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Tesla Raises a Proverbial Middle Finger by Playing Snake Jazz

Aside from the meteoric rise of Tesla’s stock in the past year, another piece of news from the innovative electric car company is the announcement that Tesla owners will soon be able to play “snake jazz” and other forms of elevator music from their cars. The announcement came from the Elon Musk himself via a …

Aside from the meteoric rise of Tesla’s stock in the past year, another piece of news from the innovative electric car company is the announcement that Tesla owners will soon be able to play “snake jazz” and other forms of elevator music from their cars. The announcement came from the Elon Musk himself via a tweet late last week and while the new move is meant to remain in compliance with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), it can also be seen as a big, proverbial middle finger.

Why will Teslas be playing snake jazz?

People look at a Tesla Model 3 car at the first Tesla Center in Shanghai
The Tesla Model 3 | Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images

As the Teslarati reports, NHTSA passed a mandate about 10 years ago called “the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010,” and you can probably guess what it’s about. If not, we’ll sum it up for you: Electric cars, like Teslas, are very quiet under normal operation, so Congress now requires them to emit an audible sound when traveling under 19 mph so that nearby pedestrians know that a car is approaching. Most electric cars, like the Model 3, emit a whirring, or even futuristic hovercraft-type noise, but Tesla will soon go a step further.

According to Elon Musk’s recent tweet on the subject, which stated, “New Tesla feature coming that enable your car to play snake jazz or Polynesian elevator music through its outside speakers,” the new Tesla Easter egg is sure to not only warn pedestrians but amuse and delight them as well.

What is snake jazz?

While we are all likely familiar with Polynesian elevator music, which basically sounds like Hawaiian luau music, “snake jazz” is apparently a reference to the show “Rick and Morty,” in which the main characters find a planet of jazz-playing snakes. In case you’re unfamiliar with the aural pleasure that snake jazz provides, here is a short clip to listen to:

When will the new feature be rolled out?

As Fox News reported, there’s no specific time frame as to when the new tracks will be loaded into Teslas or whether or not will be loaded into the car’s computer so that occupants can choose them at will. If anything, the feature might just be hidden among the other Easter eggs like the whoopie cushion feature. However, we do know that they will be much more satisfying and entertaining than the Model 3 telling people “Don’t just stand there, hop in!”:

As least Tesla is in compliance with the mandate

While the new outboard sounds might not be the sole reason to buy a Tesla, we do think that it’s still pretty innovative for a brand that wants to remain “in touch” with its owners as well as the outside world. And while this move from the brand, and its CEO, can be seen as a “middle finger” to NHTSA, we would liken it more to a rebellious form of compliance. Especially considering that “Rick and Morty” fans will likely be satisfied with the brand’s choice of pedestrian-friendly music.

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