Tesla Gets Artsy With Sketch Pad

CARS.COM — Tesla wants to inspire your inner artist, though the Silicon Valley-based automaker’s use of a farting unicorn drawing to mark this announcement seems an ironic way to drive that point home. Blame, or credit, the never-dull Twitter account of Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk.

Yes, Musk utilized two drawings — one featuring rainbows and a flatulent single-horned steed, the other a perplexed-looking take on the Mona Lisa — to alert the world about the latest Easter egg hidden within the depths of the infotainment system.

Related: Tesla Software Update Unlocks Safety Features (and Secrets)

The new “Sketch Pad” feature — introduced in the Model S sedan and Model X SUV— is part of a larger, far more comprehensive suite of upgrades that come with Tesla’s new 8.1 software upgrade. These upgrades are primarily linked to Tesla’s self-driving hardware, including a feature called “Summon” that automatically pulls the car out of a parking spot with the push of a button on the key fob.
But the Sketch Pad feature is arguably the most inventive and, without a doubt, most ridiculous addition. Thankfully, other than his dubious choice in artwork, Elon Musk also took the time to explain how to access the feature via his Twitter account.

After downloading the software, a Tesla driver need only tap the “T” on the center console three times. This unlocks the Sketch Pad and allows you to draw an image, with the option of sending the finished creation directly to Tesla.

Why would you want to do that? We’re not entirely certain.

Maybe the winning entry will get a complimentary free Model 3 electric sedan when they start rolling off the production line this July?  Or perhaps Tesla simply wants to see how talented — or bizarre — its client base truly is.

This isn’t the first time Tesla has hidden strange software surprises in its vehicles. As Teslarati.com notes, past Easter eggs have included everything from holiday light shows, warnings to call your mom in Ludicrous acceleration mode and a James Bond-themed submersible driving setting.

The latter was only a joke, folks. Please don’t start (Auto)piloting your Tesla into the nearest body of water.