Photo: Tesla, @PatrickMJanson, @latexiii95 via X
Tesla continues to refine its software experience with new updates, and the 2024.44.3 update provided a nice surprise. For the first time, Tesla rolled out Actually Smart Summon outside North America, with customers in Switzerland, UK, Norway, and Taiwan confirming they've got it. However, European Union customers are still left out as Tesla awaits regulatory approval for the automated driving feature.
Tesla bet big on autonomous driving in 2024, and it looks like it might pay off, as the upcoming Trump administration is considering easing regulations in this area. The Trump transition team has signaled its intention to set up a federal regulatory framework for autonomous driving, making it easier for autonomous driving companies like Tesla to deploy driverless cars nationwide.
However, before doing this, Tesla still needs to work on its Full Self-Driving software, which continues to be a work in progress. Tesla FSD recently launched the end-to-end on highway feature after it allowed the cars to drive autonomously (with no driver in charge) in parking lots. The so-called Actually Smart Summon (ASS) feature turned from a party trick into an actually useful function, allowing owners to "summon" the car from across the parking lots, saving time and even keeping them dry in the rain.
Until now, ASS, like FSD, was only available in North America, but Tesla aims to gradually roll out autonomous driving functions to other countries. Although FSD is still a North American affair, Actually Smart Summon is already making people smile across both oceans. The feature launched with the 2024.44.3 software update in Taiwan, as well as non-EU countries in Europe like Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. So far, Tesla is not touching EU markets, supposedly because the regulations are too cumbersome.
The same 32024.44.3 update brings many goodies besides ASS to Europeans. The cold-weather improvements are probably the most important thing at this time of the year. If the battery is too cold for fast charging, when you plug it into a charger, the car will display an estimated battery heating time to indicate when charging can start. Battery preconditioning has also been improved for better Supercharging performance, as well as better automatic windshield defogging during and after Supercharging.
A nice addition brought over from 2024.44.1 is the possibility of heating the charge port if the cable is frozen stuck. This can be done via Controls > Service > Charge Port Heater on the infotainment screen. Although it doesn't sound like much, Tesla also improved battery energy estimation for better accuracy while driving. The same update introduced Trailer-Friendly Superchargers, allowing drivers to see if a Supercharger station has trailer-compatible stalls. If your vehicle is in Trailer Mode, trailer-friendly Supercharger locations are displayed at the top of the list.
With the Tesla App version 4.39.0 and higher, Tesla owners can report issues with Superchargers, even when not charging. These include access, cleanliness, and damage reports, which could help Tesla address the problems faster. The next step will be setting a desired SoC on arrival to the app and in-car trip planners, as Supercharger chief Max de Zegher promised in a reply on X.
However, before doing this, Tesla still needs to work on its Full Self-Driving software, which continues to be a work in progress. Tesla FSD recently launched the end-to-end on highway feature after it allowed the cars to drive autonomously (with no driver in charge) in parking lots. The so-called Actually Smart Summon (ASS) feature turned from a party trick into an actually useful function, allowing owners to "summon" the car from across the parking lots, saving time and even keeping them dry in the rain.
Until now, ASS, like FSD, was only available in North America, but Tesla aims to gradually roll out autonomous driving functions to other countries. Although FSD is still a North American affair, Actually Smart Summon is already making people smile across both oceans. The feature launched with the 2024.44.3 software update in Taiwan, as well as non-EU countries in Europe like Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. So far, Tesla is not touching EU markets, supposedly because the regulations are too cumbersome.
The same 32024.44.3 update brings many goodies besides ASS to Europeans. The cold-weather improvements are probably the most important thing at this time of the year. If the battery is too cold for fast charging, when you plug it into a charger, the car will display an estimated battery heating time to indicate when charging can start. Battery preconditioning has also been improved for better Supercharging performance, as well as better automatic windshield defogging during and after Supercharging.
A nice addition brought over from 2024.44.1 is the possibility of heating the charge port if the cable is frozen stuck. This can be done via Controls > Service > Charge Port Heater on the infotainment screen. Although it doesn't sound like much, Tesla also improved battery energy estimation for better accuracy while driving. The same update introduced Trailer-Friendly Superchargers, allowing drivers to see if a Supercharger station has trailer-compatible stalls. If your vehicle is in Trailer Mode, trailer-friendly Supercharger locations are displayed at the top of the list.
With the Tesla App version 4.39.0 and higher, Tesla owners can report issues with Superchargers, even when not charging. These include access, cleanliness, and damage reports, which could help Tesla address the problems faster. The next step will be setting a desired SoC on arrival to the app and in-car trip planners, as Supercharger chief Max de Zegher promised in a reply on X.
2024.44.3 ASS confirmed in Switzerland downloading it and also improvements for Autopark and many more... will be interesting to see how far we can go with ASS please >8m
— fiiRRREEEE (@toso1909) November 21, 2024
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