Elon Musk Promotes New 'Tap to Park' Tesla Feature, Shoots Down 360º View

December 11, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla appears closer to releasing an improved Auto Park feature

Tesla

If you’ve been out Christmas shopping, Tesla’s long-awaited Park Seek may have been on your mind. For more than a year, the company has been talking about this technology that would take over the job of not only parking, but finding a parking spot. Elon Musk has brought the long-anticipated feature back into the spotlight.

What is "Tap to Park"?

Now referred to as Tap to Park, Park Seek, also once known as Reverse Summon, is an innovative feature that Tesla officials discussed at AI Day in October of 2022. At that point, Tesla said this feature should be ready by the end of the year.

That didn’t happen, and now it sounds like there have been some changes to the original idea, given Musk’s post on X.

We are working on a feature where the car identifies probable viable parking spaces. You tap on one, exit the vehicle and it parks there.

The Evolution from Autopark to "Tap to Park"

Tesla's current Autopark feature, currently only available in vehicles equipped with Ultrasonic Sensors (USS), has been a stepping stone toward autonomous parking. However, its limitations include the lack of multiple parking spot selections and drivers' need to stay in the car. Tesla users noted these constraints, indicating a need for an upgrade. The current implementation of Autopark is also slow to park and requires driving extremely slowly to get the park symbol to show up on the vehicle’s display.

Earlier this year, Tesla introduced vision-based Park Assist, a system that utilizes camera-based tech to estimate distances between the car and nearby objects while parking. This development marked a transition away from USS and laid the groundwork for more advanced features like "Tap to Park."

Is “Tap to Park” a Replacement for Park Seek?

Park Seek has been previously touted by Musk as a revolutionary feature that will let you stop the vehicle in front of a store, get out, and let the vehicle go hunt for a parking spot itself. There were even leaks that mentioned owners’ would have three parking spot options when using Park Seek. However, this new ‘Tap to Park,’ appears to be a slightly watered-down version of the original vision, that removes the ability for the vehicle to travel autonomously around the parking lot looking for a spot.

The recent deployment of FSD version 12 to Tesla employees is a significant milestone. This version improves by reducing reliance on human-written code and increasing the system's dependence on neural networks trained with real-world driving footage. Such advancements are crucial for successfully implementing "Tap to Park."

It’s possible that “Tap to Park,” is a transitioning step toward the original Park Seek vision. Park Seek has the ability to significantly change urban environments and high-density areas where parking is often challenging.

Although ‘Tap to Park’ is not expected to be a part of Tesla’s 2023 Holiday Update, a new High Fidelity Park Assist is expected to arrive as part of the holiday special this week.

It is interesting to note the timing of this Musk hint on X. Tesla enthusiast Sawyer Merritt posted about the need for 360º views. Still, Whole Mars Catalogue called the feature “irrelevant” in a world with cars that drive themselves. This comes from a Holiday Update that didn’t meet expectations. Perhaps there is another update under the tree? Or, it may be another year away. Insert your two-week joke here.

Tesla Confirms Hardware 3 is Robotaxi Ready

October 16, 2024

By Karan Singh

Image released by Tesla

Not a Tesla App

Tesla took to the Hollywood stage at ‘We, Robot’ last week, and lots of interesting new information has been revealed. One of the most interesting items that many people have been wondering about is Tesla’s plan with Hardware 3.

Tesla previously mentioned that there would be a divergence between AI4 and Hardware 3, but so far, Tesla has kept Hardware 3 going strong with code optimization and model improvements. However, it is pretty evident that Hardware 3 is hitting its limits, as Tesla sees that AI4 has much more capability to unlock.

However, they have said they’ll do their best to continue to support the millions of vehicles on the road today running Hardware 3. Tesla’s Cybercab, on the other hand, will be running on AI5, an as-yet-unreleased hardware stack that promises to greatly improve and expand the available compute performance.

Hardware 3 Robotaxi

Lars Moravy, the Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla, spoke to attendees at We, Robot, and mentioned that Hardware 3 will be Robotaxi capable (at the 7:25 mark). That means that it will be capable of Unsupervised FSD, according to Tesla. Kim Java, a YouTuber focused on Tesla and EVs in general, posted this video featuring her speaking with both Lars, as well as Franz Von Holzhausen, the Chief Designer at Tesla.

Given Lars and Franz both seem confident in the assertion that you can remove a HW3 vehicle’s steering wheel and get it Robotaxi capable, it definitely seems that Tesla intends to continue supporting HW3 well into the future.

So, while Hardware 3 might be reaching its limits, the company's not giving up on it yet. With this, they’ve essentially confirmed that the millions of vehicles with Hardware 3 won't be obsolete anytime soon when it comes to Robotaxi and Unsupervised FSD.

Tesla is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to its customers and its vision of the future, and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next on the list.

Tesla Brings Back FSD Transfer; Offers 0% Financing With FSD Purchase

October 15, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has brought back its FSD transfer offer once again after its We, Robot event. If you already own a Tesla and are planning to buy another one, this is a fantastic opportunity to transfer FSD to your new car.

In addition to that, Tesla has also turned on another interesting offer - 0% financing with FSD, as well as another $0 down option.

FSD Transfer

This time, the transfer period is available for any orders placed on or after October 10th and delivered before December 31st. This offer is currently valid for anyone taking delivery of a new Model S, Model 3, Model X, or Model Y.

While the Non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks are now being configured, this offer appears to exclude the vehicle at this time. If you’re purchasing a non-FS Cybertruck and want to transfer your FSD, we recommend reaching out to your Tesla delivery coordinator through the app to determine if this is possible.

For those receiving the Foundation Series, FSD is included, so the transfer offer is not available. This particular promotion is available in all markets, including North America, Europe, China, Australia, and other markets.

0% Financing

Tesla is now offering 0% financing if you purchase FSD with your vehicle and are approved for the purchase. The catch is that you’ll need to add FSD to your vehicle purchase instead of transferring it. With Tesla’s interest rates hovering around 5-6%, this is a great deal, as you can amortize both the cost of the vehicle and FSD out to 72 months. A loan for $46k at 5.29% over six years would result in almost $8,000 in interest, more than the cost of FSD.

There are a few fine lines though. This is only available in the United States, not anywhere else in the world. In addition, you need to come up with a 15% down payment (which includes the $7,500 USD Federal EV Tax Rebate). This offer is only available on the Model 3 and Model Y - The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck are not eligible for this offer.

$0 Down

Tesla is also offering $0 down in the United States, for those who qualify for both financing (at 5.29% APR), and the Federal EV Rebate. Essentially, the $7,500 rebate covers your down payment. Once again, this option is only for the Model 3 and Model Y in the United States.

Tesla has been making a push to increase sales and FSD's take-rate. The 0% offer is a great way to increase FSD’s take-rate, as for anything other than the Model 3 RWD LR with short (36mo) financing plans, you’ll actually end up saving money overall due to the 0% financing.

If you’re interested in picking up a new Tesla, now appears to be a great time to do it.