NEW YORK, NY – JULY 05: The inside of a Tesla vehicle is viewed as it sits parked in a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, Brooklyn on July 5, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is finally going to reveal new autopilot improvements for the Model S and the Model X.
In a Twitter post, Musk said he would be holding a Q&A session with the media on Sunday and would follow that with a post about autopilot at 3 pm ET.
He also apologized for the delay of the post — it was expected to be published to the Tesla blog on Aug. 31. However, it never was.
It was then delayed further after a fireball destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket that Musk’s company, SpaceX, was attempting to launch at Cape Canaveral on Sept. 1. He obliquely referenced that explosion in his tweet on Saturday, saying it had been an “unusually difficult couple of weeks.”
In August, Musk teased some of the improvements and how they would be rolled out to Tesla’s Model S and Model X electric vehicles.
Musk said the improvements would include “advanced processing of radar signals” — Tesla’s autopilot feature uses both radar and cameras to operate.
The upgrades are expected to take effect while the vehicles are parked. That means owners won’t have to take their cars to be serviced.
The new operating software for the vehicles, versions 8.0 and 8.1, is expected to go into wide release soon. Tesla has been pushed to make improvements after multiple crashes and a fatality made news.
Unlike other Autopilot systems, Tesla’s enables drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel for minutes at a time. Consumer Reports, a not-for-profit magazine, advised Tesla to adjust its system so drivers have to stay engaged. Employees of Tesla have also voiced concern that the feature was put out too quickly.
Tesla’s Autopilot feature includes lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, and advanced cruise control, which automatically maintains a safe distance between other cars on the highway.
Tesla’s Autopilot advises drivers to pay attention and be prepared to drive manually. The Autopilot system is also intended for use on limited access highways — not complex urban areas.
