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Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Smart Summon Model 3s (Credit: @MinimalDuck) Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Smart Summon Model 3s (Credit: @MinimalDuck)

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Tesla’s ‘Reverse Summon’ is coming soon after core Autopilot improvements

Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Smart Summon Model 3s (Credit: @MinimalDuck)

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that the company is hoping to finish some valuable improvements on Autopilot’s core foundation code and 3D labeling to roll out better functionality for its fleet of vehicles. Apart from this, Musk also remarked that a “Reverse Summon” function may be rolled out soon.

Musk was asked via Twitter by Tesla enthusiast and Resonant Aero founder Anner J. Bonilla when the beta for Reverse Summon will be available. Musk noted that the feature is indeed coming soon, and teased that upcoming improvements will also usher in some improved visualizations on vehicles’ displays.

It remains to be seen if “Reverse Summon” is an upgraded form of Tesla Autopark, a function that was released in March 2017. Considering the “Reverse Summon” moniker, it appears that the upcoming feature will involve vehicles dropping off their passengers and heading to a parking spot without a driver. With this, Reverse Summon could practically be a mirror function of Smart Summon, which allows vehicles to pick up their passengers from a parking spot without a driver.

According to Tesla’s dedicated Autopilot AI webpage, it optimizes its code by looking at throughput, latency, correctness, and determinism so the software will be tightly integrated with its hardware. Such improvements in the core foundation code of Tesla’s Autopilot will allow it to maximize the potential of its hardware and process high-fidelity representation of the environment so the car can eventually achieve Full Self-Driving capabilities.

These improvements to Tesla’s Autopilot and the introduction of new features such as Reverse Summon will likely capitalize on the innate capabilities of Hardware 3, the company’s custom self-driving computer. Hardware 3 is a big part of Tesla’s rollout of its feature-complete FSD, which Musk noted will likely happen within the next few months. Musk mentioned this in the Q4 earnings call.

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“And what isn’t obvious regarding Autopilot and Full Self-Driving is just how much work has been going into improving the foundational elements of autonomy… like the core autopilots in Tesla or Autopilot software and AI team is just is I think very, very strong in making great progress. And we’re only beginning to take full advantage of the Autopilot hardware and the FSD hardware,” Musk said.

Tesla’s endgame with its Hardware 3 rollout is the introduction of its full suite of FSD features. Upcoming features such as Reverse Summon may seem quite minor in the grand scheme of things, but these upgrades add valuable contributions to Tesla’s pursuit of full self-driving nonetheless.

A curious soul who keeps wondering how Elon Musk, Tesla, electric cars, and clean energy technologies will shape the future, or do we really need to escape to Mars.

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Tesla V2L adapter for Model Y stirs up a new complaint among owners

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Credit: Tesla

On Friday, Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter that enabled Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) energy transfer, meaning owners could essentially utilize their cars as a power source for things like laptops, electric grills, or string lights.

However, even owners of some of the newest builds of the Model Y are finding out that their cars are not compatible with the new $80 accessory, stirring up a new complaint among members of the community.

Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.

Upon the release of the Outlet Adapter on Friday, I signed into my Tesla account to order the accessory. However, I was met with the dreaded “This product is not compatible with your 2026 Model Y” message at the bottom of the screen.

Some said their accounts also displayed the same message, but they ordered anyway. However, they might be surprised to find that this is no mistake; some of the newest Model Ys do not have the appropriate Power Conversion System (PCS). Mine, which was ordered on this day last year and delivered on August 31, has the old 48A, single-phase PCS.

Vehicles with the new, two-piece PCS are able to utilize V2L features on their cars:

Obviously, it’s disappointing. Many owners have taken delivery this year and still can not utilize the Outlet Adapter because their cars feature the old PCS:

It looks like if you have one of these older PCS units, you can upgrade, but the parts alone are $1,750, and that’s before Tesla adds labor for installing. It is honestly more logical to get some kind of portable power supply or power station at that point.

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It is great that Tesla has enabled V2L for Model Y vehicles, but it is also unfortunate that vehicles that are less than one year old are not able to take advantage of this awesome new feature.

With that being said, it truly is a first-world problem; can you really complain when Full Self-Driving is available, maintenance is incredibly inexpensive, and the car has been so good through a year of ownership?

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Tesla launches V2L Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y in the U.S.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched a new Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) Outlet Adapter for Premium Model Y vehicles in the United States, meaning you can now power devices like laptops or light strings with your vehicle’s battery.

It appears the capability will be available for any Model Y Premium trim, including those that were purchased prior to the Adapter being launched. It will also only impact Juniper Model Y vehicles, so the first-gen owners will unfortunately not have access to this capability.

If your Model Y was purchased before Tesla renamed the trim levels to “Premium” and “Standard,” it does not seem to be compatible. My Model Y is technically a Premium build, as it is the Long Range All-Wheel-Drive. However, Tesla says it is not compatible with my vehicle.

For $80, you can now utilize your car as a portable charger for small appliances or devices. This is perfect for things like tailgates, concerts, or camping, as you can now plug in devices that you might use. Those string lights for camping? That laptop for the other games that are on at the tailgate?

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They’ll both utilize energy from your Tesla’s battery to be powered. This is the first time Tesla has expanded the capability to vehicles outside of the Model Y Performance and Cybertruck. However, this feature has been highly requested by owners for an extended period of time.

Tesla launched the Outlet Adapter in China last year:

Tesla China rolls out Model Y L V2L adapter, and it’s free for early owners

You will need the Mobile Connector to operate the Outlet Adapter: the Outlet Adapter will plug into the main housing of the Mobile Connector, where the appropriate adapter to charge your vehicle will plug in.

It is rated for 120 volts and 20 amps, and has a max power rating of 2.4kW.

You can buy it here from Tesla for $80.

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Tesla Roadster unveiling nears, and it will fly: The Information

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(Credit: Dami Kolz/Twitter)

Tesla is nearing its long-awaited unveiling of the all-electric Tesla Roadster, a new report from The Information claims, as the company has said several times this year that the event would take place “soon.”

Now, it appears there is movement on Tesla’s end regarding when it will happen.

The report says that Tesla will unveil the Roadster as soon as this month with a SpaceX version that will utilize cold-gas thrusters to help the vehicle float for a short period of time. This is something CEO Elon Musk has talked about with the Roadster for years.

Additionally, due to the delays, Tesla explored “a variety of designs” for the Roadster, potentially planning to abandon the design it showed off for the first time in 2017 and adopting an entirely new aesthetic.

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According to The Information, Tesla considered utilizing a repurposed Model S Plaid and even wanted to upgrade the look to something like a Lamborghini Countach.

Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again

We’ve heard all of these things before, including teases about the date and how “soon” the Roadster will finally be ready to be shown off to the world (for the second time). Musk said that the event would occur in April, then May, then Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen continued to say it would be coming “soon.”

We do expect to see the Roadster by the end of the year, and now with this new report swirling, it appears it could be sooner rather than later.

The wait has been incredibly long, but there is likely a good reason for it. Tesla’s desire to make the Roadster the craziest vehicle on the road was non-negotiable, and it likely took a lot of time and resources to develop and perfect into something that was safe and suitable for a vehicle like this.

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