Since the launch in October 2015, Tesla has finally made significant changes to its Autopilot. The latest version, 7.1, has been rolled out for the Model S and X, and, according to release notes and screenshots that were posted on the Tesla Motors Club, the latest installment restricts automatic steering on certain roads and adds a remote “summoning” feature. Summon is a beta feature that has been added to the latest version, that allows you to park your car remotely. The gimmick will work in combination with Telsa’s robotic snake charger that is also being currently tested .
Some Autopilot restrictions have also been put into place; features like Autosteer, when engaged on residential roads and roads without central divider, will lead to the Autopilot restricting the maximum speed to over 5mph over the speed limit. The car will slow down automatically if the driver sets the cruise control to speed that is above the limit.
In November, Elon Musk had commented on the growing trend of people attempting dangerous stunts and coming in near-accidental situations with the Autosteer, consequently resulting into Tesla restricting the autopilot to “minimize the possibility of people doing crazy things.“.
BMW’s CEO, Harold Krüger, had criticized the latest addition to the version 7.1 of the software running on the Tesla, stating that releasing a beta version is too dangerous to be incorporated in a car.
However, this addition is sure to deliver extra safety and bring down the hazards that were associated with the older version. Tesla has also mentioned that Autosteer and Traffic-Aware cruise control has been substantially enhanced in the 7.1 version.
The latest software update by Tesla does seem like a step in the right direction, especially to ensure the safety in the car, but time will tell how successful this feature will be in a real life situation. Talking of Summon, you will have to admit, it is a very neat feature, even if you don’t need it.
