Skip to main content

Elon Musk says ‘profound’ Autopilot update will roll out to Teslas soon

During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting before its Battery Day event on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk said the company’s cars would soon get a redesigned version of its Autopilot feature.

Teslas have had the Autopilot feature for a while, but improvements started to plateau a couple of years ago, Musk said. “We had to do a fundamental rewrite of the entire autopilot software stack and all of the labeling software as well,” he said. Instead of using still images from the cars’ eight cameras, Tesla is now labeling 3D video.

By pulling from all cameras simultaneously, the video captures how images change over time, making for more accurate labeling of objects. Musk called the difference “profound.”

“We’re confident that, over time, we can get the probability of an accident — especially the probability of an injury — to 10 times better than the industry average,” Musk said. “That’s just a lot of lives saved and a lot of injuries avoided, so that’s just a huge priority for us.”

The “private beta” version of the new Autopilot will roll out later this month, according to Musk.

Despite the name, Autopilot doesn’t let the car completely take over driving. The feature may adjust speed or tweak the steering, but it’s not a chauffeur. Drivers are still supposed to keep their hands on the wheel and stay alert to road conditions.

Autopilot misuse by Tesla drivers has led to some fatal crashes.

In the past, the Musk said the Tesla Model 3 had “the lowest probability” of injury the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had ever tested. The agency called these claims misleading.

Editors' Recommendations

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
Elon Musk’s Neuralink now recruiting for first human trials
Everything you need to know about Neuralink

Elon Musk’s Neuralink company has announced that it’s now accepting applications from human subjects willing to have its experimental N1 computer interface implanted in their brain.

Neuralink’s first in-human study, called PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface), is encouraging interest from those with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They should also be at least 22 years old and have a consistent and reliable caregiver.

Read more
Tesla’s Elon Musk can build his unusual Supercharger station
The design of Tesla's proposed Supercharger station that will include a 1950s-themed diner.

Aside from building electric cars, batteries, and solar panels, Tesla is also looking to build a Supercharger station with a difference.

The automaker has reportedly received planning permission to construct an all-night diner and drive-in movie theater in Los Angeles, Teslarati reported recently.

Read more
Elon Musk throws some light on his very busy schedule
Elon Musk.

If you have a hard enough time holding down one job, then it’s little surprise that Elon Musk’s three high-profile roles cause his days to be “long and complicated.”

Musk, who is currently CEO at Tesla, SpaceX, and until recently at Twitter, offered some insight into his busy schedule during an interview at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit on Tuesday.

Read more