Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk is readying a new software update for the Tesla Model S that will introduce a number of autonomous features to the vehicle.
In a series of tweets, Musk revealed how the Model S update will grant the car the capability to “learn” the difference between lane markings and other such marks on the road, therefore allowing it to safely autosteer whilst traveling, a feature that was discussed by Musk back in October of last year.
“Almost ready to release highway autosteer and parallel autopark software update,” Musk tweeted, adding: “Final corner case is dealing with low contrast lane markings (faded white on grey concrete) while driving into the sun at dusk.”
He concluded: “The car will learn over time, but there is a min caliber of starting quality.”
Tesla hasn’t elaborated upon these tweets, but it seems that Musk is looking to make the Tesla Model S one of the very first vehicles on the road that will successfully carry this feature. However, one potential road block (pun intended) would be that the tech may prove to be illegal in some regions, with Musk having stated that the update would be available worldwide.
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Though the self-driving Google Car is a far more elaborate and potentially risky application of autonomous tech giving that it operates essentially driverless, it is having to jump through numerous hoops in order to expand the amount of territories it can eventually be brought to, meaning that there would inevitably be a number of legalities Tesla would face in bringing an autosteering function to the marketplace.
That Tesla can bring this kind of feature to the Model S via an over-the-air update is incredible in and of itself, though the ins-and-outs of how it will work remains to be seen. Given Elon Musk’s vocal opposition to the increasing rise of artificial intelligence, we’d suspect that the Tesla founder wouldn’t be pushing to make his vehicles entirely driverless, though who knows what’s in store for the future of the hugely ambitious company.
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