Tesla has fascinated the world with its state of the art all-electric cars. Recently, the company has touted that its cars drive the road via Autopilot. Some tech analysts are saying that Tesla might be the one to take mantle after Apple as the most innovative company in the world.
However, recent car crashes and deaths seemingly caused by its autopilot feature is throwing in doubt whether Tesla indeed has the resources to usher the world into a new world of innovation.
Tesla owner and founder Elon Musk is fearlessly facing off the critiques of the Tesla autopilot feature, taking to Twitter to express his hopes to launch a much-improved version of his company's' autopilot software on Wednesday.
Musk is defying the headwinds of criticism hurled at his firm due to several car fatal crashes his vehicles have had under Autopilot.
Musk stated that the revamped autopilot software will roll out if no unforeseen last-minute changes come out.
Citing Musk's blog post, Bloomberg reports that the biggest revamp in the Autopilot version 8.0 is a greater role for radar which since October 2014 has only functioned to support camera sensors. Autopilot 8.0 will automatically upgrade current owners.
According to the firm, the upgraded version can now identify moving trucks in highways, piles of junk metal. The software can decide not to hit such objects even if it cannot name what exactly it is seeing.
Also, instead of being only auxiliary to the camera, now the radar can independently be utilized as a primary sensor while the car is moving.
Musk stated in a press release this week that Tesla's latest Autopilot version gives more emphasis on radar and a GPS database and thus could have saved the life of a driver who was killed last May when his Tesla Model S sedan accidentally drove under a semi-trailer in Florida.
Automotive News said that the autopilot feature of Tesla was thrown into the greater international spotlight when Mobileye, a car safety firm from Israel, broke its partnership with Tesla. Mobileye described Tesla's Autopilot feature as flawed which the company countered.
