Tesla released its latest over the air update for its Model S this weekend, and although there have been no major new features it does include one particularly cool new Easter egg.
The California-based electric car company has been known in the past for hiding Easter eggs in its software updates, and its latest is a tip of the hat to the iconic Mario Kart track Rainbow Road.
When driving in ‘Autopilot’ mode, which allows the Model S to drive with no human input on stretches of main road, the road animation changes to a multi-coloured Rainbow Road-style track.
Tesla founder Elon Musk himself tweeted yesterday telling drivers how to activate it, which involves engaging the Autopilot function four times in quick succession.
Previous Tesla Easter eggs include an animated ‘Ludicrous Speed’ graphic as a tip of the hat to the movie Space Balls, along with a Spinal Tap-inspired stereo that goes all the way up to 11.
However, perhaps the company’s most famous Easter egg so far has been the reference to the famous Lotus Esprit submarine from James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me.
Released last year, the Esprit was part of Tesla’s v5.9 update after Musk bought the genuine film car for £607,000 and pledged to convert it into a functional submersible.
It’s unknown whether the Mario Kart Easter egg will carry over to the upcoming Model 3, but rest assured that Musk and co. will find some way of squeezing in goodies for those patient enough to find them.
