Upon its release in September 2019, Tesla’s Smart Summon feature became a source of pride for owners of compatible EVs. However, the initial excitement gradually waned over the following months, as evidenced by a decline in social media posts showcasing the parking assistant in action.
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Tesla Smart Summon Popular Among Owners
Nonetheless, it’s essential to note that Tesla drivers continue to make use of Smart Summon. In fact, as of October 2019, the feature had already been employed over one million times. Recently, a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the user @JackyHeshi demonstrates how this semi-autonomous parking assistant successfully navigated a potentially tricky situation.
The 20-second video clip provided below illustrates the situation. The Model 3 owner found their vehicle parked in an underground garage where the gates were closed after 10 PM. Upon arriving after closing hours, they were unable to access their car and depart.
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Tesla Model 3 Drives Automatically to Proximity Sensor
As mentioned in Heshi’s video description, he managed to approach the EV closely enough to activate Smart Summon. The feature then autonomously drove the vehicle, empty of passengers, until it reached a proximity sensor that caused the gate to open from the inside. This allowed the owner and his friends to enter the garage, access the car, and drive away without the need to contact anyone or, in the worst-case scenario, arrange for a taxi and return the following day to retrieve the EV.
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As stated in the owner’s manual, the Summon feature permits vehicle owners to relocate their car within a range of up to 39 feet, either into or out of parking spaces. Meanwhile, Smart Summon enables the vehicle to autonomously traverse more extended distances of approximately 213 feet, navigating around obstacles without requiring owners to manually engage drive or reverse.