Elon Musk still entertaining the idea of making a Tesla app store

In a recent episode of the Ride the Lightning podcast, Tesla CEO Elon Musk once again mulled over the idea of a Tesla app store.

In the past, Musk has suggested the company could implement functionality that would allow Tesla owners to mirror apps from their phone to their car’s dashboard interface.

Now, it seems like he wants to wait until Tesla has enough vehicles on the road to make it worth it for developers to create native Tesla apps.

Tesla also needs to work on creating a consistent platform to install apps on, reports Electrek. For instance, the Model 3 has a landscape display, while the Model S and X’s screens are in portrait orientation.

On the podcast, Musk said that Tesla isn’t going to put a lot of effort into an app ecosystem until its hardware is ready. This could come as soon as the fall; it’s rumoured that the company plans to refresh both the Model S and X with new interiors to make them more in line with the Model 3.

While it doesn’t seem that it would be as big of a money maker as Apple’s App Store, Tesla has been looking for non-traditional ways for an automaker to make money and taking a cut of app sales could be a good one.

Source: Electrek