While Tesla’s FSD v12 beta has been making headlines for its increasingly human-like performance on roads, the cutting-edge driver assist system is about to gain an impressive new capability – actually being smart when it comes to reversing and summon features.
‘Actually Smart Summon’ Coming Over the ‘Next Few Releases’
According to Tesla’s own Ashok Elluswamy, who heads up Autopilot and AI development, the company’s much-hyped “Actually Smart Summon” upgrade is headed to FSD over “the next few releases” when it will merge with the core self-driving models.
For the uninitiated, Smart Summon currently allows Tesla owners to remotely summon their vehicle from a parking spot to their location. The “actually smart” version, however, will bestow FSD with keen spatial awareness and the ability to deftly reverse itself out of tight spots.
Some FSD beta testers have already caught glimpses of this reversing prowess in action. One clip posted by Chuck Cook “blew [his] mind” with FSD v12.3’s ability to find “its way out of a bad situation” thanks to advanced maneuvering.
Green, another Tesla hacker, confirmed that reverse summon capabilities are already baked into the latest v12.3 software – Tesla just needs to “turn on the toggle switch” to enable it.
Why does this matter? Beyond being a handy party trick, giving FSD true two-way driving ability is a crucial stepping stone towards achieving robust self-parking. If Tesla’s autonomous smarts can deftly reverse in and out of tight parking spots, true self-parking is just around the corner.
Sure, it may seem like a minor incremental upgrade. But as Tesla owners know, it’s exactly these types of quality-of-life enhancements that turn science projects into consumer-ready products. The road to full autonomy is paved with smart, small steps like Actually Smart Summon.
Related: Tesla FSD v12.3 Sees Major Strides Towards ‘Human’ Self-Driving, V12.4 Big Jump in Capabilities