Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted at a potential new product during his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast: a ‘Tesla Smart Home’ with a more efficient air conditioning system.

During the two and a half hour-long interview, Musk talked a lot about his philosophy regarding sustainability and the AI threat.

It is a good introduction to those ideas for those who don’t really follow Musk’s projects closely, but the whole interview didn’t otherwise reveal anything new except for a brief moment when Musk hinted at a potential future Tesla product.

When discussing solar energy and how the capacity for a Tesla solar roof to power an entire home is dependent on the home’s energy efficiency, Musk started getting into the idea of a smarter air conditioning system:

“It should predict when you are going to be home and then cool the rooms that you are likely to use with a little bit of intelligence. We are not talking about a “genius home” – just basic stuff.”

Musk added that if this intelligent air conditioning system is connected to your car, it could know exactly when you are about to get home and only cool it when it is appropriate in order to save energy.

The CEO noted that they already have the capacity to track Tesla vehicles through their mobile app and it would only need to be able to interact with a more intelligent air conditioning system.

When Rogan asked if he has a design for such an air conditioning system, Musk became suspiciously silent and said:

“I cannot answer questions about potential future products.”

The answer makes it sound like it could be a potential future product for Tesla Energy: an intelligent and more efficient air conditioning system to enable a ‘Tesla Smart Home’.

While it may sound like a stretch based on the division’s current products, it is actually in line with the mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy. If they can reduce a home’s energy needs when also deploying solar power capacity, they are increasing the value proposition.

Tesla has also been increasingly working on Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) technology – most recently with the innovative system developed for Model 3.

They could potentially leverage their work in this space for the automotive industry into homes.