Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has been teasing Model S owners with its planned Autopilot autonomous driving system for quite a few time now.
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The Autopilot features, however, will only be available to newer Tesla models, as the company didn’t begin implementing the hardware into the vehicles until October of previous year.
When in Autosteer mode, Auto Lane Change will allow the Model S to move over one lane without steering input from the driver, simply by moving the turn signal in that direction (see video below).
“We’re advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case, because the software is still at an early stage”, said Musk during a press conference. “You need to be ready to take the wheel at any time”.
“Tesla Autopilot relieves drivers of the most tedious and potentially unsafe aspects of road travel”, said the company. There’s also Automatic Emergency Steering and Side Collision Warning, which use the ultrasonic sensors to nudge the vehicle away from danger and alert the driver if necessary.
I wonder how many Tesla owners have driven to their mom’s house and yelled, “look Massachusetts, no hands!”
Tesla’s final upgrade as part of the 7.0 software update is Autopark.
The autopilot update would be added to about 60,000 vehicles worldwide, including Model S sedans made after September 2014 and Model X SUVs. While cars with the new software are not autonomous, they undoubtedly impress with their ability to change lanes and park themselves. The CEO claimed that fully automated driving systems will be an actual thing in the next three years.
Notably, Tesla is taking advantage of the sensor and Global Positioning System data to provide realtime data that is shared with the fleet. It’ll probably be best if you don’t hop into the backseat just yet, though, since Tesla’s self-driving feature is still meant to assist the driver, rather than take over the car’s operations completely. That feature, he said, distinguished Tesla’s autonomous driving system from those in use or in development by Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and other carmakers.
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Tesla’s lane-changing feature is believed to be the first of its kind and Elon says the system will constantly collect data from actual drivers.
