Elon Musk is one of those people that when he hears something cannot be done, he finds a way to make it happen. Nobody thought he could build an electronic car that drove like a sports car, check that off the list. Now we are up to the Tesla S model, and the $100,000, five –seat sedan that hits 100kn/h in 3.4 seconds is about to offer its drivers an even greater experience.
Announced today, Telstra (News - Alert) will be the connectivity provider for the Tesla Model S. The M2M agreement covers the vehicle’s infotainment, remote diagnostics systems as well as other features. By way of Telstra’s network the car will send performance information to Tesla so that issues can be easily diagnosed without having to bring the car into the shop.
“Our network will enable Tesla Model S owners to access live information via the Model S’s giant 17-inch touch screen that controls everything from the suspension, to the climate control through to the sun roof,” said Telstra Mobile executive director John Chambers (News - Alert).
Chambers continued, “Drivers and passengers will be able to use the Telstra network to stream music, pull up high-detail maps and navigation, and access near real-time traffic updates.”
Both Telstra and Tesla see a bright future for M2M and the IoT, highlighted by the connected car market. Chambers see this deal as one of many to come—Telstra CEO David Thodey has said in the past that one opportunity needing more attention is the addition of SIM cards to cars.
When asked about the opportunity back in August Thodey commented, “Suddenly your addressable market is enormous,” Thodey said at the time. “They don’t have the revenues per month that you would get from a person using a smartphone. It may be two, three, four [or] five dollars a month. But it is still a tremendous opportunity.”
When it comes to Musk, nothing is off the table. It is evident that he is a big supporter of the IoT and what that could mean for business in general. And, fair to say that Musk is one of the most innovative people out there today so only time will tell what the next stop for Musk will be.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi