Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon (ASS) feature has officially rolled out in Europe and the Middle East with the release of software update 2024.44.3. However, unlike ASS in North America, its usefulness is limited due to stricter regulations around autonomous vehicles.
Actually Smart Summon enables Tesla vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD) to navigate to their owner’s location autonomously when activated through the Tesla mobile app. While this feature is already available in North America, released earlier this year in software update 2024.27.20, the European and Middle Eastern version is subject to some additional constraints due to local regulations, severely impacting its usability.
Those regulations come from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which appear to have limited ASS to only operate when the driver is within 6 meters (19.5 feet) of the car, and to only travel about 15 meters (50 feet) in total, based on reports from users in Europe. This compares to ASS in North America, which can operate when the owner is about 100 meters (328 feet) away, and which can travel that same distance.
Combined, these limitations make ASS almost unusable for European users.
Despite the current limitations, the introduction of ASS in Europe and the Middle East is a step forward. It signals Tesla’s intentions to building a foundation for its future autonomous products in regions with much more complex regulatory requirements than in North America.
While the release of ASS in Europe may so far be disappointing, that will hopefully change in the near future. Tesla has said it plans to bring its FSD feature to Europe (and China) in early 2025. The company gave a demonstration of the capabilities of their FSD software to an official from the Swedish Transport Administration in Germany earlier this year, marking the first time we had seen an official use of FSD on European roads.
