One of the features in Tesla’s suite of Full Self-Driving (FSD) features is Autopark. The systems works by detecting vacant parking spaces between vehicles, either straight in or parallel spaces, and then using the car’s ultrasonic sensors parks itself.
Most Tesla owners today would say the feature is hit or miss at best, often not even detecting a vacant parking space. When it does work the car can be slow to park, taking longer than it would if you were to do it yourself.
That performance is hopefully going to improve soon.
To coincide with their shift to vision-based Autopilot and FSD, Tesla began deploying their new vision-based Autopark feature earlier this week in the 2021.24.1 software update, and we are now seeing the first real-world tests.
Despite the new Autopark feature being limited to refresh Model S vehicles for now, Tesla hacker @greentheonly was able to add it to his pre-refresh Model X. As you can see in the video below, a big change to the feature is that it no longer needs cars on each side of the parking spot to work.
Thanks to it now relying on the cameras, it can also better detect the painted parking lines.
green was also able to discover that Autopark can also now detect and pause for certain scenarios.
oh, btw kinda forgot to say, autopark can now automatically pause for stuff too (but don't ask me to test this!):
Autopark Paused for Bicycle
Autopark Paused for Motorbike
Autopark Paused for Moving Object
Autopark Paused for Pedestrian
Autopark Paused – Poor Visibility— green (@greentheonly) August 11, 2021
According to green, he believes the new vision-based Autopark feature is no worse than the previous ultrasonic-based version. Its performance will hopefully improve now that it is out in the fleet, and hopefully be released to more than just the refresh Model S soon.
Below are the videos from green, as well as another of feature being used on a Model S Plaid showing the new long press to activate the feature.
Well, tested the new "Tesla autopark" that Tesla only deploys to refresh model S for whatever reason now.
It is camera based (unlike previous ultrasonic-only implementation) so it can use just drawn parking lines and also centers in them rather good unlike the USS version pic.twitter.com/ZTi7Q4VAEN
— green (@greentheonly) August 10, 2021
Here's another attempt that also went pretty uneventfully.
I'd say it's not any worse than the ultrasonics based so bring it to ALL the fleet?
The obvious advantage is you don't need to park between other cars (which makes the whole experience a lot more scary) pic.twitter.com/mq2jpWPTxG
— green (@greentheonly) August 10, 2021
