Updated Tesla Autopilot Arriving In Three Weeks, Says Musk

While #Tesla has started delivering vehicles outfitted with its latest #Autopilot hardware, they have been delivered without the supporting software to enable the improved self-driving capabilities. That will change shortly.

When quizzed on Twitter when the electric automaker will begin allowing new Tesla owners to use Autopilot’s features, company boss Elon Musk said that Autopilot 8.1 will be released in about three weeks.

Musk then said that the features will be rolled out “incrementally in monthly releases”. This fits in line with the company’s previous statement that the autonomous functions would be enabled once the new hardware has been validated and calibrated via real-world driving by its customers.

Subject to regulatory approval, the features of the upcoming Autopilot update will include lane keep assist, the ability to automatically change lanes without driver input, self-parking, summon capabilities, active cruise control and more.

Eventually, Tesla’s new hardware will be able to provide full self-driving as early as next year. However, it seems unlikely laws regarding autonomous vehicles will immediately permit the vehicles’ full range of abilities.