Tesla Will Make Cars 100% Auto-Pilot Ready

What this means:

Every new Tesla car, including Model S, Model X, and the forthcoming Model 3, will be loaded with $8,000 worth of gadgets which will allow the vehicles to eventually drive themselves once Tesla perfects the software to make that possible.

What it does not mean:

The car will right now NOT be able to drive themselves. What it does mean is that the cars can be updated easily to go auto-pilot once Tesla has the software ready.

The Tesla self driving package:

1. 8 surrounded cameras for 360 degree visibility around the car at up to 250m range.
2. 12 updated ultrasonic sensors for detection of both hard and soft objects.
3. Forward facing radar with enhanced processing ‘capable of seeing through heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.’
4. A new onboard computer with more than 40 times the computing power of the previous generation.

Brand Sense:

Tesla is effectively positioning itself as the self-driving car company before it actually rolls out self driving cars. Customers who would prefer an autonomous car when the technology is ready can go for a Tesla right away, and then wait for the technology to arrive.

Auto future:

1. The hardware won’t do much at the moment but, over the next year, Tesla plans to test a more advanced version of its earlier auto-pilot programme.
2. More advanced self driving capabilities in the pipeline for Tesla, although Musk has said ‘it’ll take us some time’ to perfect those.
3. Tesla hopes to demonstrate a car travelling all by itself from Los Angeles to New York, without any driver guidance, by the end of 2017.

Where the tech is at present:

The partially self driving cars being sold now have software, like Tesla’s Autopilot, that hand the controls back to humans when the computer is unsure of what to do.