My father-in-law recently purchased a Tesla Model Y. While it’s a tech marvel in many ways, our conversations immediately turned to what my thoughts were as I’ve been unofficially dubbed the “family techie”.
One of the things I pointed out was I hate that Tesla didn’t implement Android Auto or Apple CarPlay for the infotainment system.
I’d much rather see existing platforms, with almost zero setup required, be used in instances like this. However, one thing jumped out when we had to stop and charge the car during a day out. Obviously, EVs can’t just pull up a pump and refuel like traditional cars in under five minutes. It can take up to an hour even at “superchargers” to top of the battery cells.
My in-law immediately pulled up a screen while we plugged in that showed apps like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix. While the car is parked you can enjoy all your streaming content while you wait for the battery to get a refresh.
Google needs to find a way to implement this in Android Auto. With a giant surge in the US around electric vehicles, it’s a glaring missing feature. Hyundai, Ford, Kia, Chevy, and Nissan all offer models that are fully electric and support Android Auto.
Now, let’s not be stupid about it. This should only be available while the car is in park. No one is asking Google to allow you to watch the latest clips of Saturday Night Live while rushing to work on the highway. However, the market is shifting to this new downtime in cars and Android Auto needs to catch up.
Android Auto with video app support would bring the platform into this new age of the car industry. Whether you want to catch up on TikTok, or Netflix and chill, these apps should be available to users. In a confirmed, safe environment of course.
What do you think? Would you use video apps in your car with Android Auto? Let us know in the comments!
