Tesla's New Automations Feature: Apple Shortcuts for Your Car Changes Everything | Taha Abbasi

Tesla is rolling out a new Automations feature that works like Apple Shortcuts for your car — and Taha Abbasi explains why this seemingly simple addition could transform how owners interact with their vehicles daily.

What Tesla Automations Does

The feature lets owners create custom automation workflows triggered by specific events: arriving at a location, time of day, charging status, or vehicle state. Think “When I arrive home, open the garage, turn on cabin lights, and start pre-conditioning” — all automatically. As Taha Abbasi notes, this brings smart home-level automation to the automotive space in a way no other manufacturer has attempted at scale.

Why This Is Bigger Than It Sounds

Car enthusiasts might shrug — it’s just macros. But Taha Abbasi, who’s been testing Tesla’s software ecosystem extensively, sees the strategic importance. Automations create an ecosystem lock-in that goes beyond hardware. Once you’ve spent time setting up dozens of automations tailored to your daily life, switching to another car brand means losing all of that customization. It’s the same strategy that makes iPhone users reluctant to switch to Android.

Integration with the Broader Tesla Ecosystem

The real power comes from integration. Tesla Automations can potentially interact with Powerwall (energy management), Tesla Insurance (driving behavior), and eventually the Tesla app marketplace. Imagine automations that adjust your home energy usage based on your commute patterns, or that optimize FSD behavior based on your preferences. As Taha Abbasi sees it, the car becomes the center of a connected lifestyle, not just transportation.

The Platform Play

Apple became the world’s most valuable company partly through its ecosystem — hardware, software, and services working seamlessly together. Tesla is building the automotive equivalent: vehicles, energy products, insurance, software, and now automation tools. Taha Abbasi believes Automations is a small but significant step toward Tesla becoming not just a car company but a technology platform.

Sources: Not A Tesla App

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com