New Tesla S Models Being Upgraded

Do you remember when Elon Musk chose to dial back the Autopilot hardware in newer models of the Tesla Model S because of the accidents that had taken place and the questioning of the capability of this system? It seems they have fixed the system and are now ready to offer more capability to those who have newer Tesla Model S cars on the road. This is good news for those owners who felt like they were being left out with the older models being more advanced at the time. This new system will once again be an over the air upgrade like so many before it.

The new system is called the Hardware 2.0 (HW2) and it will now have the same features as the system others enjoy. The update is called the 8.1 and its allowing owners to have more speed and more safety at their disposal in the Model S to make these newer models feel more like the ones that have been on the road for a while. This news may spurn more customers to the Model S than we’ve seen in a while and allow us to see what the difference will be for Tesla.

This new system will give the Model S a max speed for the Autosteer function of 80 mph instead of the previous cap of 55 mph. This new upgrade will include lane departure warnings to help give owners the information they need while on the road. The only need from the owners of this car is a calibration o the Autosteer function which takes place automatically on well-marked highways while driving at speeds over 55 mph. This calibration seems easy enough and makes it even easier for Tesla owners to enjoy the benefits of one of the most advanced cars ever to hit the market.

HW2 owners will have the benefit of a few other features as well. These cars will now use the Summon feature. This is a feature that allows the owner to move the vehicle in and out of a parking space or the garage without getting in the car. There will also be the addition of Auto Lane Change which is being released as part of this upgrade. This function allows a driver to tell the Autosteer function to change lanes by simply using the turn signal. These upgrades certainly make the new Model S as equipped as the older models.

Does this mean Tesla has perfected their Auotpilot system to allow it to be fully autonomous? Not at all, this system, as it always has been, is a semi-autonomous system and it should be treated as such. These new Tesla models with the upgrades will hopefully keep owners safer than the older models and will have more fail safes in place. With these new upgrades Tesla Model S owners will be able to enjoy the benefits that owners before them have enjoyed, but will have had the experience of a Model S without these systems to understand the difference between the two.