No, I’m not writing about Tesla’s 3rd quarter financial report but their latest feature called “Smart Summons”. If you thought their autopilot was sketchy just wait ‘til you read this. Oh, emphasis was in original post.
With Tesla releasing V10 of its vehicle software earlier this week, owners were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the long touted “Smart Summon” feature, which is supposed to allow drivers to summon their vehicles to them in parking lots using their cell phones.
But, as things go with Tesla, the idea of the idea was worlds away from the actual implementation of it. In fact, early customer videos and reports of the “feature” are making Smart Summon look extremely dangerous and nothing short of a complete disaster.
As soon as the software update pushed to drivers, videos began popping up on social media showing a litany of negative consequences of everyday users beta testing Smart Summon in real life.
Tesla says that with Smart Summon “customers who have purchased Full Self-Driving Capability or Enhanced Autopilot can enable their car to navigate a parking lot and come to them or their destination of choice, as long as their car is within their line of sight. 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.”Even More Frightening Videos And Photos Surface Of Tesla’s “Smart” Summon Feature
Tesla claims that “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.”
What follows is a series of Twitter posts from Tesla owners complaining about bumps, scrapes, and bruises to their vehicles as a result of trusting this half-baked idea. If you need a quick laugh, take a look at the rest of the article.
As usual, Elon sells the sizzle and not the steak.