All Tesla Cars to Have Self-Driving Tech Going Forward | Crypto500 News

By Stephanie Mlot

The luxury automaker, however, will not turn on its new system just yet.
Despite some missteps with its Autopilot feature, Tesla has pledged to equip all of its cars with self-driving technology going forward.

That includes eight cameras for 360-degree visibility at up to 250 meters, 12 ultrasonic sensors for detection of hard and soft objects, and a forward-facing radar capable of seeing through heavy rain, fog, dust, and even the car ahead.

A new onboard computer, meanwhile, runs the company’s neural net for vision, sonar, and radar processing, promising a “view of the world that a driver alone cannot access, seeing in every direction simultaneously and on wavelengths that go far beyond the human senses,” Tesla said in a blog post.

“Full autonomy will enable a Tesla to be substantially safer than a human driver, lower the financial cost of transportation for those who own a car, and provide low-cost on-demand mobility for those who do not,” the luxury automaker wrote.

Model S and Model X vehicles with the new components are already in production and available to purchase now. The upgrades will also be applied to the upcoming Model 3.

But don’t expect your new electric vehicle to drive itself off the lot: Tesla’s tech will remain dormant in its cars as the manufacturer “further calibrates the system.” During that time, new Teslas “will temporarily lack certain features currently available on Teslas with first-generation Autopilot hardware, including some standard safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision warning, lane holding and active cruise control,” Tesla says.

When the automaker believes the features are ready for primetime, it will release them as an over-the-air software update.

Tesla came under fire this year when Autopilot was blamed for a deadly crash in Florida, among other incidents. A software update rolled out last month, however, switches to a radar-based system and requires drivers to be more attentive behind the wheel.

As new and existing features are “validated,” they will be enabled remotely, Tesla says. “As always, our over-the-air software updates will keep customers at the forefront of technology and continue to make every Tesla, including those equipped with first-generation Autopilot and earlier cars, more capable over time,” the blog said.