Tesla, a good IOT Case Study

Tesla, a good IOT Case StudyJohn MathonWSO2, VP Enterprise Product StrategyMarch 20, 2014

IOT Features of Tesla model S1) The Tesla has a persistent 3G cell connection to the internet that is paid for gratis by Tesla. This makes it one of the Internet of Things It also has Wifi, bluetooth and garage door opener built in.

2)The car has an API! Tesla API3)The car can provide Geolocation information4)The car has attitude (angle) and various other sensors for acceleration5)The car has a camera (in the back)6)The car could be lethal to both passengers and others if it were hacked inappropriately

IOT Features of Tesla model S7)Tesla has reportedly formed an early warning threat detection and reward system to reward hackers who discover vulnerabilities in the cars security8)The car can detect the presence of a key fob within a small distance of the vehicles perimeter9)Virtually all aspects of the cars functionality are digitized and theoretically available for inspection and utilization including energy use, positions of wheels, brakes and emergency brake, climate system, seat positions, mirrors, door handles

IOT Features of Tesla model S10)The car has an App framework that allows developers to build apps to run in the car. This will be enabled in late 2014 with the addition of a Chrome browser and android app compatibility. Currently there are only a couple internet music apps that are built into the car.11)The car has a browser with geolocation capability and a map application

12)The car has a horn, lights for external signaling that can be controlled remotely

IOT Features of Tesla model S13)The car can be woken up from a sleep low energy state over the air and booted up at any time needed to query or operate the car14)The car can take in new versions of its software and firmware and upgrade itself automatically.15)the car has a 17 touchscreen console for controlling all functions and a video console for the drivers speedometer and other driving information

IOT Features of Tesla model S16)The car has a smart charging system that can adapt to almost any electrical source that is plugged into the car. Adapters for things like RV hookups, Clothes dryer plugs as well as standard 110V and 220V configurations are supported. The car can also accept up to 500Amps of current in DC mode for quick charging. It has the ability to regulate the power consumed to the capability of the line it is connected to and to reduce consumption as the batteries can accept as well as allowing the user to designate lowerpower levels and even a timer to control when it starts charging.

Functionality of the Car Itself

Functionality of the Tesla Model SThe slowest version of the Tesla model S is as fast or faster than any luxury sedan in the world.

The performance version of the Tesla model S is as fast as any sports car available. The new D model has 2 motors, 4wheel drive and goes 0-60 in 4secsThe Telsa Model S gets 90-100 MPG while capable of this kind of performance.

SafetyNobody has been seriously injured or killed in a Tesla yetNTSA gives the car its highest rating possible 5 stars but in fact the Tesla tested the safest ever recordedReportedly the Tesla took more than the weight of 4 Tesla stacked on its roof before the crushing machine ran out of steam. the car reportedly broke the flipping machine as well

Range; BatteryRange is between 150-400 miles depending on driving conditions and battery choice.The car can be recharged with almost any input from 110V to dryer plugs, RV plugs, standard J1772 plugs, NEMA standard plugs at 220V and different amperages in 4-30 hours depending on source.

There are hundreds of Tesla supercharging stations around the country that will charge the car 50% in 20 minutes. These are placed strategically about 120 miles apart to insure any Tesla can traverse between any two supercharging stations. Charging is free at Tesla facilities.Tesla offers a battery lender program so that you can get a fresh battery in 90 seconds at stations.

Revolutionary ServiceThe car has no belts, spark plugs, transmission fluids and far fewer moving parts subject to wear than an ICE (Internal combustion engine) leading to minimal maintenance cost leading some to argue the loss of millions of jobs in the ICE service industry.Fueling the car at home or at work or in garages could cause loss of millions of jobs at liquid dinosaur stations.The car can be upgraded online from Tesla with improvements and fixes. Fixes have included safety improvements, driving improvements as well as efficiency improvements and luxury features added after the fact for free by Tesla. Tesla supports an at home service option

FutureLater in 2014 Tesla is planning on opening up the Android App capability allowing a diverse set of apps to operate in the car.

The Tesla comes with an API: http://docs.timdorr.apiary.io/Functions available from the API include:Open and close the roof, start and stop charging, operate climate controls, find location, operate flashers, horn, open car or lock, pop the trunks

Functions Available in documented API today:Get operations:state of carLocationSet OperationsHorn, Lights flashCharging

Functions we know car has but arent part of documented API:Energy use, acceleration, angle, velocitySteering, braking, accelerator, Park reverse drive, power brakeCameraSensors for proximitySuspension SystemMedia, sound system, web browser, bluetooth, wifi, homelinkSeating position and control

Apps in the car (internal)The car comes with the following apps:NavigationEnergyCameraSettings/ControlsMediaPhoneCalendarBrowserSlackerTuneInPotentially interesting apps not announced:WazeUber Driver Pandora/Spotify/Audible/ShazamParking paymentYelpGlympseEnhanced Camera AppChargepointCalculatorVoice Messaging (Heytell)Kayak

Potential VulnerabilitiesFailure of Existing Appsunexpected behavior or distracting behaviorFailure of New External AppsUnexpected behavior or distracting behaviorAPI vulnerabilitiesPrivacy issues around data availabilityLack of 2 factor authenticationSecurity MeasuresUnknown what Tesla has engineeredPotential ProblemsAccess to secure dataUnexpected behavior or distracting behaviorFailure of onboard systemsCorruption, malware, spyingTaking control of the car

SummaryGood PointsEnvironmental friendlyVery Fast and fun to driveLong rangeSafest car ever builtNo one ever injured or killedAuto Update and upgradeMinimal Maintenance / At homeNew Interface and usability benefitsRemote API/OperationSupercharging networkExtended WarrantiesPersistent free data serviceApp integration and big screenSpaciousBad PointsUnknown vulnerabilities Including the possibility of gaining control of the car, private information and causing accidents Can take 8 hours to chargeNew car unknowns

John Mathonjohnmathon.wordpress.comtwitter: @john_mathonDisclaimer: I own a Tesla