Just over a month after it started to push the first phase of "Enhanced Autopilot" to the first 1,000 vehicles, and a few weeks after releasing it to the whole world, Tesla is now on the track of starting to push towards a new update on improving on its new Autopilot.
Tesla's New Update On Autopilot
Owners of Tesla vehicles that are equipped with the second generation Autopilot hardware have started receiving the update v8.0.17.5.28 over the weekend. According to Electrek, the new update will be lifting the speed restriction on the Autosteer feature from 45 mph to 50 mph.
Release Notes
Tesla wrote in the release notes:
Generally, you must be traveling at least 18 mph in order to engage Autosteer. When a vehicle is detected in front of you, you can then engage Autosteer if you are traveling at least 5 mph, or if you are already using cruise control.
In this release, Autosteer is available only below 50 mph. Once you've exceeded this speed, Autosteer will not be available.
General Remarks
Tesla's autopilot is still significantly below the first generation Autopilot's top speed when traveling on divided highways, but the company is still improving on the system as it gathers more data from the fleet with the new Autopilot hardware.
According to TheLosAngelesTimes, the release also includes 'side collision warning,' which is a useful safety feature, especially when you are changing lane on a highway. The same feature on the first generation Autopilot was also credited with helping avoid some potentially serious road accidents.
Tesla Is Still In The Works
Tesla is still working on incorporating its existing Autopilot features on its new hardware that was just introduced last October 2016. The next few updates will still be focused on bringing those features to parity with first generation Autopilot as more data is being collected from the fleet and from there.
