Tesla launches range-limited ‘Actually Smart Summon’ in new markets

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Tesla has officially launched a range-limited version of Actually Smart Summon in markets in Europe and the Middle East, as announced by the company this week. Some have expressed criticism for the limited version and for the related regulations, though the move could also represent a crucial step in Tesla’s aims to launch its Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) in the markets.

The company announced the news on in a post on its Europe and Middle East account on X on Thursday, after the company initially launched the highly-anticipated feature in the U.S. in September. For now, users must be within a 6-meter (~20 feet) range of the vehicle to use the feature, and some have expressed frustration with the limitation.

By comparison, Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon works within approximately 213 feet (~65 meters) in the U.S., which left many wondering why there was such a stark difference. As it turns out, there is a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) regulation that requires operators to remain within 6 meters of their vehicle when operating them autonomously, hence the regulation.

In UNECE Regulation No. 79 Revision 5, it says that such a system’s “maximum RCP operating range shall not exceed 6 m,” explaining the limitation. You can see the full UNECE regulation here, or check out more details from Tesla about Actually Smart Summon here in its U.S. owner’s manual.

Actually Smart Summon is also not available in Canada just yet, though the country is often the first to follow the U.S. regarding new Tesla features.

The news also comes as Tesla has been aiming to launch FSD Supervised in Europe, China, and other markets, and some have suggested that Actually Smart Summon’s launch in the former region could be a precursor to FSD. Tesla launched Actually Smart Summon in September as a part of an FSD Supervised update, though the two systems technically have separate coding, as Elon Musk explained in July.

Tesla seems to have taken important steps to launch FSD Supervised in Europe throughout much of this year, along with similarly important steps in China. However, last month, a former executive from the company pointed out that the United Nations (UN) had chosen to delay a regulation that could slow down the rollout of FSD in Europe.

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Tesla Actually Smart Summon handles busy Costco parking lot with ease

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Tesla launches Actually Smart Summon in Europe and the Middle East





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Tesla Giga Berlin Protester treehouses taken down

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Grünheide police have begun taking down the treehouses built by protestors against Tesla Giga Berlin’s expansion. 

On Thursday, November 21, 2024, police started dismantling the treehouse protesters built to keep Tesla from expanding Giga Berlin. According to local reports, the last 20 treehouses were taken down carefully. Over the next few days, police will start disposing of the debris left from the demolished treehouses. 

Earlier this week, Grünheide announced the dissolution of the protesters gathering around Tesla Giga Berlin, citing legal violations. At the time, the municipality of Grünheide issued a general order prohibiting civilians from entering the area where the treehouses were built for an indefinite period of time. 

Police started clearing the area covered by the general order, thereby removing Tesla Giga Berlin expansion protestors from the nearby forest. The clearing results in a total of 18 people being temporarily detained. The people detained had illegally remained in treehouses built near Tesla Giga Berlin. 

The treehouse protesters have been permitted to stay in the forest near Tesla Giga Berlin for nearly nine months.

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Tesla Giga Berlin Protester treehouses taken down





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Tesla Cybercab robotaxi displayed in Giga New York

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Tesla appears to be putting some serious effort into showcasing its robotaxi, the Cybercab, to everyone, including its own employees. This can be seen in recent photos of the self-driving vehicle, which was recently brought to Giga New York. 

Images shared in social media show that Tesla has brought a Cybercab to Gigafactory New York. Similar to Tesla’s Cybercab displays in Europe so far, it appears that employees are only able to view the vehicle, not actually sit inside the self-driving robotaxi. The vehicle does seem to attract attention from the facility’s employees, as hinted at in photos of Giga New York workers taking photos of the Cybercab.

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Interestingly enough, the Cybercab in Giga New York features a plate with the number “18” on it, suggesting that it was one of the vehicles that was used to ferry attendees of Tesla’s “We, Robot” event last month. The Cybercab in Giga New York also features updated wheel covers that extend well into the tire. 

Giga New York is arguably Tesla’s most underrated facility. Similar to the Fremont Factory, Giga New York is an acquired plant. Thus, it was not specifically built for Tesla’s products, unlike Giga Texas, which was specifically built for Model Y and Cybertruck production. It is also on the smaller side of Tesla’s factories, having 1.2 million square feet of workspace on 88 acres of land.

In comparison, Giga Texas, which is the site of Tesla’s headquarters today, features 10 million square feet of factory floor on 2,500 acres of land. As per the electric vehicle maker’s official website, however, Giga New York is still an important part of Tesla’s operations, as it produces Solar Roof tiles, solar panels, electrical components for Superchargers, and prefabricated Supercharger units.

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Tesla Cybercab robotaxi spotted at Giga New York





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