Check here for the video of the test vehicle.
The most fun thing about driving a Tesla Model S might be not driving at all. The electric car company has unveiled a new software update that will allow its Model S cars to automatically steer, change lanes, and park on their own.
But don’t call the Model S an autonomous car—it’s not quite there yet, though Musk says his vision is to eventually produce fully driverless cars without steering wheels or pedals. Instead, Tesla is billing the new capabilities as “autopilot” features that will occasionally require hands on the steering wheel.
“We explicitly describe [this software update] as a beta,” Musk said at a press briefing today (Oct. 14) in California. “It’s just important to exercise great caution at this early stage. In the long term, people will not need hands on the wheel—and eventually there won’t be wheels and pedals.”
About 60,000 Model S vehicles will get these autopilot features over the coming week. The update will be downloaded and installed automatically in all Model S cars, but only those sold since September 2014 come standard with the necessary equipment for autopilot mode, including an ultrasonic sensor, front-facing camera, forward radar, and GPS navigation with high-precision digital maps.
