A Tesla owner activates the Smart Summon feature on his vehicle.
Tesla owners are occasionally surprised some mornings when they slide behind the wheel and the California EV maker has issued a new over-the-air update overnight. In fact, the company rolled out its latest set of updates and upgrades called Software Version 10.0 last week.
The company bragged about the new features that came with the update in a blog, saying it was the largest single update it’s ever released. However, not every update is working as planned.
Most of the goodies that came with the new update were more on the fun side, things like Karaoke mode, Arcade mode and the ability to watch a movie in the front seat. However, some owners got some new functionality with the Smart Summon feature.
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This feature allows vehicle owners to “summon” their vehicle from another location, such as a parking lot, garage or some other spot. In essence, your car will come to you rather you going to where it’s parked.
The Tesla Smart Summon feature is running into some hiccups, although when it works, users like it.
The company has been teasing this feature for some time now, and it’s not the only company on the planet working such a system. Mercedes-Benz and others are developing similar programs. However, Tesla officials believe their version is ready.
“It’s the perfect feature to use if you have an overflowing shopping cart, are dealing with a fussy child, or simply don’t want to walk to your car through the rain,” the company noted in the blog.
“Customers who have had early access to Smart Summon have told us that it adds both convenience to their trips and provides them with a unique moment of delight when their car picks them up to begin their journey.”
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That all sounds good, except the Smart Summon feature is hitting some snags. Actually, it’s hitting other cars, garages and in many cases causing some close calls that leave owners and other drivers clutching their chests as their hearts attempt to beat through them.
However, there are have been plenty of examples across the internet of the system performing perfectly. In one case, one owner proclaimed that every other car is now “ruined” after she and her children waited for their Tesla to come to them in a driving rainstorm.
Instead of having to dodge rain drops while making the mad dash to their car 100 feet away, the Model S navigated right up to them, while avoiding people and a Ford Fusion at the front of the store, making their sprint just about 10 feet.
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Others still have shown funny reactions to a driverless car, including one good Samaritan who ran after the vehicle proclaiming there was no one inside while trying to figure out how to stop it. He was quickly told by the owner what was going on and had a quick chuckle.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk did say earlier in the week that the system was improving, and that’s the case he’s made for many of the innovative features on Tesla vehicles is that they will get better over time.
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Other new items in the update include expansions of its music and audio platform for Spotify Premium, which joins Slacker and TuneIn. The security settings for the Dashcam and Sentry Mode will now store those files in a separate folder on the USB drive for easier access later. The restaurants and destinations features have been updated to offer more options, especially little-known, hole-in-the-wall type places.