Last night, Tesla rolled out a software update to its Model S sedans. The update enables autopilot functionality on highways, as well as auto-parking in some situations.
This is a great step forward for Tesla, and a long-term step forward for consumers, as the new data will give Tesla a huge leg up in race for self-driving cars. Nothing like tens of thousands of users to work out the bugs in your software.
In the short-term, I think it’s probably only a small win for consumers. Tesla has been vocal that any accidents caused by the software will be the responsibility of the driver. This means drivers will have to stay engaged throughout the trip, scaling back a lot of the benefits to a self-driving car.
But, as Tesla gets more and more data and becomes more and more confident in its software, I imagine the day that Tesla takes responsibility for its autopilot is coming fast.
Originally published at www.davidincalifornia.com on October 15, 2015.
David Silver 