Tesla to roll out improved Smart Summon in coming weeks

Joey Klender

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Posted on October 24, 2019

During Tesla’s Q3 2019 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced the company would be using data obtained from over one-million uses of Smart Summon in order to release improvements to the function within the coming weeks.

Smart Summon was released in early September with the company’s V10 software update. The feature allows owners to call their vehicles to their location, eliminating the need to walk to their cars in a parking lot. Videos and social media posts of owners using the feature reveal that Smart Summon has several benefits, such as saving kids from walking under the rain, or giving physically-handicapped individuals an easier time accessing their vehicles.

While speaking about Tesla’s progress in its full self-driving initiatives, Musk explained that it is really all about how real-world data from a fleet of owners can improve a feature. Smart Summon’s usage will be used to improve the feature’s current iteration, and as more updates and rolled out and refinements are applied, the function will be improved even more. Thus, it would not be surprising if Smart Summon truly becomes worthy of its moniker in the coming months.

“It’s now over 1 million uses of Smart Summon, and in the next week or so we will be releasing an improved version of Smart Summon taking into account all the data from those 1 million Smart Summon attempts. So, this really illustrates the value of having a massive fleet, because it allows us to collect these corner cases and learn from them, and use street learning and become rapidly better just as Navigator and Autopilot did on the freeway. So, expect a number of improvements in Smart Summon in the weeks to come. And this is really just the beginning as we collect more data and Autopilot and Full Self-Driving functionality get better,” Elon Musk said.

Musk stated the improvements to Smart Summon will be available within “the upcoming weeks” of the recently-held quarterly earnings call. It should be noted that Musk’s announcement comes just three weeks after Musk revealed that Smart Summon had been utilized around 500,000 times just days after its release. The release of the feature in Canada on October 11 has certainly helped this figure, but the company plans to improve upon the software using data obtained from the uses in order to increase safety and convenience for Tesla owners who have the Full Self-Driving suite activated in their vehicles.

Summon has not yet been approved for use in Europe, as legislators have enforced strict regulations on Tesla’s Autopilot software. The region has adopted the rules of autonomous vehicles from the United Nations. Tesla owners in Europe have recently complained about the restrictions, stating they have made Autopilot somewhat more dangerous as it limits the sharpness of turns allowed to be executed by the software. The restrictions also require lane changes to be executed within five seconds of signaling for a lane change.

Tesla to roll out improved Smart Summon in coming weeks

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Tesla Model S, X, 3 to get power boost via software update in coming weeks

Joey Klender

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Posted on October 23, 2019

Tesla vehicles will receive additional power increases, as well as improvements in Supercharging and drivability in the coming weeks via over-the-air software updates.

CEO Elon Musk announced during Tesla’s Q3 earnings call that a number of power improvements will be made to the Model S, Model X, and Model 3, including the increase of range, and speed of Supercharging for Standard Range and Standard Range Plus vehicles, as well as improved drivability.

The information came in a response from Musk to a question regarding the Model S and X development and how the company will improve upon the vehicles moving forward. “We’re also expecting there is going to be an over-the-air improvement, that will improve the power of the Model S, X, and 3. By the way, it’s coming in a few weeks. It should be on the order of 5% power improvement due to improved firmware.”

Tesla VP of Technology Drew Baglino added, “We are continuing to learn how to optimize motor control in our products. But yes, a 5% improvement for all Model 3 customers, and 3% for S and X.”

The improvements in Tesla’s vehicle software prompted Musk to add “I don’t think there has ever been a situation in history where you buy a car and it gets way better over time, through software.” Over-the-air updates have allowed Tesla owners to receive not only improved the functionality of their vehicles but also the addition of entertainment options. For example, the recently released V10 software update brought Tesla owners Netflix, Youtube, Spotify, and the widely popular, yet controversial, Smart Summon feature.

The anticipated range increase, in conjunction with the improvements to Supercharging times for owners of Standard Range and Standard Range Plus vehicles, will not only decrease the time spent at Tesla’s network of high-powered chargers but will also increase the convenience of having longer range for some of its vehicles.

Tesla Model S, X, 3 to get power boost via software update in coming weeks

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Tesla Chair shares rare insights on how it’s like to oversee Elon Musk

Simon Alvarez

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Posted on October 23, 2019

While speaking at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Tesla’s Board Chair Robyn Denholm provided some rare insights about how it is like to work alongside an ambitious innovator like CEO Elon Musk. 

Denholm rose as Tesla’s Chair of the Board following Elon Musk’s run-in with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last year, which was triggered by the CEO’s announcement on Twitter that he was looking to take the electric car maker private at $420 per share. Musk eventually settled with the SEC, paying a fine and agreeing to step down from being the Chair of Tesla’s Board of Directors. 

During her talk, Denholm explained that she does not expect normalcy at Tesla, especially considering that the company is being led forward by one of the most notable innovators in the industry today. Overall, the Tesla Chair stated that she actually enjoys working in the electric car maker. 

“It’s a joy to be working in that environment. There are very few people in the world like Elon, and the world needs more of them. In this world, you can’t be a disruptor part of the time. You can either be a disruptor and innovator as an individual or not. I don’t expect normalcy in that environment whether it’s Elon or one of the other innovators I’ve worked with,” she said. 

While Denholm did not provide any specifics about her day-to-day tasks at Tesla, she maintained that the changes being ushered in by the company are becoming more and more evident. This, Denholm explained, was one of the joys of working at the electric car maker. 

“You can see the progress. Nobody, 15 years ago, was thinking about electric vehicles or sustainable energy with batteries. Today, the fact that the rest of the industry is moving that way is phenomenal. That would not have happened without Elon,” she said. 

DreamWorks Animation’s previous Chair, Mellody Hobson, noted that there is a certain dynamic that one can feel in a company that is run by founders such as Elon Musk. According to Hobson, founders tend to be unconventional and break rules as they go, but they also require to have people around them that are strong enough to challenge them as they see fit. 

“Founders are rule-breakers, they’re not-conventional in their thinking. They tend to be extraordinarily open-minded but also very, very strong-willed. You have to stand up for yourself. They don’t want a bunch of ‘yes’ people around them. You have to be able to challenge them in your own way, but they’re also used to getting their own way,” she said.

Tesla Chair shares rare insights on how it’s like to oversee Elon Musk

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