A recent report on Reddit reveals that a Tesla car crashed into a private jet worth $3.5 million. Well, this crash occurred at a time when the “smart summon” feature was active. According to the report, the incident took place at Fields in Spokane, Washington, when aircraft manufacturer Cirrus sponsored an event. The Tesla car slowly hit the Cirrus Vision jet before pushing it across the tarmac.
The active “Smart Summon” feature of Tesla cars allows the care to leave the parking lot, navigate around obstacles and get to the owner. By just using the Tesla app on a smartphone, owners can summon their car from a distance of up to 60 meters. However, the car must be within the owner’s line of sight.
This guy is just unlucky because the car manoeuvred around several planes and hit the most expensive one. The “Smart Summon” feature was first introduced in 2019, and Tesla owners immediately began posting videos of the crashes or mayhem it caused. One Tesla owner tweeted that his front bumper was damaged, while another claimed his Model 3 “hit the side of the garage.”
Gizchina News of the week
Smart Summon tests have not been very successful
A video of a near collision with a speeding SUV has owners feeling that their tests of the Smart Summon feature “didn’t go very well”. Another Tesla was filmed by pedestrians, and people in other cars looked confused as it tried to pass through a Walmart parking lot.
The Smart Summon feature uses external cameras to identify surroundings and objects, but it doesn’t prevent accidents. Tesla has previously used cameras and radar in its driver-assist features. Nevertheless, with the introduction of the Tesla Vision system, the company has moved to camera-only.
The original Tesla Vision hit the road with the Model 3 and Model Y. These cars officially hit the market in May 2021 without the radar. Since then, the system has also appeared on Model S and Model X deliveries in mid-February 2022 and later.
There are speculations regarding why the cameras or sensors on the Tesla car did not spot the airplane. This is probably because the plane was still in the air at the time of the incident. Although this report is not official, it explains why the car did not recognize such a large object. Reports say the latest version of the Smart Summon feature enables owners to summon their car from further distances. The update also allows the car to navigate more complex parking environments. Tesla CEO Elon Musk called Smart Summon the company’s “hottest feature ever.”
