Car summoning features primarily refer to technologies that allow a vehicle to drive itself to a specified location or the owner without the driver being inside.
Different types of car summoning systems currently available:
- Basic Summoning or "Dumb Summon": This feature allows the vehicle to move in and out of parking spaces or navigate simple pathways with minimal obstacle avoidance. It's generally used for moving the car short distances, like pulling out of a tight parking spot. This type of summon operates within a limited range and does not handle complex environments well.
- Actually Smart Summon: An advanced version of car summoning where the vehicle can navigate through more complex environments such as parking lots, maneuvering around obstacles to reach the owner. This requires more sophisticated sensors, mapping, and AI to handle dynamic environments. It can operate over larger distances compared to basic summoning, up to the limits set by the system or the app.
- Smart Summon (Tesla's Original Implementation): Before "Actually Smart Summon," Tesla introduced "Smart Summon," which allowed the car to drive to the owner within a parking lot. This feature used the car's cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and radar to detect and navigate around obstacles. It was designed for scenarios like rainy days or when carrying heavy items, but it had limitations in handling more complex scenarios compared to the newer "Actually Smart Summon."
- Reverse Summon: A concept where the car not only comes to the owner but can also drop them off at a location and then park itself autonomously. This would include finding a parking spot after dropping off the owner, which adds another layer of complexity to the summoning process.
