March 01, 2023

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says you can summon your Tesla across country in two years

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk says the latest Summon feature from software update 7.1 represents "baby steps" toward much bigger plans ahead. As reported by Transport Evolved*, "it will be possible to summon a Tesla electric car from across the country and have it drive to you, no matter how far away it is." Musk had an official press call earlier today and delivered some ambitious comments about Tesla's Summon feature and how rapidly it will improve.

“I actually think — and I might be slightly optimistic on this — I actually think that within two years you’ll be able to summon your car from across the country,” Musk said. “Let’s say you’re in New York and your car is in Los Angeles. It will find its way to you and meet you wherever your phone is. The phone will just communicate with your car and tell it where to find you. It will automatically charge itself along the journey.” Musk also took to Twitter in order to make this bold prediction public...

In ~2 years, summon should work anywhere connected by land & not blocked by borders, eg you're in LA and the car is in NY
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 10, 2016

Discussing the rollout, Musk reiterated that Tesla’s ultimate goal for the Autopilot software is full autonomy, confirming that Tesla should have the hardware and software to make that possible within two years’ time. As part of that process, Musk confirmed that Tesla engineers are already working hard to implement a next-generation set of sensors and cameras for Tesla’s autopilot system, but did not detail when Tesla would bring those advanced sensors to market.

In Tesla Motors' official blog post announcing software update 7.1, the company stated: "Using Summon, once you arrive home and exit Model S or Model X, you can prompt it to do the rest: open your garage door, enter your garage, park itself, and shut down. In the morning, you wake up, walk out the front door, and summon your car. It will open the garage door and come to greet you... During this Beta stage of Summon, we would like customers to become familiar with it on private property. Eventually, your Tesla will be able to drive anywhere across the country to meet you, charging itself along the way. It will synch with your calendar to know exactly when to arrive."

To check out Elon Musk's comments, listen below...

In closing, although we've posted a lot of videos showing the Tesla Summon feature used in standard garage parking "settings" -- here are two new Tesla Summon videos that are pretty fun. First, watch a Tesla owner using the "force" to move his Model S. Second, watch another Model S owner summon his Tesla to pick him up in the rain. Enjoy! (And use the force wisely)