Tesla insurance had been available in 11 states, but today Tesla has added another state to the list.
Tesla Insurance is now officially available in Minnesota, making it the 12th state in the U.S. to support Tesla's insurance initiative.
Tesla needs to apply and receive approval in each state so it's a slow and long process, but Tesla has been making good progress since it first added California in 2019.
Rate Increase for Some
Although Tesla Insurance usually offers lower rates, two states are about to see a significant rate increase. According to Coverager, a go-to source for insurance information, Tesla General Insurance, the carmaker's subsidiary insurance carrier, is requesting a 30% rate increase in Maryland and a 24.5% rate increase in Oregon. Tesla's insurance initially pegged rates at 30% less, meaning this move could remove the discount for safe drivers.
However, that might not be the case. Insurance premiums in those states have been on a steady rise. Tesla addressed the reasons behind the increases, "Based on competitor rate activity and the inflationary environment that has persisted since our initial submission, we are proposing to target a higher rate level than originally submitted. The revised target rate level is still well within competitor rate levels that have been on-leveled to their most recent indicated rate."
There are 1,508 policyholders in Maryland who got access to Tesla insurance in July. In addition, 937 drivers have gotten a policy with Tesla since it started in that state in April. Tesla Insurance is also available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia and now Minnesota.
Florida
The news comes while plans to expand Tesla insurance to Florida continue to be delayed. Originally, Tesla owners were told the company's insurance would be available on October 20, 2022. But, according to a letter posted on Reddit, the state was looking for more information from the company just before the launch. Tesla responded on November 10, and it seems the rates the company first believed it would be able to offer must increase for reasons similar to Oregon and Maryland. Tesla has just released an updated telematics model for some states, including Florida. That is the Safety Score tool.
It's the safety score that makes Tesla insurance unique. While companies charge higher premiums for luxury cars, Tesla has kept rates low by monitoring the driver's safety score. The program is looking for Forward Collision Warnings, Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, Forced Autopilot Disengagement and now Late Night Driving. It combines the factors to provide an overall safety score, which reflects how much the Tesla driver is paying for insurance.
It's believed that even with the increases, Tesla will still be the most affordable provider as competition is raising rates. The real question may be which state will see similar hikes and when.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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