HOW DOES AUTOPILOT WORK?

Tesla’s self-driving technology equips cars to navigate the roads themselves

1 RADAR

Tesla cars use radar technology to scan their surroundings. Radio waves are emitted from the car, which bounce off objects and return to the sensors. This information reveals where obstacles lie and tracks their movement.

3 ELECTRIC BRAKING

When the car’s sensors detect an object close in front of it, the brakes are automatically applied to maintain a safe gap.

2 OVERTAKING

To change lanes and overtake, Tesla’s Autopilot requires the driver to indicate that they want to overtake, then the sensors will detect when it’s safe to do so.

4 SPEED-TRACKING CAMERAS

Forward-facing cameras monitor the speed of the vehicle to make sure speed limits are followed.

5 ULTRASONIC SENSORS

12 ultrasonic sensors can detect hard and soft obstacles up to eight metres away.

7 REENGAGING

If the car has to come to a stop, self-driving can be restarted by pressing down the accelerator.

6 LONG-DISTANCE VISIBILITY

Eight surround cameras provide visibility of 250 metres around the vehicle.