Tesla restores Park Assist using vision for vehicles without ultrasonic sensors
Tesla
Tesla has taken another significant step forward in its commitment to vision-based technology by introducing Tesla Vision Park Assist. This new feature reinstates the Park Assist distance measurements for Tesla vehicles without ultrasonic sensors (USS).
In October 2022, Tesla removed USS from Model 3, Model Y, and later, Model S and Model X, as part of the shift to its camera-based Autopilot system, Tesla Vision. However, the accompanying software to measure distances to nearby objects wasn't ready at the time, leaving owners of cars without USS to estimate their distance to surrounding things while parking.
The Latest Update Gets Even Bigger
The wait for a solution is finally over with the release of software version 2022.45.11, which includes the latest FSD Beta v11.3.2. As confirmed by well-known Tesla hacker @greentheonly, Tesla Vision Park Assist has been added to this update for vehicles without USS.
Improvements Over Ultrasonic Sensors
Although Tesla's vision-based approach is expected to not be as accurate as having ultrasonic sensors, at least initially, it does offer one improvement for the hardware-based solution.
The vision-based Park Assist system not only measures distances to objects at the front and rear of the car but also detects objects on the sides where there is no USS, providing 360° coverage around the vehicle.
It's not clear whether Tesla plans to add vision-based object detection to the sides of vehicles that have ultrasonic sensors in a future update.
The current release is limited to cars testing FSD Beta without USS, while vehicles with USS continue to operate with their sensors enabled. Although it might take some time for the feature to be deployed fleet-wide, Tesla Vision Park Assist demonstrates Tesla's progress in refining vision-based technology for parking assistance.
Who Will Get It
According to @greentheonly, the new Park Assist system is currently only available to customers in the United States and Canada who have purchased FSD and applied for access to the FSD Beta program. It is also currently limited to the Model 3 and Model Y. However, with visual and audio alerts of surrounding objects and the use of the occupancy network to predict high-definition outlines of objects around the vehicle, the vision-based system could eventually prove superior to Tesla's previous USS-based solution.
The release notes for Park Assist in 2022.45.11 state:
Tesla Vision Park Assist provides visual and audio alerts of surrounding objects. This feature uses the occupancy network to predict high-definition outlines of objects 360 degrees around the car.
Note: Tesla Vision Park Assist is for guidance purposes only and is not a substitute for an aware driver. Please be attentive and avoid obstacles as required.
Last year, Tesla's shift to a vision-only approach resulted in temporarily limiting or disabling some features, such as Summon, Smart Summon, Autopark, and Park Assist. Park Assist, which alerts drivers to nearby objects when traveling at less than five mph, appeared to be the easiest to implement. Now that Tesla has released Park Assist for vision-only vehicles, it is likely that Autopark, Summon, and Smart Summon will follow suit for Teslas without ultrasonic sensors in due course.
With Tesla Vision Park Assist, Tesla owners without ultrasonic sensors can now enjoy improved parking assistance, making it easier and safer to navigate tight parking spaces. As the feature continues to roll out and improve, Tesla demonstrates its dedication to advancing its vision-based technology for the benefit of its customers.
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Tesla’s plan to brand its autonomous network of taxicabs has found an interesting little snag. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a “nonfinal office action” regarding Tesla’s application to trademark the term “Robotaxi” specifically in connection with autonomous electric vehicles.
This is an initial refusal by USPTO’s examining attorney and is very particular for autonomous electric automobiles. A separate trademark application by Tesla for the term “Robotaxi” as it relates to its upcoming autonomous ride-hailing service is still under examination and has not yet received a similar rebuttal.
Understanding the Refusal
A “nonfinal office action” means the USPTO has found potential issues with the trademark application, as stated, which prevents its immediate approval and subsequent granting to Tesla. Tesla now has a three-month period to file its counterarguments and address the USPTO's concerns.
If Tesla’s response satisfies the examiner, the trademark could be granted.
While the exact content of the office action isn’t detailed in the initial report, such refusals for terms like “Robotaxi” often occur if the USPTO considers the term “merely descriptive” or “generic” for the goods in question. In this particular context, “Robotaxi” could refer to any autonomous taxi vehicle.
Trademark law generally prevents the exclusive registration of terms that competitors would need to use to describe their own similar products. For a term to be trademarked, it typically needs to be distinctive and act as a brand identifier rather than just a descriptive name of the product’s class or type.
Separate Application for Ride-Hailing
Tesla still has a distinct, separate, and still pending application to register “Robotaxi” as a trademark for “transportation services, namely, autonomous ride-hailing services.” The criteria for trademarking a service can differ from those on trademarks for goods, and it’s possible Tesla may have more success securing the name for the service itself, which would allow them to brand the network as “Tesla Robotaxi.”
Why This Matters
Securing a trademark grants exclusive rights to use a brand name in conjunction with specific goods or services. This helps prevent customer confusion and to protect the brand identity.
If the refusal for the vehicle trademark becomes final, Tesla may be limited in its ability to exclusively name a good (specific vehicle) the “Tesla Robotaxi.” Other manufacturers could also potentially use “robotaxi” descriptively for their own autonomous taxi vehicles.
The ability to trademark “Robotaxi” for the ride-hailing service is arguably more critical for Tesla, as they’re working to establish a unique brand for their autonomous transportation network, which kicks off in Austin next month.
The USPTO’s office action won’t hinder Tesla’s ability to develop or deploy its own vehicles in June - instead, it’ll just impact how Tesla can brand the app and their vehicles, which could cause some last-minute delays if they have to rebrand.
Cybercab and Robovan/Robobus Trademarks
While Tesla is facing challenges with the broader Robotaxi term for vehicles, the company is also seeking to trademark “Cybercab,” “Robovan,” and “Robobus.” Securing a less descriptive name for the vehicle itself often has a higher chance of success with USPTO, as it is far more distinctive than a more general term like “robotaxi.”
Why Didn’t Tesla Do This Years Ago?
Tesla may have waited too long to file a trademark for the term “Robotaxi.” While the company has been discussing a self-driving fleet since 2016, the concept of autonomous taxis has gained a lot more traction in recent years — and competitors like Uber have also begun using the term.
We suspect there was some strategic timing behind these filings. Earlier versions of FSD — particularly those prior to V12 — may have lacked the progress needed to support Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions. Filing for a trademark that isn’t actively in use or about to be used can make it harder to defend or retain.
Moreover, while the idea of autonomous vehicles has been around for years, a clearer public understanding of Tesla’s specific plans has only emerged over the past 18 months. Filing too early can trigger speculation long before the company is ready to reveal details.
Ultimately, whether Tesla secures the rights to “Robotaxi” remains uncertain — but trademarks like “Cybercab” and “Robovan” seem much more likely to stick.
One of Tesla’s greatest weaknesses, as it has quickly become one of the world’s most ubiquitous cars on the planet has always been service. Escalating issues to managers and sometimes even reaching a Tesla Service employee can be a total coin flip, depending on your Service Center.
Tesla is continuing its push to integrate AI across its customer support channels in an effort to improve customer service. According to Raj Jegannathan, Tesla’s VP for IT, AI Infrastructure, Apps, Infosecurity, and Vehicle Service Operations (that’s a lot), Tesla is launching a pilot program for a new AI designed to improve customer interactions with Service.
Tesla Service’s new AI Agent detects comms delays, monitors sentiment, & auto-escalates to leaders. Starts tomorrow at 10 pilot locations. In 2 weeks, type “Escalate” in ‘message center’ to reach managers. Guardrails in place to prevent abuse. We’ll keep improving!
At 10 pilot service locations, this new AI agent will begin working behind the scenes at Tesla Service, to help with customer communications. It will provide three key features:
Detect Communications Delays: The AI will actively monitor service interactions to identify potential delays in communication or progress. These are often a key pain point for customers who reach out to Tesla Service and don’t receive a response for several days, as Service has nothing new to add. The AI can now step in and let the customer know Tesla is still waiting on parts or something else.
Monitor Customer Sentiment: By monitoring the tone and content of the messages between the customer and Service agents, Tesla will be able to identify situations where a customer might be dissatisfied or facing difficulties.
Auto-Escalate: If either a communications delay or negative sentiment is detected, the AI can automatically escalate issues to human managers for review. This helps to address problems before customers need to seek escalation themselves or become upset about an issue.
Customer Escalation Requests
Alongside the new AI tool, Tesla is also introducing a more direct way for customers to get higher-level attention. According to Tesla, within the next two weeks, customers can simply type “Escalate” in order to have their issue routed directly to management.
Raj’s team is currently working on implementing guardrails to prevent abuse, but this will soon make its way to improving Tesla’s service offerings. We’re glad to see Tesla taking steps to identify and correct deficiencies in the process - it has always been a sore tooth for Tesla in the last few years.
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