Tesla to release ‘most features’ of Autopilot for HW2 next week

Tesla will release an update to its Autopilot feature on cars next week. The update should add self-driving features to Model X and Model S equipped with HW2, a new version of the hardware for the Autopilot feature.

The update adds self-driving features, but it is still unknown which features are and are not included in the update. Tesla foreman Elon Musk say nothing about that. Buyers of new Teslas have been looking forward to the update, as HW2’s promise was to enable more self-driving features than previous hardware could. Despite this, the software has lagged behind so far. For example, lane holding and active cruise control were temporarily disabled on the new models.

The new hardware consists of eight cameras that can observe 360 ​​degrees around the car with a range of 250 meters. Twelve improved ultrasonic sensors are deployed to detect objects, and the new system can do this at a double the distance from current hardware. Tesla uses radar technology that must be able to see through rain, fog, dust and cars in front.

Tesla had been planning the update for December for some time and mentioned it as part of the Enhanced Autopilot package, which can currently be checked as an option when purchasing a Tesla. Even after next week’s update, Teslas will not be able to drive completely independently for the time being. This should be possible by the end of 2017.