Owner's Guide

Dashcam
About Dashcam
Note: Dashcam is a BETA feature.
In addition to supporting Autopilot features,
cameras can record and store video footage
on a USB flash drive. This can be convenient in
situations where you want a video recording
of a particular incident, such as a collision. You
can pause, resume, or save video recording
directly from your vehicle’s touchscreen.
Note: You are responsible for complying with
all local laws, regulations, and property
restrictions regarding video recordings when
using dashcam. Dashcam is external only and
does not record audio.
Note: Dashcam may not be available in certain
market regions or in vehicles built before
approximately August 1, 2017.
Note: Dashcam only works when Model 3 is
powered on (see Starting and Powering O on
page 46). Dashcam does not record video
when your vehicle is powered o.
Using Dashcam
Dashcam requires a dedicated flash drive with
FAT32 formatting (NTFS and exFAT are not
currently supported). Before you can use the
flash drive for dashcam, you must manually
add a base-level folder in the flash drive called
“TeslaCam” (without quotation marks). This
folder is required for Model 3 to know where
to store the video files; dashcam does not
work without it.
After adding the required folder to your
supported flash drive, insert it into one of your
vehicle's front USB ports (see Interior Storage
and Electronics on page 20). The rear USB
ports are meant for charging mobile devices
and do not support dashcam. When Model 3
recognizes the flash drive, which may take
approximately 15 seconds, a dashcam icon
appears in the status bar at the top of your
touchscreen and dashcam automatically
begins recording.
Touch the dashcam icon to control dashcam:
RECORDING
. Tap the dashcam
icon, when dashcam is paused, to
start recording video on the flash
drive. The dashcam temporarily
stores approximately one hour of
the most recent video footage on
the flash drive before new video
begins overwriting old video.
PAUSED. Press and hold the
dashcam icon, when recording, to
pause recording. Ensure that the
dashcam is paused before
removing the flash drive to avoid
losing camera footage.
SAVED. Tap the dashcam icon,
when recording, to archive the
most recent ten minutes of video.
The video files are saved on the
flash drive with a unique
timestamp. These saved video
recordings are not overwritten by
new recordings.
To access the video footage from dashcam,
pause the dashcam, then remove the flash
drive and use a personal computer to access
the video files located in the “TeslaCam”
folder.
Caution: You may lose up to the last 60
seconds of camera footage if you remove
the flash drive before pausing dashcam or
if your vehicle loses 12V power.
Caution: Use a flash drive that is
dedicated to dashcam only. The flash
drive cannot also be used to play media
files, and Tesla is not responsible for any
personal files becoming lost or corrupted.
Note: Tesla recommends using a flash drive
with as much available storage as possible;
saving the most recent ten-minutes of video
requires approximately 300 MB, and the hour-
long video footage loop requires
approximately 1.8 GB of free space. If your
flash drive does not have sucient storage, an
"X" displays on the dashcam icon and
dashcam may be unable to save video files.
Note: Refer to About Autopilot on page 66
for information on limitations of the cameras
and how to clean it. For best results, ensure
that both the cameras and the windshield
have good visibility.
Dashcam
Driving 65