Elon Musk proudly states that he is half-Canadian. Staying true to his roots, his company is working through the paperwork to launch Tesla’s Cybertruck and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscriptions in the Great White North.
The Cybertruck: A New Contender on Canadian Roads
The Cybertruck has garnered significant interest worldwide but is unavailable north of the 49th parallel. Rohan Patel, Tesla’s Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development, shared insights into the Cybertruck's Canadian launch. He stated, “The Cybertruck team is gonna make this happen and is working on the regulatory paperwork and submissions. Canadian authorities have been super reasonable, so I’m very optimistic. The CT is gonna be a huge hit in Canada as we can see from the wild amount of interest. Please be patient with us and know that the team is focused on getting this done.”
FSD Subscriptions: Elevating the Driving Experience
Alongside the Cybertruck, Tesla is gearing up to offer Full Self-Driving subscriptions in Canada. Currently, Canadians can only experience FSD by buying the package outright. It costs $16,500 CAD, a price tag that can be cost-prohibitive. However, Tesla is closing in on offering the same monthly subscription package that has been available in the United States for years.
Patel addressed the delay, “It was a mistake and I feel stupid that I didn’t listen more closely to my own team about it. We will do better and keep improving and keep taking customer feedback seriously.” He also stated, “Elon approved this Canada update and the team is working on the technical and regulatory procedures to make sure we don’t trigger any unintended provincial issues. Barring any setbacks, I’d expect this in the coming weeks.”
The FSD subscription, expected to be priced around $270 CAD per month based on current exchange rates, offers a new way for Tesla owners to engage with the latest autonomous driving technology. With FSD's continuous improvements in functionality and safety, Canadian drivers are in for a transformative driving experience.
For those who don’t know, Elon’s mother, Maye Musk, was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. Elon immigrated to Canada in 1989, connecting with cousins in Saskatchewan before attending University in Ontario. There’s been speculation several times that Canada may be in line for a giga-factory, but with operations expanding in other regions of North America, that doesn’t seem likely in the near future. However, The arrival of the Cybertruck and the launch of FSD subscriptions are poised to mark a new chapter in Tesla's Canadian story.
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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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