Will Tesla cars connect to internet via Starlink satellites? 'Yes,' says Elon Musk

For years, Twitter has remained the primary source of traction for one of the world's richest people, Elon Musk. Leading Tesla and SpaceX, Musk was asked whether Tesla's electric cars will be able to receive Starlink's data. Recently, on Twitter, Musk has revealed some details about when the Starlink V2 be released and how will it benefit the Tesla car. 

Tesla cars to get Starlink connectivity

On 26 August 2022, Elon Musk tweeted about the Starlink V2. The second generation of Starlink satellites will be able to transmit directly to mobile phones, eliminating any dead zones. Replying to this tweet, Dave Lee asked Musk whether Tesla cars will get the feature to connect directly with the Starlink satellites, specifically for emergency calls/texts. Responding to the question, Musk accepted that Tesla cars would have the feature in future. 

The response suggests that Tesla cars will have access to the internet even when their cellular service is down and they are not able to access the internet with their smartphone. Although how the feature will work and what type of connectivity will be available on Tesla cars remains unknown, Musk has confirmed that the Starlink V2 satellites will release next year. In the past, Musk has suggested that the connectivity will be less than 4 megabits per second, which might be good for voice calls and text messages but it would not support video calls.

SpaceX teams up with T-Mobile

Elon Musk is now aiming to provide direct access to Starlink’s satellite internet to the smartphones of its users starting next year. For this ambitious plan, Musk has teamed up with telecom company T-Mobile under the project called ‘Coverage Above and Beyond’ to eliminate ‘dead zones’ across the globe. The announcement was made during an event at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on August 26, where both Musk and T-Mobile President and CEO Mike Sievert briefed about how the new idea would work. 

Musk explained that SpaceX will have to launch heavier Starlink satellites so that the transmission is strong enough to establish a connection with the smartphones. Currently, the company’s satellite internet is received using terminals that receive broadband signals and relay them to devices.