Tesla CEO Elon Musk was recently asked on Twitter if Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode could be added to the Tesla app so that it could be triggered remotely instead of the user having to be inside the car to turn it on. Musk’s response? “Sure.”
Sure
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 28, 2021
Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode, as starkly named as it may be, simply recirculates cabin air through a HEPA filter to purify it, and also inhibits any intake of contaminated air from the outside environment.
Bioweapon Defense Mode works wonders for situations like the one cited in the tweet, where California wildfires have significantly deteriorated air quality in the Bay Area.
However, like air conditioning, it takes a couple of minutes (or more depending on how contaminated the cabin air is) for Bioweapon Defense Mode to completely purify cabin air.
Once the feature is made available on the Tesla app, Tesla owners will be able to pre-purify cabin air before they even get into their electric vehicle — much like they can pre-heat or pre-cool their car, or melt snow and ice off it, remotely via the Tesla app.
Bioweapon Defense Mode was originally only available on the Model S and Model X, but also became available on the Model 3/Y in China at the beginning of this year and the Model Y in the U.S. and Canada back in July.
