What Is Tesla’s ‘Smart Summon’ & Why You Should Be Cautious Using It
Tesla’s ‘Smart Summon’ feature can be used with the Tesla mobile app when the owner is six meters (about 20 feet) away from the vehicle.
Tesla has a feature in some of its vehicles that owners can ‘summon’ their car to them just by using an app. In addition, Tesla has an Autopilot feature that assists with steering, accelerating and braking. Owners can also get a subscription to transfer to Full Self-Driving (FSD) with updates to improve the feature over time. While both of these may sound like autonomous driving, they both need driver supervision.
Tesla electric vehicles have been in several crashes while in FSD mode, proving that this system is still very much in beta form. Last November, a 2021 Model Y in California was in a minor accident when turning left. The car moved into the wrong lane to turn, and while it did provide a warning, it was too late to correct the move, and the other vehicle hit the driver’s side. Luckily, no injuries were reported. Unlike the crash earlier last year where two people were killed. A Model S was driving too fast around a curve and crashed into a tree. It then burst into flames. Strangely, there was no one reported in the driver’s seat. One person was in the front passenger seat, and the other was in the backseat. As mentioned above, the feature requires driver supervision.
It makes one wonder why a driver would want to summon their vehicle to them if Autopilot and FSD modes can cause accidents. Tesla’s ‘Smart Summon’ feature can be used with the Tesla mobile app when they are six meters (about 20 feet) away from the vehicle. The feature uses the owner’s phone’s GPS or the user can input a location. According to the website, “Smart Summon maneuvers [the car] out of parking spaces and around corners.” It also notes that the driver needs to be able to see the car at all times to monitor the vehicle and its surroundings. The user must press and hold the ‘COME TO ME’ button to use the feature. The car slowly goes toward the owner and stops within one meter (about three feet) of the person. The EV is supposed to stop if the person releases the ‘COME TO ME’ button, within one meter of the person or the pathway is blocked.
There are multiple warnings on the Tesla website for using the ‘Smart Summon’ feature. Owners should note that they can only use it in parking lots, driveways and paved roads that are on private property. The feature may also not stop for all objects or react to traffic. The company also warns that the driver should “ensure all cameras and sensors are clean.” There are so many warnings that unless you have a large property to operate the feature safely, one would wonder why someone would use it.
There have also been crashes when owners have used ‘Smart Summon.’ A Reddit user posted a video of Tesla Model Y running into a private jet worth about $2 million when using the feature. It happened at Felts Field airport in Washington during a Cirrus event. While no one was reported injured, no one wants to be paying for the damage. Last year a Tesla owner’s car ran into a pole when he was using the feature only for the second time after signing up for the subscription. It was supposed to go to the right to him but instead veered left. Tesla owners should use caution when using these beta features. It’s clear that people still need to be in control of vehicles while this technology is being built out.
Source: Tesla, Reddit, FOX 26 News