Tesla keeps pets cool in locked car with 'Dog Mode'

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Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Tesla keeps pets cool in locked car with 'Dog Mode'
As we inch closer to those hot Houston summers, Tesla has a new feature to keep your dog cool.

As we inch closer to those hot Houston summers, Tesla has a new feature to keep your dog cool. It's called "Dog Mode" and it sets a cabin temperature to keep your dog comfortable while letting passers-by know they don't need to worry.

This new mode is an attempt to keep animals from suffering heat stroke when left alone in cars.

CEO Elon Musk added a tweet response saying, "This is in addition to existing Cabin Overheat Protection, which come on automatically at high temps to ensure any babies or pets in the car are safe."

For concerned citizens passing by a dog in a Tesla, there's a message displayed on a screen saying, "My owner will be back soon. Don't worry!" The message also reads that the A/C is on and displays what the temperature in the car is set to.

"Dog Mode" also has the ability to keep animals warm when the temperatures outside drop.

While the mode is intended for only pet use, some have commented that this feature could also save babies and young children.

RELATED: Texas ranks No. 1 for child hot car deaths in the US

From 1990 to 2017, there were 120 child vehicular heatstroke fatalities in Texas involving children ages 14 and under.