But once the over-the-air update hits, the camera and radar will both be primary control sensors, meaning they will work closer together in deciding what obstacles to avoid.
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New restrictions of Autopilot 8.0 are a nod to widespread concerns that the system lulled users into a false sense of security through its “hands-off” driving capability, Reuters noted.
In another key development, the automatic-steering software has been created to disengage if a driver ignores repeated warnings to keep hands safely on the steering wheel, and to stay disengaged until the driver parks the vehicle, the blog stated. Elon Musk explained, “We’re making much more effective use of radar, we weren’t confident that we could resolve false positives where the radar would think that it should brake, but it shouldn’t”.
The administration has been investigating the matter to find out if the accident has taken place from any safety defect in the Autopilot. Only then will Autopilot be re-enabled.
Other updates introduced by Autopilot 8.0 include more prominent alerts with a flashing white border in the instrument panel to better get driver’s attention, and adjustments to make the system drive cars in a smoother manner.
One big way the company is enhancing the accuracy of Autopilot is by tweaking the system’s software so that data collected by the car’s radar sensor carries more weight when determining whether the auto should brake or not. Radar can also see in harsh weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, said Tesla.
Mr Musk will hope that the update will appease those critical of Tesla’s introduction of the self-driving technology.
If the driver ignores three audible warnings in an hour, the system will temporarily shut off until it is parked, Musk said.
“We are able to process that echo by using the unique signature of each radar pulse as well as the time of flight of the photon to determine that what we are seeing is in fact an echo in front of the vehicle that’s in front of you”. Radar helps the auto see things that may be blocked to cameras in bright sunlight or bad weather.
“It’s not about going from bad to good”, Musk said on the call.
Tesla Motors Inc has disclosed $1.1 billion in third quarter cash requirements in payments and planned expenditures, about a third of the cash on hand mid-year, in a new sign of pressure on the electric vehicle maker.
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“I wish we could have done it earlier”, he said on Sunday.
