ASS in the UK

[Mullermn]

With the tantalising hints that Tesla may be about to roll out Smart Summon, which I have paid for as part of EAP but never received due to having an USS-less car, I’ve been wondering what we might actually get.

Does anyone know what level of function is permitted here by regulation? Let’s say Tesla hypothetically had a perfect system - how much would those of us in the UK be allowed to use?

 

[Pink Duck]

Actually Smart Summon will be limited here like Smart Summon and Summon itself by UNECE Auto regulation to follow-along distance of ~6 m and maximum travel of 19 m per activation. Might improve with UWB phone key range for newer models.

 

[Durzel]

You'll get sod all, because of no USS.

As I understand it UNECE regs requires a dead mans switch for remote summon & parking, from a fob that operates on certain frequencies? (don't think Bluetooth qualifies).

Since Tesla's don't come with fobs, no such implementation of a dead mans switch exists, so therefore the best we get is "walking the dog" Summon.

 

[Pink Duck]

Even though S/X had supplied/optional fobs they aren't even allowed by regulation in Europe either, so it's press and hold in the app.

 

[GRiLLA]

While the regulation requires people to be within 6m, the reality of the current version of SS on cars where it's enabled is that you need to be within about 2m for it to work. To meet the UNECE regulation on range Tesla used something related to Bluetooth signal strength which is so inaccurate that you have to be really close to the car. I don't think they will be able to fix this on existing cars pre-2024 unless the regulation changes in it's requirements.

2024 cars 'Highland' have UWB (ultra wide band) as an alternative to bluetooth that is capable of much more accurate ranging, so I'm guessing that they will allow you to be more like 6m away. Pure speculation as no 2024 cars have summon yet.

 

[Foxsbiscuits]

Can someone explain a real world non-gimmick use of Summon?
All I can think of is if you're blocked in a parking space and can't open your door, anything else?

 

[Pink Duck]

Parking in a garage space with only room for the vehicle or the more-challenging parking in a car park spot after everyone else parks so badly, but that’s a recipe for door dings and PA calls My favourite is watching it try when showing to someone else, only for connection to drop and vehicle giving up.

 

[Foxsbiscuits]

Parking in a garage space with only room for the vehicle

Oh right, but doesn't that need the self-parking function to begin with which I hear is temperamental at best?

 

[Durzel]

Can someone explain a real world non-gimmick use of Summon?
All I can think of is if you're blocked in a parking space and can't open your door, anything else?

In theory (and what was promised) the car could come to you from a parking space, so if it's raining you don't have to get soaked.

Summon broadly works like this in the States I think, it's a lot more confident of its moments. Here in the UK the car is basically terrified of moving, probably because you have to be in arms reach of it for it to work at all, and when it does move it will basically go about 1mph.

I've never got "Come to me" working, even though the popup appears in the app. There's no way the car can come to you with the restrictions on it as they are, because Summon won't work full stop unless you're in touching distance.

I have used Summon to get my car out of a parking space, but it was more of a novelty test because I'd never want to leave my car in a space that is so cramped that the people either side of you would have no choice but to make contact with your car to get in to theirs.

 

[GRiLLA]

Can someone explain a real world non-gimmick use of Summon?
All I can think of is if you're blocked in a parking space and can't open your door, anything else?

Rolling my car forward when I'm washing it to leave more space to get around, and to rotate the wheels so I can clean the other side. It's not really an enormous benefit though.

 

[KennethS]

We have a somewhat tight two car garage and I often use it to partially reverse out or finish the entrance in (after lining it up) to avoid having to squeeze in and out of the car once parked. It's finicky and you need to stand very close but it works. I had hoped to train the car to park itself having watched some of the USA YouTube auto-parking videos but, alas, it doesn't work here. Still I prefer having the summon feature than not at all.

 

[Zilla91]

Can someone explain a real world non-gimmick use of Summon?

Car is parked in front of the garage so I use it whenever I need to access it

 

[GlynG]

My use of Summon. Whenever i go shopping i tend to always find a parking spot on the perimeter of the car park and a space where another car could only park to one side of mine - so an end spot. I always reverse into any parking spot - just something I have always done.
Perimeters tend to have either walls or shrubbery and when fully in the spot there is no room to access the boot - so, I use Summon to inch the car forward a few feet, then my Apple watch using a shortcut with Siri to command the boot to open.
If Im at a DIY store then its usually long lengths of wood - the model 3 will take 2.6mtr lengths and still be able to close the boot lid - so of course I use summon to achieve this.
To be honest its the only useful function of FSD for me.

 

[Zilla91]

use Summon to inch the car forward a few feet, then my Apple watch using a shortcut with Siri to command the boot to open

Why? You’ve already got the app open to summon so why not open the boot using that

 

[WllXM]

Congrats on the clickbait title

Is the UNECE 6m regulation subject to change anytime soon? Any sort of improvement coming with the draft approval of FSD in Europe?

Couldn’t Tesla realise that the BT signal strength threshold is too low in the real world as it only works to 2m and slightly bump it up?

 

[GlynG]

Why? You’ve already got the app open to summon so why not open the boot using that

Oh I agree with you, Its mainly just because I can, It takes maybe 20 odd seconds for the car to respond to holding the forward arrow, My watch - all i need to do to launch Siri is double clench my fist - then speak the command. Its a case of simple things simple minds.

 

[GRiLLA]

Congrats on the clickbait title

Is the UNECE 6m regulation subject to change anytime soon? Any sort of improvement coming with the draft approval of FSD in Europe?

Couldn’t Tesla realise that the BT signal strength threshold is too low in the real world as it only works to 2m and slightly bump it up?

It's not about the absolute range, it's determining with confidence how far away the phone is to determine it's within the 6m range. The solution is a different type of signal that is built to do ranging, however that needs different hardware which is only in the 2024 Highland Model 3 and newer phones.

This is one of the regulations that Tesla used to not be compliant with, when I got my first Model 3 in 2019 the summon connection was over the internet rather than bluetooth like in the US and worked rather better. There was then complaints from other manufacturers which led to regulators insisting Tesla make a number of changes to this and autopilot which were all negative. My guess would be that Tesla were forced into using Bluetooth as a solution despite not being remotely suitable.

Other companies with this feature typically make it work from their custom key, so they can use whatever radio technology they like rather than being limited to what's available on most phones.

I'm not aware of any changes coming to this regulation, the 6m was determined for safety reasons and what reason would there be to change that ? Other manufacturers are not complaining.

 

[Zilla91]

There was then complaints from other manufacturers which led to regulators insisting Tesla make a number of changes to this and autopilot which were all negative.

This is a very odd way to say “they had to follow the rules”…

 

[MrBadger]

I though the issue was that you could leave a phone in the car so was within range but summon it with another

 

[Durzel]

I though the issue was that you could leave a phone in the car so was within range but summon it with another

Yeah, I just missed out on this trick

Although the car was (and still is) limited to travelling a maximum of 20 metres too.