NEW YORK TIMES: Elon Musk announces self-driving Teslas will hit American roads by the summer.
NEW YORK TIMES: Elon Musk announces self-driving Teslas will hit American roads by the summer.
Musk said that a software update scheduled for release in about three months would give Model S Tesla sedans the ability to start driving themselves, which the company refers to as autopilot mode. Once updated, the cars will be able to navigate highways and major roads without the driver’s touching the wheel or pedals. Musk said in a conference call that the self-driving technology was “technically capable of going from parking lot to parking lot,” meaning through cities as well. But, he said, Tesla will disable the autopilot when cars are not on highways or major roads, citing safety concerns.
The cars can also be summoned to the driver via smartphone and can go park themselves in a garage or elsewhere. That feature will be allowed only on private property for now, Musk said. He said Tesla had been testing its autopilot on a route from San Francisco to Seattle, with company drivers letting the car navigate the West Coast largely unassisted.
