Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released some good news about its highly anticipated update for its Autopilot software.
The company announced that a new update for the feature would be downloadable on Wednesday night meaning Tesla vehicle owners will be able to download it today. Tesla claims that the new update is expected to make the Autopilot feature safer and more reliable. Tesla CEO Elon Musk made the announcement through a post on the Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) social media platform. Musk also pointed out that the launch of the software update would be gradual to make sure that all goes well and that it would feature significant changes in almost every aspect.
“Release will be gradual to make sure there aren’t small regressions. Many car configs, many environments.”
A good example of the changes is the radar system which has been upgraded to make it more reliable than the cameras especially in situations where there is low visibility. The cameras are not so effective especially in situations where visibility is limited due to snow or fog. The Tesla CEO believes that the Autopilot improvements featured in the update would have saved the life of the Tesla owner who was killed in an accident when the Autopilot was active.
Radar systems also have their own limitations which is why the company also included a few more features expected to enhance the Autopilot capabilities. Musk has also issued a warning that the new features provided through the software update do not guarantee 100 percent safety. Nonetheless, he is confident that the update will be a significant improvement from the previous version of the software which caused a lot of controversy over numerous accident reports. People have different thoughts on the Autopilot feature. One Tesla owner told reporters that the Autopilot is more of a driver assist feature.
“It’s not autopilot for me, it’s more helping me drive. It’s driver assist,” the driver said.
Tesla stock closed the recent trading session at $18.49, with a $0.10 or 0.54% improvement from the closing price in the previous trading session.
