Tesla Cars purchased after October 19 are already equipped with Autopilot capabilities. However, these are rendered disabled as Tesla calibrates the new sensors. In three weeks, Tesla will roll out the Enhanced Autopilot update, which will fall sometime in mid-December.
However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has clarified the rollout of the Enhanced Autopilot feature that the rollout will not give the vehicles full level 5 autonomy just yet, the feature is reported to be expected by the end of next year, according to Electrek. Musk confirmed that the update, version 8.1, of Tesla's operating system would be made over-the-air.
Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot update will be done in increments over a span of several months. The first rollout for the new Model S and Model X is for them to be at par with the older Tesla's already on the road, with the feature already in operation.
Tesla's latest Model S and Model X have active safety systems, adaptive cruise control, and adaptive braking disabled the moment they rolled out of the assembly plant. These features will probably be enabled for current owners in the coming update, c|net Roadshow reported.
Expected in the coming update is a version of 'On-ramp to Off-ramp' which is already in place for older Tesla models, however, the two versions should remain similar after the said update. However, the difference will vary greatly in what Musk refers to as "monthly releases."
The second generation Autopilot had 'Autosteer', which will become 'Autosteer+', which will employ three front-facing cameras instead of one. 'Summon' will become 'Smart Summon', which will allow driverless driving much better than the old system that is limited to forward and reverse driving.
For those hoping that they will have full autonomy driving before the end of 2016 will be disappointed. Although full-on autonomous driving is demonstrated to work, the system won't be ready until next year.The goal is for Tesla vehicles ultimately go full autonomy toward the end of 2017, pending regulatory approval.
