Update: Tesla has announced autopilot capabilities are headed out to its vehicles starting tomorrow. It's then the Tesla Model S and Model X maker will send version 7.0 of its software, which activates some autopilot features in its cars, over the air in the US.
Europe and Asia will get the update in the coming weeks if regulators give the OK. Read on for full details of the autopilot features below.
Original article below...
Tesla drivers can up the smug even further following the news that the electric car giant is rolling out new firmware that will add "autopilot" features that allow the car to park itself and even stay in the right lane.
Yes, that's right - it isn't just your phone, computer and smart lightbulbs that will require regular software updates, as the cars of the future will do too.
According to Fortune, drivers of the Model S and recently launched Model X people carrier will soon be receiving Version 7 of the car's operating system. While the upgrade doesn't give quite the same level of automation we've seen from the likes of Google's experimental car, it does automate a number of tasks.
For example, once the upgrade is installed drivers will be able to have their Tesla automatically stay within the lines on the road, and even parallel park automatically.
The reason it's possible is because the Model S and X both come with 12 sensors on the rear, a front-facing camera (mounted near the rear-view mirror) and even a radar system that will detect obstacles. The bad news? Whilst all cars are capable, it will apparently cost owners US$2,500 (about £1,600 AU$3,300) to enable autopilot.
There is also speculation that future software updates could enable further autopilot behaviours. According to Autoblog, the company is working on an automatic overtaking feature.
