Don't take your hand off the wheels just yet, says Elon Musk about Tesla's new autopilot driving feature

1 months ago

Self-driving cars have mostly been the stuff of science fiction but Tesla seem to have moved one step closer to this motoring dream with a new autopilot system that allows cars to change lanes as well as drive themselves.

Except for one teeny little caveat.

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk warns that the new auto-steering feature that’s being rolled out to 60,000 vehicles in North America is still in beta stage – which means drivers should keep their hands ON the wheel at all times.

“We’re being especially cautious at this early stage, so we’re advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case,” he said. “The software is very new.”

Elon points out the autopilot system will chime to warn motorists if they take their hands off the wheel while adding that drivers – not Tesla – will be held liable if there’s a collision.

Tesla’s lane-changing feature is believed to be the first of its kind and Elon says the system will constantly collect data from actual drivers.

“I think this is going to be quite a profound experience for people,” Elon said. “It will change people’s perception of the future quite drastically.”

However, Elon believes that a fully autonomous, self-driving car is definitely on the horizon and the technology is at least three years away. At the moment Tesla are working on making their cars drive themselves in and out of garages in their next update.

Like most semi-autonomous cars, Tesla’s system automatically keeps the car within its lane and maintains a certain distance from the car in front while using uses cameras and sensors to warn drivers about potential side impacts. It can also find a parking spot and parallel park itself.

The full autopilot system with all the features will only be available to Tesla owners who paid a $2,500 (£1,600) charge, but Elon added the side-impact warning is a safety feature and will be available to everyone.

So what does he think about the safety of driving an auto pilot car in the future?

“In the long term, it will be safer than a person driving,” Elon said.