Autopilot allows a Tesla vehicle to drive itself while staying in its lane, or to change lanes on its own after the driver hits the signal wand.
Advertisement
Shortly after powering up its Model S with a larger battery-an upgrade that turned the electric sedan into the fastest auto now in production-Tesla Motors Inc. was given the regulatory green light to speed forward with its planned acquisition of rooftop solar company SolarCity Corp.
Improvements to Autopilot would be welcome news for Tesla enthusiasts, and Musk tweeted on Wednesday that he was about to announce them. It’s available on many of Tesla’s new Model S and Model X cars.
Tesla watchers say the company is likely to add more radars and cameras to the system in addition to a software upgrade. The crash made headlines both because it was the first time a self-driving vehicle has been involved in a fatal collision and also because Tesla did not reveal the crash to investors or consumers-or the SEC-until months later.
Tesla has another deadline Friday – to turn over Autopilot documents and data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
When it released Autopilot last October, Tesla warned that the feature is still in beta and not a computer replacement for human driving, urging drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel. The company also lost $568 million on an adjusted bases in the first half of this year and lost $889 million last year.
Electric auto maker Tesla could be planning to limit its “autopilot” function for drivers who continually ignore the safety warnings. The site emphasized that the restrictions will not affect Tesla vehicle owners who are using Autopilot properly.
When Facebook formed Internet.org in 2013, the company was said to have already spent $1 billion on wireless infrastructure, including satellite technology and drones.
The filing showed that Tesla must pay $422 million to its bondholders in the third quarter and will raise additional money by year-end in an effort to support the proposed acquisition.
Advertisement
Tesla has been operating in the red and has had a negative cash flow since early 2014, Reuters notes.
