Tesla
- Tesla's Autopilot feature gives its cars the ability to drive autonomously in some situations.
- While driving with Autopilot activated, a Tesla vehicle can regulate its speed, change lanes, and park without driver assistance.
- Tesla customers can buy the Autopilot feature for $5,000.
The deadline is approaching for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to deliver on one of his loftiest predictions for the company. In October 2016, he said a Tesla car would drive itself from LA to New York City without any assistance from a human driver by the end of 2017. Musk made a slight revision to that statement in August, claiming the autonomous road trip would happen early in 2018 if he doesn't meet his original deadline.
But the self-driving capabilities in Tesla's cars are still ahead of the competition. The Autopilot system included in its cars can help drivers navigate highways and parking lots, and the company says every vehicle produced in its factory has the hardware for complete, autonomous driving that could be activated when the necessary software and government regulations come into place.
Here's what Tesla's Autopilot feature can do now, and what it might be able to do in the future:
Tesla introduced its Autopilot feature in 2015. It gives its cars the ability to drive autonomously in some situations. Last year, the company rolled out new hardware on all of its vehicles. The new hardware suite enables the latest iteration of the driving system, which is called Enhanced Autopilot.TeslaTesla cars made since October 2016 come with eight cameras that have a complete, 360-degree range of vision around the car. Each of the cameras can see up to 250 meters away.Tesla
Twelve ultrasonic sensors make sure the car can recognize and avoid both hard and soft objects.Tesla
A radar system helps the car see through fog, heavy rain, dust, or a car in front of it.Tesla
All new Tesla cars have the necessary hardware for Enhanced Autopilot, but customers have to pay to turn the semi-autonomous system on. Enhanced Autopilot costs $5,000 at the time of purchase or a buyer can activate it later for $6,000.REUTERS/Noah Berger
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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