Elon Musk and the Tesla software team are aiming to roll out all of the features of its Full Self-Driving package by the year-end, a tough goal but one that should be achievable with a little margin here and there. The latest version of the Tesla firmware update shows that the cars can now detect traffic cones.
Tesla Smart Summon was all the rage for a few days on Tesla Twitter and Tesla YouTube. For obvious reason, too — it’s fun! More thoughtfully (putting on my serious face), it’s an amazing step forward toward door-to-door fully self-driving Teslas. That’s at least half the excitement — what it indicates is coming, much more than what is here today. Nonetheless, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Tesla owners were eager to see what Smart Summon could do and what its limitations were. That included me, a new Tesla buddy, and a friend of his who happened to be in town at the Supercharger where we had decided to meet.
The top 20 CleanTechnica stories of the week were led by a Tesla Model Y production plan an insider leaked to us, which is both super exciting and something to be cautious about. The second most popular piece was a story about Tesla Model 3 range after 50,000 miles of driving. The black swan story of the week that climbed its way into the top 3 was on the topic of fusion energy. (Proceed with caution if you plan to read about that news item.) For the rest of the top 20, skim down below and click the ones that tickle your interest.
I want to share with you a story of a young woman named Cambry, who is an inspiration. Over 6.8 million Americans use assistive devices to help them with mobility. Many of these devices are wheelchairs. In Cambry’s case, her wheelchair is not motorized, so she has to use her arms and core to move around, which can be challenging in some cases, like when going to a gas station and pumping gas.
Some argue that Tesla Smart Summon should not be released because it is “beta” software. That is not a strong argument. According to Lifewire.com:
Beta refers to the phase in software development between the alpha phase and the release candidate phase. Beta software is generally considered “complete” by the developer but still not ready for general use due to a lack of testing “in the wild.”
Let’s look at a hypothetical (but ridiculous) scenario. Somebody gives your kids backpacks with a bullet-resistant panel built inside. Whatever your feelings on that, your kids really like the backpacks for other reasons, so you decide to let them use them.
I mentioned in a recent article that I added to my stock position in Tesla for a variety of reasons. Before I go on to discuss Smart Summon, I wanted to address a complaint in the comment section of that article.
Okay, so I’m sitting in the car waiting for my whole family (husband and two little girls) to come back from a quick stop for shopping. The car is plugged in and charging at a Tesla Supercharger (thank you to buyers who used our referral code). My husband came up with a funny phrase to describe a “park & plug” state, which is “plark.” So, you could say I’m sitting in a “plarked” car in a Tesla “plarking lot.”
Consumer Reports has tested Tesla’s new Smart Summon feature and found it wanting. It’s more like a science experiment than a finished product, the testing service says.
Since I got the Tesla Model 3 a month and a half ago, I’ve been trying to figure out a one- or two-sentence summary of the car. It’s been tough. I’m plagued by a few issues. For one, I’m used to communicating with people who know a ton about Tesla (you), whereas people in the “real world” are often not such people.
