Tesla has adjusted one portion of its “Actually Smart Summon” (ASS) feature to address a common complaint from owners: battery drain.

Teslas have a lot of really awesome features that make them one of the most technologically advanced vehicle models on the market. Things like Sentry Mode, Cabin Overheat Protection, and ASS’s “Summon Standby” features all keep the car on its toes for anything that comes its way.

Tesla finally launches Actually Smart Summon and Dumb Summon

However, the activation of these features contributes to battery drain while the vehicle sits parked. The amount varies, but I personally have lost up to five percent with some of these features active. That’s a lot if you do not utilize home charging.

Tesla is doing what it can to combat the battery drain with each of these features. It has done so with Sentry Mode, as an update last year helped combat battery percentage loss due to the activation of the security feature.

Tesla is about to ship a fix to a big Sentry Mode issue

It also recently introduced “Low Power Mode,” which will automatically deactivate some features if your battery falls below 20 percent. This is a great way to combat battery loss if your car is parked somewhere long-term, like an airport, for example.

There is also another feature that is attached to ASS called “Summon Standby.” This keeps the vehicle awake in case the owner needs quick connectivity to the vehicle, allowing them to summon the car to their location swiftly.

But there’s a drawback: keeping this feature activated will drain the battery. By default, the feature is activated when you take your car home, so you have to turn it off manually by accessing the settings menu inside the vehicle.

Turning this off would save you between 2% and 3% overnight, in my experience. With ASS still being a feature that needs some work, I chose to turn Summon Standby off. ASS will still work with the standby mode deactivated; it will just take a few more seconds for your phone to connect to the vehicle.

Tesla is adjusting Summon Standby’s settings slightly to combat the loss of battery life some owners might see with the feature active.

According to Not a Tesla App, Tesla has rolled out two conditions for which Summon Standby will be deactivated automatically:

Overnight Deactivation

Summon Standby will automatically be deactivated from midnight to 6 a.m. every night, which appears to be a data-driven decision made by Tesla based on the feature’s least-used hours.

This automatic pause cannot be turned off, at least for the time being.

Extended Parking Deactivation

If your Tesla is parked for over 24 hours, Summon Standby will also be deactivated automatically.

This is a great way to save battery life for those who are on vacation or are at home for several days in a row. This works similarly to the Low-Power Mode we talked about earlier in this article.

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, is reportedly planning to start a US clinical trial in October to use its technology to translate thoughts directly into text. 

The trial was approved by the FDA under an investigational device exemption, and it could help pave the way for people with speech impairments to communicate more quickly and efficiently.

Thought-to-text technology

The upcoming trial aims to read speech directly from the brain, enabling participants to transmit words without moving their mouths or using a keyboard, as noted in a report from Bloomberg News.

DJ Seo, Neuralink’s president, told an audience at the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies in Seoul that the company hopes to demonstrate communication with large language model AI platforms “at the speed of thought,” potentially faster than spoken speech.

“We think that it’s actually possible to demonstrate abilities to speak to the latest AI model, or LLM models, at the speed of thought, even faster than how you’re speaking, and being able to potentially get that information back through your AirPods, effectively closing the loop,” Seo stated.

Production ambitions

Ultimately, Seo described the trial as a stepping stone toward broader human enhancement and consumer-facing applications, beyond the company’s initial focus on medical conditions like ALS, stroke, blindness, and Parkinson’s disease.

While initial implants will focus on patients with severe speech impairments, Neuralink plans to eventually expand to healthy individuals by 2030. The company aims to scale to 20,000 implants per year by 2031.

“We’re currently envisioning a world where, in about 3 to 4 years, there will be someone who’s otherwise healthy who’s going to get a Neuralink. If you’re imagining saying something, we would be able to pick that up,” the executive noted.

Tesla has made a big change in terms of its ordering process to reflect the new rules regarding the $7,500 EV tax credit, which the IRS adjusted the rules to just a few weeks ago.

The EV tax credit is set to expire on September 30, bringing an end to a program that has been widely advantageous to consumers and automakers, helping to incentivize the purchase of a sustainable powertrain for those who qualify.

However, the rules and language regarding the tax credit were adjusted slightly a few weeks ago. Previously, the tax credit was only available to those who took delivery of their vehicle by September 30, something Tesla was sure to be transparent about on its website:

Tesla warns consumers of huge, time-sensitive change coming soon

In late August, the IRS slightly adjusted the rules to reflect that those who are purchasing their EV outright do not need to take delivery by September 30. Instead, those consumers now need to enter a written binding contract and have a “nominal” down payment on the car to qualify.

The agency said:

“For purposes of sections 25E, 30D, and 45W, a vehicle is ‘acquired’ as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in.”

This adjustment was greatly appreciated by many, as Tesla had previously suggested ordering and purchasing from inventory instead of a custom build. This led some consumers to settle for a trim, color, or features that they did not necessarily want as their first choice.

The new rules allow the order to be placed by September 30, and delivery can occur afterward. Leasing does not qualify for this offer, as delivery must take place before September 30 to receive the tax credit.

For outright purchases, however, customers can place an order until September 30 and still receive the tax credit, even though delivery could occur after that date.

Tesla has now made a big adjustment to the language on its website to reflect this:

🚨 Tesla has changed the language on its website to reflect the new IRS rules:

“Order by September 30 to qualify” pic.twitter.com/FFnUiRUnpW

— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 21, 2025

This significant change reflects the IRS rules, which were previously confusing to many, as the meaning of a written agreement and nominal down payment still left many customers uncertain about whether they would be able to take delivery after September 30 and still receive the tax credit.

Tesla employees are also reaching out to potential customers, reiterating this point:

Tesla is now communicating the guidance from a few weeks ago that the tax credit can still be claimed as long as the order is placed by September 30th. pic.twitter.com/SG3GN8BgV5

— Bearded Tesla (@BeardedTesla) September 21, 2025

The move has potentially monumental implications for Tesla, as many took delivery over the past three months in preparation for the phase-out of the tax credit.

However, the deliveries that will occur after Q3, thanks to this adjustment, could benefit Tesla’s Q4 performance as well.