Limited Automated Driving Features Coming To Tesla Model S?

With what Tesla have accomplished, and the recent announcement of an update that will help keep batteries charged, they haven’t stopped there. In that same announcement, they said the Model S will be updated to enable limited automated driving, as reported by The Verge.

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, said the update will allow the car to drive itself for a while. The one caveat at this time is the system will only work on highways and private properties.

“We can basically go between San Francisco and Seattle without the driver doing anything.”

Continuing on the update, he said:

“It is technically capable of going from parking lot to parking lot, But we won’t be enabling that for users with this hardware suite, because we don’t think it’s likely to be safe in suburban neighborhoods.”

The system might not be able to fully adapt to suburban streets, known to have less speed signs, and the danger it would present to kids playing in the street.  The more common uses would be summoning the Model S to your location or telling it to park itself, these features won’t be seen in the U.S. as they are not yet legal. In addition, Tesla reiterated the importance of paying attention even when the car is doing these things. Speaking specifically on this Musk said:

“There’s certainly an expectation that when autopilot on the Model S is enabled, that you’re paying attention. But it should also take care of you if you have moments of distraction.”

Tesla isn’t alone in producing a self-driving car, they have competition coming from Google, and Apple now joining the mix. And it won’t be long till regular car makers are part of the movement.

Source: BGR