Tesla has been developing its Summon feature for years. The feature was initially introduced as Summon, then rebranded as Smart Summon and more recently as Actually Smart Summon. While the feature has seen considerable improvements, it’s still not the eyes-free, autonomous feature users were promised. However, as with everything else Tesla, there are more improvements to come.
The feature can already be incredibly useful, even if you need to keep a close eye on it. However, it’s limited by two major factors, its range and that it only works on single-level parking surfaces.
Now, Tesla appears to be looking to address one of those limitations by giving Summon the ability to navigate multi-level parking garages.
Tesla has previously listed destination parking options, including garages, in their upcoming section of FSD V13.2.X release notes.
This is the first news we’ve received to date about FSD V14 and low-speed maneuvers, as well as the first we’ve heard of Smart Summon.
Rising to the Challenge
In a recent exchange on X discussing this exact limitation, Elon’s reply was concise but a fantastic teaser for what’s to come with FSD V14.
While Elon answered in his usual brief manner, the comment implies that Tesla is actively working to solve the technical challenges posed by multi-story garages. These structures are environments where GPS does not function accurately, and the loss of satellite signal renders traditional location tracking useless.
Not for long
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2025
SLAM’ing the Garage
So, how exactly does Tesla overcome GPS inaccuracies and determine garage level without using barometric sensors? To operate autonomously, your Tesla will have to rely almost exclusively on its cameras to navigate, using a complex process known as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to build a real-time map of its surroundings. If you’ve heard of SLAM before, it's the same technique used to map small and tightly constrained areas. It’s the same process your robotic vacuum does in your home. This usage of SLAM will have to be far more precise and less forgiving, as there are no walls you want your car to bounce off of, like your vacuum.
Your vehicle will need to build a real-time map of its surroundings, understand them, and determine which directions it is allowed to turn and which direction the exit is located. It must also account for vertical travel via ramps, tight corners, obstructive pillars, and unpredictable pedestrian traffic.
Elon’s confidence likely stems from Tesla’s gains in its neural networks to date with FSD V12, V13, and the upcoming V14. Unlike the heavily coded instructions required in older iterations of FSD, these unified, end-to-end neural networks are precisely what’s needed to conquer a GPS-denied environment like a parking garage.
For those who use Summon, this could be one of the biggest upgrades that Summon could receive, as it integrates a lot of the key features that would be needed to solve Summon’s quirks today. The places most convenient for summoning a vehicle are almost universally served by multi-level parking structures, including airports, shopping malls, and large office complexes.
With FSD V14 to launch this week, there’s a lot to look forward to, including this new support for multi-level parking garages.
