this post, Tesla main account directly asked on X (Twitter back then) on October 4, 2019. "has anyone found the Easter Egg in your Tesla which releases Cthulhu, our dark lord?" The Easter egg remain unknown to this day. Any lead ? Leave it in the comment below.

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