Tesla Model S gets new Autopilot mode

Tesla has released a new Autopilot feature on a number of its Model S vehicles as part of the latest update to version 7.0 of the car’s software. The technology is designed primarily for motorway use where it can switch between lanes without any direct steering input from the driver and react to traffic flow.

The system uses four data sources – a forward-facing camera that can read most road signs, forward radar that can see through fog, rain and snow, ultrasonic sensors right around the vehicle, and what Tesla describes as “high-precision digital maps” that include pooled data on the number of lanes, curvature of the roads and even parking lots, all supplied by existing Model S usage.

Been in testing for over a year in most markets where the Model S is sold, the technology will be made available overnight to around 60,000 Model S cars built since last September and fitted with the sensors and forward-facing camera required for the functioning of the system. The Autopilot feature will demand a one-time charge of $2,500 (Rs 1.57 lakh) in the United States and will also be available on the forthcoming Model X.

The move was announced by Tesla boss Elon Musk at a press conference in the United States during which he admitted that it was an early version of the technology.

“We still think of this as a public beta,” he said, “so we want people to be quite careful with it at first. But it learns over time. The network of vehicles is constantly learning and as we release the software and more people enable Autopilot, the information about how to drive is uploaded to the network,” he added.

Musk also clarified that the system would be best suited to well-marked roads and dense-traffic situations with its current levels of capability. However, he suggested that it could eventually gain enough autonomy to eliminate conventional driving controls completely.

Version 7.0 of the software will also feature side collision avoidance in which the steering wheel will have extra resistance if the driver tries to move across into another vehicle. Musk also confirmed that version 7.1 will enable the Model S to drive along private driveways, park itself and close the garage door.