Tesla owners like to boast to owners of other brands—with an air of smug superiority, of course—that their vehicles keep getting better over time. That’s because of Tesla’s system of rolling out live, over-the-air updates for everything from core vehicle systems like the way the brakes react to the features available from your key fob. But we anticipate there might not be so much bragging about what Tesla’s latest update does to its Autopilot semi-autonomous system.
As part of its version 8.0.2 software update, Tesla is making the Traffic Aware cruise-control feature in its Model S cars and Model X crossovers stick to the letter of the law—by not allowing it (and thus the Autosteer system, too, which lets the driver take his or her hands off the wheel) to be engaged above the posted speed limit.
The change only applies to undivided roads; on divided highways, drivers will still be able to set the system to any speed up to 90 mph, regardless of the posted speed limit, confirmed Tesla spokesperson Keely Sulprizio. “We leave it to our customers to decide where is the best place to use the feature,” said Sulprizio, emphasizing that there’s been no compromise in the feature’s full stop-and-start capability—a stress reducer in dense traffic—and that it can be engaged at any city speed.
Autopilot has had a feature for some time that slows the vehicle to a limit of 5 mph over the posted speed—from camera input and GPS data—in most of the same situations that are affected by the update. But it’s likely that there are some conditions in which the new feature could drive owners crazy. For instance, if you’re on a rural two-lane highway posted at 55 mph, it’s not uncommon for traffic to be moving much faster. That said, there’s nothing stopping you from disengaging Autopilot, putting the pedal to the metal, and going for it—except for flashing lights in the rearview mirror, of course.
In September, with the rollout of version 8.0 and significant changes to the system’s calibration, after plenty of stunts and at least one highly publicized accident, Tesla introduced a requirement to reel in those who weren’t using the system as intended. With it, the driver periodically needs to hold the steering wheel—after one to five minutes, depending on speed and other conditions. Sulprizio calls it a “sliding scale algorithm” because there isn’t one single threshold. If the driver doesn’t check in with some hands-on-the-wheel time, the car will begin to decelerate and come to a stop, and the driver won’t be able to re-engage the system for that trip.
Other changes with version 8.0.2 include driver profiles that are now linked to key fobs, and more control through the key fob over door locking and the Summon feature. The sound system also gets two new equalizer settings, and the navigation system now lists amenities at and near Supercharger charging stations.
CEO Elon Musk, who has called Autopilot a beta technology in the past, also this week teased that the automaker is testing the “neural net” for its upgraded version, called Enhanced Autopilot, which will have an updated suite of hardware. That system will allow automated lane changes, exit and merging fluency, and self-parking capability. Whether it will allow speeding, though, remains to be seen.
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