Tesla has confirmed that its newly-released Actually Smart Summon (ASS) feature will be rolled out to legacy Model S and Model X vehicles by the end of 2024.
The ASS feature, which allows Tesla owners to remotely summon their vehicle from a parking spot, has been a long-awaited addition to the suite of Full Self-Driving (FSD) features. Initially hoped to be released in 2022, it didn’t appear until last month with the release of software update 2024.27.20. However, ASS was only included in the software update for vehicles with Hardware 4 (HW4/AI4) and Hardware 3 (HW3) self-driving computers.
Left out of the party, as they often are when new features are released, were owners of legacy Model S and X vehicles. These are vehicles manufactured before 2021. ASS was not included in the release notes for these vehicles, and when attempting to use the previous version of Smart Summon, now called Dumb Summon, a message appeared reminding them they did not have the latest ASS.
While disappointing, there is some good news. Tesla’s Autopilot Director, Ashok Elluswamy, has confirmed that the ASS feature will be available for legacy Model S and X vehicles during the fourth quarter of 2024.
Actually Smart Summon will come to legacy S/X in Q4.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) September 30, 2024
Legacy Model S/X vehicles, particularly those with earlier versions of the Media Control Unit (MCU) and Autopilot hardware, have posed challenges for integrating new software features. Vehicles manufactured before 2016 were initially equipped with MCU1, which relied on older NVIDIA processors.
Later models, built between 2016 and 2021, were updated with Intel-based MCU2, which offers greater processing power, allowing these vehicles to support more advanced features such as Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta and soon, ASS.
Despite these challenges, Tesla remains committed to supporting its older vehicles. This dedication to keeping legacy vehicles updated with the latest software improvements highlights Tesla’s focus on maintaining the longevity of its products.
