A Metro Vancouver Tesla owner recently tried out his car’s remote control pickup ability on a trip to the grocery store, and his just-for-fun video has highlighted the mismatch between Tesla’s latest software update and BC’s road rules.
Frank Antolcic and his partner were grocery shopping at the Pitt Meadows Save On Foods on a rainy evening recently. His partner filmed him using his vehicle’s Come to Me feature to pick them up at the store entrance.
“We’ve got all these groceries here and the last thing I want to do is walk to the car,” he tells the camera.
Antolcic pulls out his phone, opens an app, and the Tesla Model S turns on its lights and rolls up to meet him.
“I’m not lazy … [but] why get all wet in the rain,” he says as the car pulls up.
@harrisroadchiropractic Why walk in the rain? #tesla #teslamodels #fsd #cometome #fullselfdriving #fyp #foryou #trending #viral ♬ original sound – DrFrankAntolcic
Antolcic told Daily Hive in an interview that the feature was rolled out in a Tesla software update about a month ago. The Come to Me function isn’t available when the car is on the road. But Antolcic was under the impression it was allowed in parking lots on private property since his vehicle enabled it.
“As far as I know, before Tesla sends these updates to different countries, they make sure that everything is legal,” he said.
But Antolcic’s remote controlled pickup was definitely illegal, according to BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“Currently, BC laws do not permit driverless vehicles on our roads, and this includes parking lots accessed by the public,” a spokesperson said.
BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said smart summon features fall within Levels 3 to 5 of automated driving vehicles, which do not require a person to operate the car. These levels are not permitted in BC.
Antolcic thought he was in the clear because his vehicle is classed as Level 2. What’s more, language specific to parking lots is not readily visible on the BC government’s webpage, which contains information about self-driving vehicles.
Daily Hive reached out to Tesla to ask why the smart summon feature is available to BC drivers in parking lots even though the provincial government doesn’t allow it. The car manufacturer has not replied.
“Government and ICBC’s message to drivers of vehicles that have driving assistance systems is that you must be in control of your vehicle at all times,” the Ministry said. “You are responsible for the operation of the vehicle, including when a driver assistance feature is activated.”
The penalties for using self-driving features and not operating a car yourself range from a $368 fine and three driver penalty points to a maximum $2,000 fine and six months of prison time.
As for Antolcic, he didn’t want to unintentionally break the law. He never expected his car’s software to let him do something that wasn’t allowed in BC.
“Before any car manufacturer comes up with new technology, I would assume that it would be safe before it was actually released to the public,” he said.
Transport Canada currently does not permit the sale or import of fully automated vehicles unless the importer has obtained a special exemption. But it appears those rules won’t automatically capture software updates.
“The ministry is actively monitoring the development of fully automated vehicles as they are being tested in B.C. and other jurisdictions, particularly from a safety point of view,” BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said.