According to a report in the Handelsblatt, during a quick trip to Tesla’s Germany operations, Elon Musk stated, “I think it makes sense to produce the semi-truck in Europe at Giga Berlin.” With that, the semi-truck production appears to have a plan for the long-awaited ramp-up. This is in addition to the already planned “Redwood” European production.
Giga Berlin's New Role in Tesla's Expansion
The choice of Giga Berlin as the production site for the Tesla Semi is strategic, considering the factory's capacity and the region's central location within Europe. With the facility initially focused on Model Y production, the addition of the Tesla Semi represents a meaningful expansion of Tesla's manufacturing capabilities on the continent. This move is aligned with the company's broader objective to increase the factory's output and further solidify its presence in the European market.
The decision also comes while the European trucking sector increasingly leans towards decarbonization, spurred by stringent CO2 reduction targets and a collective drive towards sustainability. Introducing the Tesla Semi to the European market is anticipated to profoundly impact the transportation sector, offering a viable, environmentally friendly alternative to diesel trucks.
Tesla Semi's Journey to European Production
The electric semi-truck was first introduced in 2017 and is currently in pilot production in Nevada. After a big publicity splash with Pepsi-Co, the first company to sign on to purchase the Semis, news about the big truck has been fairly quiet. However, early reports suggest the Semi boasts impressive features such as superior range, charging efficiency, and performance capabilities, which have been proven in real-world tests and operations by early adopters. These attributes make the Tesla Semi a compelling option for companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint and operational costs.
The Semi isn’t the only new product that’s been discussed in Germany. Last year, during a visit to the facility, Musk said the next-generation car, which is now known as “Redwood,” would be built at Giga-Berlin. However, the timeline for this development is hard to nail down, as Tesla has recently made it clear that it’s all hands on deck to get the car manufactured at the Austin plant.
Musk's recent visit to the Giga Berlin came after an arson attack temporarily disrupted the factory's operations, highlighting the CEO's hands-on approach in steering the company through challenges. Despite the setback caused by the attack, Tesla's quick recovery. Tesla employees rallied outside the facility to support the company against the “environmental” terrorist attacks. Giga Berlin exemplifies the company's robust response mechanism to unforeseen events, ensuring that its ambitious production goals remain on track.
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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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Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
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