TesLab — New App That Allows Tesla Owners To Keep Close Track Of Use

Those looking for a means of keeping close track of their use of their Tesla Model S or Model X may want to take a closer look at the TesLab app, which is currently in the beta testing phase.

The app comes across as fairly simple to set up and use, but it still seems to provide quite a lot of information (which can be easily shared, if so desired) — average speed, brake use and quality, overall efficiency, gas money saved, miles-to-charge-depletion ratios, phantom-drain rates, etc.

Something that seems particularly “useful” is the way that this info can actually be displayed as a color-coded heat map on an actual geographic map — meaning that you can see how your driving efficacy varies by area and region.

Given the tone of the article so far, it’s probably worth pointing out here that this article isn’t being paid for by TesLab — it’s simply the case that the app seems pretty interesting, so worth covering.

“We both drive Teslas and we’re both really passionate about alternative energy, let’s dig into the technology behind Tesla and let’s see how far they’ll let us go, not being employed by Tesla,” stated TesLab co-creator and HappyFunCorp co-founder Ben Schippers in an interview with Tech Crunch, while providing an explanation of why he and Will Schenk developed the app.

“We also saw an opportunity because you buy this really nice car, and then you have this app and the car is super connected, but the app is not super exciting.

“We thought, what if we could build a framework for what the connected car could be. What if Tesla gave us enough access to our individual cars that we could build a community around what we envision the connected car of the future could be, across all connected cars? …

“We already have a huge percentage of the Model X and Model S owners on the beta, and now we need to really focus on getting to the Model 3. Once we get to the Model 3, I think it’s game over. Once we get to the Model 3, I think we’ll really be able to show what you can do with a massive amount of data.”

The developers apparently have their eye on market expansion, to possibly include models offered by GM, Ford, etc. They also plan to include “smart home” connectivity.

Schippers elaborated on that last bit: “People that drive Teslas, they have a Nest (connected thermostat), so we’ll be able to start doing things from the car to the home. We’ll be able to pre-condition your house, we’ll be able to pre-condition your oven, because we know where you are in space. Once we know where you are in space, then we can connect all the other devices.”

Anyone here using TesLab yet?