The Story Behind Siri + Tesla Integration

I never thought I would say this but... Gd Bless My In Laws. Now before everyone gets all bent out of shape, let me explain!

The morning after my wedding, I wake up at 6:30am to the sound of a phone call and it is none other than my father-in-law. He graciously allowed me to park my Tesla inside his Garage for the night to protect against the elements & I immediately knew why he was calling.

"Sammy. Can you come down and move your car? I need to get my bike down from the bike rack."

Enter this beautiful tradition, that started off as every Sunday but moved to 2-3 days out the week. Not to mention, as the Summer started coming closer, the bike rides got earlier. This had to stop.

So, after learning a bit about how Tesla operates their app and how the API is kind of open I began to experiment with Summon. For those of you who don't know, Summon is the feature on a Tesla that allows you to move it backwards and forwards. It also has integration with HomeLink that can control your garage door. The solution had been in front of me the entire time. So I went to work.

Learning about how HomeKit works was a top priority. Not knowing anything about Node.js or any kind of Javascript really didn't help. How do I even start this? Where do I go? Obviously Codementor was a big help in getting the fundamentals of Javascript. After days of learning and researching, I stumbled upon Homebridge.

Homebridge is a lightweight NodeJS server you can run on your home network that emulates the iOS HomeKit API. It supports Plugins, which are community-contributed modules that provide a basic bridge from HomeKit to various 3rd-party APIs provided by manufacturers of "smart home" devices.

At-last I had some progress! Something I can connect my Tesla with using the Tesla API! After doing some further research, I found teslams, which is a Node.js application that allows you to control your Tesla using the Tesla API. All I needed to do was link the two!

I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. My awakenings were coming to an end! After 2 full days of not sleeping, testing and experimenting. It was ready. I said those two magic words.

"Hey Siri"

Siri activated and I said "it's time to go". She then proceeded to Summon my car out the garage, and the rest is history. The moral of the story here is the following.

When Life Gives You In-Laws. Summon your Tesla using Siri.