In January 2016, Tesla released a new version of Autopilot that now includes a feature called Summon, which allows Model S owners to remotely move their vehicle with a smartwatch or a smartphone.
Tesla says that with Summon, owners can perform some limited function on their Tesla vehicles but in the future the company may expand the utility of the feature.
"Using Summon, once you arrive home and exit Model S or Model X, you can prompt it to do the rest: open your garage door, enter your garage, park itself, and shut down. In the morning, you wake up, walk out the front door, and summon your car. It will open the garage door and come to greet you," said Tesla.
Now, Allen Wong of Rego app has updated the Remote S for Tesla app that allows the electric car owners to use the Summon feature with their Apple Watch. YouTuber Mark Schey has also demonstrated the Summon feature using the Apple Watch.
"Using an Apple Watch, you can have your Tesla open the garage door and autonomously pull out of the garage. The Summon feature is 100% initiated by Remote S on the Apple Watch. If you want it to work without the keyfob nearby, you need to first trigger the 'Keyless Start' in the app," says Schey.
A Tesla car with the Autopilot hardware should be in the range of 39 feet to use the Summon feature. However, Wong says that this limitation is not present while using the Remote S app.
"Try using the remote/keyless start on your car via Remote S (iPhone or Apple Watch). This will allow you to bypass the requirement for having the keyfob nearby the car. This will also mean that you can summon the car without physically being near the car at all," says Wong.
The Summon feature brings Tesla a step closer in developing a car, which can be driven with a mobile scene. Interestingly, James Bond film released in 1997 "Tomorrow Never Dies " shows a car chase scene where Agent 007 (Pierce Brosnan) summons his BMW with his phone and controls it while sitting at the back.
Currently, the Summon feature of Tesla vehicles can only be used only on private property. However, in the future owners of Tesla cars may be able to use the feature to execute complex functions even out with private space.
Check out a short video of how Schey summons the Model S.
Photo: Steve Jurvetson | Flickr
