At the end of 2022, Tesla removed the ultrasonic sensors (USS) from the Model 3 and Model Y. These sensors are mature, stable, and cost-effective parking assistance sensors, so this change significantly impacted the functions, directly resulting in the loss of Summon features (including standard and Smart Summon), automatic parking, and parking assistance for these models.

Subsequently, Tesla redesigned these features through software updates, relying on vision technology to achieve parking assistance functions:

As a result, the parking assistance system (which provides collision warnings during parking) was reintroduced in March 2023 for vehicles without USS and has since been enhanced. The automatic parking feature was relaunched in March 2024.

However, the Smart Summon feature, which Elon Musk repeatedly delayed, finally showed signs of being launched in September 2024, two years later.

Meanwhile, in China, where the demand for automatic parking far exceeds that in Europe and the United States, Huawei has also demonstrated Smart Summon capabilities in its latest models (such as AITO and Enjoy).

So, what are the Smart Summon capabilities of these two companies? What are the differences in their products and technologies? Which one is stronger?

Tesla's ASS Summon

According to relevant information, Tesla's new version of Smart Summon is named "Actually Smart Summon," abbreviated as ASS. Don't laugh; it's really called ASS. It will be introduced in software update 2024.27.20, allowing users to use the summon feature by opening the Tesla app on their phone, clicking "Summon," and accessing real-time information from the car's cameras.

Tesla's Summon feature includes two modes:

Dumb Summon, which can be considered a basic version, allowing for simple forward and reverse movements.

ASS Smart Summon, which offers more advanced capabilities, including:

Summon to Driver: By holding down the button, your Tesla will automatically navigate from one end of the parking lot to your location.

Go to Destination: Set a destination on your phone's map, hold down the button, and your Tesla will drive there autonomously.

Both ASS and Dumb Summon can only be used in parking lots or on driveways, and the driver must monitor the car and its surroundings through the video feed in the phone app at all times.

Tesla's manual clearly states that the driver remains responsible for the vehicle while using ASS, necessitating constant attention and the ability to release the summon button if necessary to stop the car.

Tesla also outlines its future plans for the summon feature, including:

Integrating with HomeLink and myQ for garage door control (primarily in European and American villas). Increasing the autonomous driving range and eliminating the need to hold down the summon button.

The original Tesla with USS had a summon range limited to approximately 65 meters. While Tesla has not specified the range of Actually Smart Summon, sources suggest it will be longer than previous versions, with plans for even longer ranges in the future.

According to videos shared by foreign bloggers, the ASS feature seems to offer a significant improvement over previous generations, demonstrating capabilities such as following parking lot routes and roundabouts like a human driver and parking neatly by the side of the road when summoned to the driver's location.

Technically, it leverages the latest FSD model from FSD v12 and employs end-to-end AI control, rather than relying on human-coded rules.

Huawei's Smart Remote Summon

Huawei showcases its Smart Summon capability in models like Enjoy S9 and AITO, primarily for use in underground parking lots. Huawei's Smart Summon operates based on parking lot maps, following this process:

After exiting the vehicle, the user selects a parking space on the parking lot map on their phone, allowing the vehicle to park autonomously. The vehicle parks in the designated or available space based on the parking lot map. The user returns to the original exit point and summons the vehicle via their phone.

The vehicle automatically returns to the exit point using its map memory.

Huawei's Smart Summon requires that the parking lot's map be preloaded into the vehicle's system, and the vehicle must follow this map for autonomous parking and summoning. This technology is particularly suitable for underground parking lots or complex parking environments.

Is Huawei Stronger or Tesla?

From a technical perspective:

Tesla's ASS Smart Summon is characterized by its use of GPS information or maps, combined with an end-to-end vision-based FSD-like AI solution to navigate to a designated location. Technically, this approach should be more versatile and cost-effective.

Huawei's Smart Summon, on the other hand, relies on proprietary maps to navigate to a specific location.

From a product perspective:

A crucial requirement for summon features is knowing the location of the person summoning the vehicle. While outdoor parking lots can use the GPS signal from the user's phone to determine location, GPS signals are weak in underground parking lots, making GPS-based location tracking impractical. Huawei's solution leverages the parking lot map to recall the exact exit point, making it suitable for scenarios like passengers being summoned back to their original exit point in an underground parking lot.

Therefore, Tesla's ASS Smart Summon is primarily suitable for outdoor parking lots.

Huawei's Smart Summon, on the other hand, is designed for scenarios with proprietary maps, supporting both underground and outdoor parking. It aligns better with China's parking environment.

In summary, Tesla's summon feature offers greater flexibility in outdoor parking lots, while Huawei excels in underground parking scenarios. Both companies cater to different market demands and environments, making it difficult to simply declare one superior to the other.

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