Tesla appears to be starting a pilot for a rental program
Tesla
"Big things happening..." — this tantalizing phrase, shared by Melissa Porche Blakely, staff program manager at Tesla, has stirred excitement and curiosity in the Tesla community. The comment was made about a new job listing for the Tesla Rental Program in Texas, as spotted by @SawyerMerritt.
A Revolutionary Rental Program
Tesla is on the brink of launching a Tesla Rental Program in Texas, with a pilot program slated for collision centers. The automaker seeks a Program Manager in Business Development to lead this ambitious initiative. Speculation around Tesla's move into the rental space centers on various potential benefits:
Customer Convenience: Offering rental cars at collision centers can be incredibly convenient for customers whose cars are being repaired. This service can fill a temporary need, especially if repairs are extended.
Brand Exposure: By extending the program to airports for employees and potentially the broader public, Tesla can increase exposure to its vehicles. Those unfamiliar with Tesla may enjoy the unique experience, leading to potential future sales.
Competitive Edge: With competitors already renting Tesla vehicles (e.g., Hertz), the automaker might want to control the rental experience, ensuring brand quality and potentially retaining rental revenue.
Details of the Pilot Program
The pilot program will encompass all Tesla collision centers in Texas, with Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas locations. It's unclear if Tesla only plans to launch the rental program for customers at collision centers or if a broader car rental program might come later. The extension to airports, particularly for a Tesla employee pilot, further hints at the wider ambitions of this program.
Beyond Rentals: Glass Repair Optimization
Apart from the Rental Program, the new hire will also focus on Glass Repair Optimization. This signals Tesla's continual drive to enhance customer service, aiming to reduce repair times and further streamline the collision repair experience. Remember, we also speculated that Tesla might be going into the car wrap business in North America, similar to what the company has in China.
The Tesla Rental Program represents more than just a new service. While the full scope and implications of this initiative remain to be seen, it is clear that Tesla is keen on expanding its footprint and enhancing its brand experience.
As the industry watches this development closely, the question remains: will this move set a new standard in the rental space? What other surprises might Tesla have up its sleeve? "Big things happening" indeed.
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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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