What Is Tesla’s Autopilot?

Many companies have jumped on the autonomous vehicle bandwagon, including Tesla. Known for producing high-end luxury vehicles, Tesla has released semi-autonomous technology, known as Autopilot. While Autopilot does not equip a Tesla to become a fully autonomous vehicle, there are plans for that to happen in the future. All Autopilot-enabled Teslas released since October 2016 can receive firmware updates to increase functionality to the level of full self-driving capabilities. Here’s a look at what Autopilot can currently do.

Autosteer

The Autopilot system features Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to maintain the car’s speed and keep the car in its current lane. The high-tech feature relies on data like speed, steering rate, and steering angle to accomplish its goal. However, the word “Autosteer” is something of a misnomer, as drivers must still keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

Auto Lane Change

When Autosteer is engaged, the Auto Lane Change feature can be activated. All a driver must do is flick the turn signal. When it’s safe to do so, the vehicle will automatically move into the indicated lane.

Autopark

Tesla’s Autopilot features Autopark. This enables the Tesla to identify viable parking spots when driving at a low speed through a city environment. When a viable parking spot is identified, the Tesla can parallel park itself.

Side Collision Warning

These days, many new models of many different brands are equipped with collision warning systems. In this respect, Tesla’s Side Collision Warning feature is nothing new, but it’s certainly necessary for any car that purports to advertise semi-autonomous features. When the Tesla detects an object that is too close to its sides, an automatic alert will be activated in the instrument panel.

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