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Tesla's Summon Feature Is Like Knight Rider. Kinda

Summon is fundamental to Tesla's goal of making driverless cars—and it won't stay a party trick forever.

Released on 03/10/2016

Transcript

(funky '80s music)

Kit, get over here!

We've got some criminals to catch!

[Kit Voiceover] On my way.

Time to catch some criminals.

Okay, so I'm not really David Hasselhoff,

and this isn't actually an invincible,

but sassy Pontiac Trans Am.

And while the Tesla model S P90D

can't quite think for itself,

it does now come with a new kind of self-driving feature,

called Summon.

Using the key, a smartphone, or an Apple watch,

you can make your Tesla roll forward and backward

from outside the car.

That's handy for getting into and out of spaces so tight

you can't open the door more than a few inches.

(grunting)

Now, summon may not be as cool

as Tesla's autopilot function,

which let's the car steer for itself

anywhere it can see lane lines.

But it's an equally important part of CEO Elon Musk's vision

for a world of self-driving cars.

That's because autonomous driving will change a lot more

than what we do when we're behind the wheel.

Today, with Summon, you don't have to walk to your garage.

That's pretty cool.

In just two years, Elon promises,

you'll be able to call up your Tesla

from just about anywhere, even across the country.

Michael Knight never had it so good.

Summon may not be much for now,

but it's one more tool we'll need

in a world in which humans no longer drive.

Kit, play me my theme song!

Fine.

Siri, play me some '80s music to drive off to.

(funky '80s music)