Soon your car will take care of your dog

Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is a new feature in electric cars.

Tesla is rolling out new features "to help drivers of its electric cars keep their dogs safe, as well as their vehicles," said Jake Holmes at CNET​. Dog Mode allows you to keep the car's cabin at a safe temperature for pets while you're out running errands. It displays a message on the infotainment system "so that passersby don't worry about Fido's health."

The program uses some battery charge, but Tesla alerts owners on their mobile app if the battery drops below 20 percent. There's also a "Sentry Mode" that will retain footage from the car's built-in cameras. In case of a serious threat it will sound alarms, alert your smartphone, and begin playing music through the audio system at full volume.

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