First Glimpse of Tesla's Mythical $25,000 Car? [Video]

CBS airs video with von Holzhausen working on a concept car

CBS

Did we see a mock-up of the Tesla $25,000 car? Buzz surged as the Sunday Morning Show on CBS aired a story on Elon Musk, centering around Walter Isaacson's biography and leveraging the occasion to interview Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's Chief Designer. Though von Holzhausen kept his cards close to his chest, offering no new insights, the story unveiled a significant potential revelation.

On-screen, viewers caught a glimpse of von Holzhausen in front of what seemed to be a preliminary design for a compact two-seater vehicle, spawning a whirlpool of speculations. The setting further fueled the mystery, with wall-mounted renderings depicting a three-wheel vehicle resembling some Cybertruck details, teasing the possibilities of what might be in store.

Tesla through Isaacson’s lens

According to exclusive excerpts shared with Axios from Isaacson's highly awaited book, the Tesla team is not only toiling away at the elusive $25,000 vehicle but is meticulously considering its integration with the ambitious Robotaxi service. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Elon Musk and his adept team ventured into deep dialogues, navigating through myriad concepts and features aiming to redefine transportation with this groundbreaking vehicle.

The vision fostered was colossal, envisioning a future dominated by autonomous “Robotaxis,” a change so profound it threatens to consign individual car ownership to history’s scrapyard. In this brave new world, personal vehicles give way to readily available Robotaxis, eradicating the necessity for personal garages brimming with unused cars.

Revelations from Isaacson’s forthcoming book

Yet, as Isaacson unfolds in his biography, amidst the grand envisioning of a Robotaxi future, Musk’s team remained grounded, recognizing the present need for affordable electric vehicles, thus breathing life back into the $25,000 car concept. This vehicle seeks to marry affordability with avant-garde technology, aspiring to extend the reach of electric vehicles to a wider swath of society.

Titled "Elon Musk," Isaacson's tome promises a deep dive into the genesis of this revolutionary vehicle, a venture that saw Musk grapple with the dual challenges of adhering to Tesla's renowned quality standards while catering to a broader demographic. It stands as a testimony to Musk's relentless drive to push the frontiers of technology and innovation.

Questions swirl: what form will this $25,000 vehicle take? Can it genuinely revolutionize personal transportation? Gleaning insights through Isaacson’s meticulous narration fan the flames of anticipation and grant readers an intimate portrayal of the mastermind, Elon Musk.

Walter Isaacson's Thoughts on Elon Musk

Tesla Is Now Offering Cybertruck Test Drives [List of Locations]

@brandonhd

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.

Once FSD V12.5 comes to the Cybertruck, we’re sure they’ll be demoing its capabilities FSD capabilities as well.

Locations

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.

• Manhasset, New York

• West Covina, California

• Los Angeles, California

• Houston, Texas

• Orlando, Florida

• Westmont, Illinois

• Tucson, Arizona

• Phoenix, Arizona

• Delaware

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Musk Confirms 'Actually Smart Summon' is Coming in a Revision of FSD V12.5

Not a Tesla App

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.

Just recently, Tesla returned the Model X’s self-presenting doors, using Tesla Vision. Vision has seen some fantastic improvements, and many people are waiting for ASS to bring forth these improvements to Smart Summon.

Smart Summon Today

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 10^th 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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