Elon Musk Provides Updates on Park Seek; Major Architectural Improvements Enroute

May 18, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Musk provides an update on Tesla's future Park Seek feature

Tesla

In the ongoing pursuit of fully autonomous vehicles, Elon Musk continues to push the boundaries, with Tesla once again proving its dominance in the electric vehicle industry. Following recent social media engagement with Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV), the tech titan shared updates regarding the imminent upgrade of Tesla's Smart Summon and Reverse Summon capabilities.

Musk took to Twitter to address speculation and confirmed Smart Summon and Reverse Summon would receive significant updates soon, saying "major update coming in a few months." Tesla was aiming to initially release 'Actually Smart Summon' in late 2022. Musk reaffirmed that version 11.4.1 incorporates "major architectural improvements," promising to elevate FSD, and parking features play a role in that program.

Elevating Self-Parking Features to New Heights

This tweet builds on Tesla's reputation for continuous improvement, heralding yet another revolutionary upgrade in autonomous vehicle technology. Smart Summon, part of Tesla's Full Self-Driving package, currently allows vehicles to navigate through a parking lot to pick up the owner. Meanwhile, while in the early stages of development, Reverse Summon, or Park Seek is intended to enable a Tesla to drop off the owner at the entrance of a building and go find a parking spot. Park Seek is expected to have different modes, allowing the owner to pick the parking spots that would be the most conveinent.

The significance of these improvements should not be underestimated. By enhancing these features, Tesla is improving the overall safety and convenience of the autonomous driving experience. With AI managing everything from video inputs to control outputs, the result would be a car capable of making nuanced decisions, similar to a human driver, but with machine precision.

Anticipating the Advent of a New Era in Driving Convenience

Musk's statement about the upgrade alludes to a more mature, advanced FSD architecture, which may hint at an accelerated timeline toward the goal of fully autonomous vehicles. Although a specific release date was not given, Tesla enthusiasts are on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the upcoming update.

This latest announcement from Musk also underscores the tech magnate's unwavering commitment to keeping Tesla at the forefront of the electric vehicle market. As the world looks forward to this new era of driving convenience, one thing is for sure: Tesla's Smart Summon and Reverse Summon are about to get smarter than ever.

Cybertruck Deliveries Halted Due to Accelerator Pedal Issue

April 15, 2024

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla has informed several Cybertruck reservation holders of delays in their delivery schedules. Several notifications were posted on the Cybertruck Owner’s Club, stating the need to postpone scheduled deliveries due to an "unexpected delay" without initially providing detailed explanations to customers.

Technical Issues Identified

However, that is where the Tesla community steps in. More posts on X and the Cybertruck Owner’s Forum revealed that the delays are linked to a design issue with the accelerator pedal of the Cybertruck. Unlike Tesla's other models, which feature a hanging accelerator pedal, the Cybertruck uses a floor-mounted design. This design requires the driver to apply forward and upward motion pressure.

error rrr -

CYBERTRUCK pedal design allows for it to get stuck.

Hope this gets patched 🙏🏽 @Tesla @cybertruck pic.twitter.com/RT0yKGDxH0
— ARTIS (@ARTISSIMULATED) April 14, 2024

It has been determined that the cover of the accelerator pedal can shift out of its designated position when subjected to excessive force. This malfunction has been attributed to the presence of lubricant residues left over from the manufacturing process.

Remedial Actions and Future Plans

Tesla has temporarily halted the delivery of all Cybertrucks and is currently working on a solution to redesign the pedal cover to eliminate lubricant residue. The new, improved covers are expected to be ready by April 19. Tesla plans to replace the faulty components in existing Cybertrucks at Service Centers shortly thereafter.

The company anticipates resuming Cybertruck deliveries on April 20, also known as 4-20. However, due to the pause in deliveries and the time required to distribute the new parts, some customers might experience further delays. Tesla is preparing for a staggered delivery schedule initially due to the limited availability of the newly designed pedal covers.

Despite these setbacks, Tesla continues to scale up the production of the Cybertruck at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. Recent aerial footage indicates that production rates have been nearing 1,000 units per week. The Cybertruck has also been featured in promotional events across several countries, including a stop at the Boston Marathon, showcasing its unique design and capabilities.

Tesla Reduces Price of FSD Subscription to $99 Per Month [Subscriptions Now Available in Canada Too!]

April 12, 2024

By Not a Tesla App Staff

Tesla just dropped its FSD subscription pricing dramatically in the U.S., lowering the cost from $199 to $99 per month. However, not everyone is thrilled with the new pricing.

For owners who bought the Enhanced Autopilot package for $6,000 USD, Tesla offered a lower-priced FSD subscription of $99, instead of $199. However, with this new FSD price reduction, EAP owners are no longer receiving a discount.

FSD Subscription Expansion

Currently, the FSD subscription is only available in the U.S., but plans for expansion are underway. Tesla's Rohan Patel recently announced that the subscription will soon be available in Canada, alongside the introduction of an annual plan for Premium Connectivity.

This expansion into the Canadian market is anticipated to follow a similar pricing strategy, adjusted for the currency exchange rate, possibly setting the cost at approximately $140 CAD per month.

Update: Tesla has just announced that FSD subscriptions are now available in Canada! What’s even more surprising is the unexpectedly low subscription price of $99 CAD. Tesla took to X to announce the availability in Canada but unfortunately didn’t reveal any additional information regarding the subscriptions.

Is Buying FSD Still Worth It?

Despite the lowered subscription price, the outright purchase price for FSD remains steep at $12,000. This price point equates to subscribing to the service for over 10 years. Given that the average length of car ownership in the U.S. is about 8 years, this makes the current price of buying FSD unattractive to most. The saving grace of buying FSD is that you know what you're paying for the life of the vehicle and can avoid any potential subscription price increases.

Temporary Reduction or Long-term Strategy?

Tesla has not confirmed whether the price reduction is a temporary promotional tactic or a permanent adjustment. The timing coincides with Tesla's release of FSD v12 and its trial offer, suggesting that the company is keen on encouraging more drivers to experience FSD. This approach not only boosts user engagement but also accelerates the volume of data Tesla can collect to improve the system.

FSD With Referral Credits

Although Tesla hasn't adjusted the price of buying FSD, it is tweaking its referral program to accommodate the new price. Three months of FSD are now available through Tesla's referral program for 6,000 credits, reduced from the previous 12,000 credits.

Tesla's reduction in FSD in the U.S. and its planned expansion into Canada reflect a strategic initiative to make FSD more accessible and financially attractive to a broader audience. There's no doubt this change will increase the number of FSD subscriptions, but it'll be interesting to see how much. To break even, Tesla would need to double the number of subscriptions, but they likely have their eyes set much higher.

If you currently subscribe to FSD, Tesla has automatically reduced future payments to the lower $99 price point.