Tesla Motors Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk announced the release of software update 7.1 for Tesla Model S and X on Jan. 10 and claimed that Tesla's self-driving feature would be able to work across the country to pick you up in two years' time. Of course, this feature would only work in places connected by land and don't have blocked borders.
The software update 7.1 is an expansion of Tesla's already working autopilot capability as well as the introduction of the first version of the "Summon" command which allows Tesla Model S and X to park itself for you and maneuver itself out of a parking space or garage while you just stand there and wait, which is especially useful if you happen to have a tight parking spot. If your garage door is operated via HomeLink, you can even connect it to your car and it would open and close the garage door by itself too. Check out the video below as one Tesla vehicle owner tests the new function.
It's not just the typical forward and reverse movement with the new update. The release notes also indicate that your Tesla Model S can now also park itself on a perpendicular curve or, in plain language, your car may just be more capable of backing up to a parking space better than you.
Tesla Motors advises Model S and X owners who will update their software to test the Summon command in their private properties first since it is on the beta testing phase. However, Elon Musk is confident that Tesla's autopilot feature will just continue to improve.
In ~2 years, summon should work anywhere connected by land & not blocked by borders, eg you're in LA and the car is in NY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2016
Just how would Tesla's vehicles be able to find and make its way to you? Summon works like the spell "Accio" from the Harry Potter universe, except, instead of wands and objects, you would be working with a smartphone and a Tesla vehicle. More specifically, you summon the car using a smartphone with a Tesla-enabled application.
Along with the new feature, Tesla also tightened the operation of previously rolled out autopilot features such as the Autosteer and Trip Planner as well as enhanced the autopilot visualization. This was done to make Tesla vehicles more "idiot-proof" due mainly to uploaded videos showing Tesla drivers improperly handling and blatantly disregarding Tesla's safety guidelines while using the "Autosteer" function, like the guy in the video below.
It seems Elon Musk is making sure that Tesla's plans for a fully automated vehicle would not be barraged by complaints and objections when the time comes for it to roll out. Considering how the government still has concerns over safety when using automated vehicles, the move is not surprising at all.
As an added precaution, Tesla Motors reminds owners that not every obstacle can be detected by their Model S yet. "Model S may not detect certain obstacles, including those that are very narrow (e.g., bikes), lower than the fascia, or hanging from the ceiling," the release notes explain.
