Tesla rolls out Actually Smart Summon in Europe and Middle East

Tesla cars improve with time thanks to updates that add new features and enhance existing ones. However, some customers in certain parts of the world often have to wait to receive a feature. That was the case with Actually Smart Summon, which Europe as well as Middle East-based customers of the American car maker had to wait for for a while. The feature has now arrived to the regions, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) published by one of the official Tesla accounts.

Tesla unleashed the feature on the US in September. It allows Tesla owners to get their car to leave the place where it's currently parked and arrive to the owner's current location using the Tesla app, as long as the vehicle isn't too far away. This could be used to make your Tesla come to a store’s entrance instead of having to lug your purchases all the way to the parking lot, just to give you an example.

However, the version Tesla released in Europe and the Middle East has a significant limitation. While the US version works within a range of about 213 ft (65 m), drivers in Europe and the Middle East have to be within 19.7 ft (6 m) of their car, reducing the feature to little more than a party trick.

The limitation is due to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) regulation, which stipulates that drivers must be 20 ft (~6 m) to closer to their vehicles when operating them autonomously. The regulation in question is the UNECE Regulation No. 79 Revision 5, which covers advanced driver systems (ADAS) and automated driving systems (ADS).

The good thing is that this release is a precursor to the launch of FSD (Supervised) in Europe, China, and other countries. In the US, Tesla released Actually Smart Summon together with an update to FSD (Supervised) in the US; this might indicate that the launch of the much more anticipated ADAS outside North America right around the corner.

Europe-based drivers will probably complain about getting a watered-down version, but it's even worse in Canada where Actually Smart Summon is yet to become available despite the North American country usually getting new Tesla features shortly after they get introduced in the US.