Musk tells fans ‘full self driving’ Teslas are near
SAN FRANCISCO — In August, Tesla electric cars will offer “full self driving features,” CEO Elon Musk tweeted over the weekend.
But aside from that brief description, written in response to an owner’s comments about Tesla’s Autopilot suite of driverassist features, Musk didn’t give any more details about just how autonomous his cars would be.
In the tweet, which addressed a concern about Autopilot wavering in high-traffic lane-merging situations, Musk said “that issue is better in latest Autopilot software rolling out now & fully fixed in August update as part of our long-awaited Tesla Version 9.”
He added that “to date, Autopilot resources have rightly focused entirely on safety (and) with V9 (version 9), we will begin to enable full self-driving features.”
Just what “full self driving” means to Musk remains in question. Tesla would not comment beyond the CEO’s tweets.
The Society of American Engineers has a ranking system for self-driving cars, with SAE Level 1 referring to systems such as basic cruise control, while levels 4 and 5 refer to vehicles that need little to no human oversight.
Tesla’s Autopilot is considered an SAE Level 2 system, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist technology. Tesla has repeatedly asserted that its system needs driver monitoring and is not meant to replicate self-driving tech.
Fully and semi-self-driving auto tech has been under a microscope lately as federal investigators continue to investigate crashes of vehicles that were using such systems.
In March, an Uber self-driving car killed a pedestrian in Arizona when its sensors and on-board safety driver failed to notice the woman crossing in the middle of the road in the dark.
And two recent Tesla crashes involved Autopilot, one in which a California driver was killed when his car veered into a highway barrier and another when a distracted Utah driver hit a parked fire truck at 60 m.p.h. Neither had their hands on the wheels for some time before the crash.
Tesla electric cars, such as the Model S and Model X, are known for their sleek looks, hefty price and acceleration. The company is rushing to ramp up production of its entry-level Model 3 sedan.
And there’s a chance Tesla could soon be rocketship fast. Musk also tweeted that the new version of his Roadster two-door sports coupe will feature a SpaceX option, a nod to his rocket company.
“SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include 10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car,” Musk tweeted.