Tesla has pushed a new update that offers new features for Autopilot like speed adjustments and stop sign warnings.
The new features continue to advance the software toward a “feature complete” version of Tesla’s full self-driving version of Autopilot. Chief Executive Elon Musk has said that full version of the software will be available to a limited number of owners by the end of the year.
Tesla’s description of the new features included in the update (2019.40.2) are below.
Adjacent Lane Speed Adjustments
“When your vehicle is moving at a significantly faster speed than vehicles in neighboring lanes, Autopilot now automatically reduces your driving speed. This is helpful in heavy traffic situations or when there is a long line of vehicles merging into a different lane or exiting onto an off-ramp. When your vehicle detects that adjacent lane traffic is significantly slower, the lane is highlighted with arrows and its vehicles are highlighted gray in the driving visualization. This speed adjustment can be temporarily overridden by pressing the accelerator pedal.”
Autosteer Stop Sign Warning
“Your car may warn you in some cases if it detects that you are about to run a stop sign, in addition to stop lights, while Autosteer is in use. This is not a substitute for an attentive driver and will not stop the car.”
While Tesla’s vehicles are getting closer to full-self-driving, owners still need to be alert and keep their hands on the steering wheel. However, the company believes that the cars will be able to operate fully without driver intervention in another year.