Self-driving cars are a subject of controversy for all car enthusiasts. The opinion I’ve heard from the majority of gas-guzzling, manual-shifting, die-hard enthusiasts is that they’re simply evil, and threaten to destroy the joy of driving. Elon Musk and his 700+hp Model S P90D, which now features ‘autopilot’, begs to differ.
Tesla, the king of fully electric, Mclaren F1 demolishing family sedans has just released an update for the Tesla Model S as a part of their policy of continuous-improvement. The most recent update includes hands free hands-free ‘auto steer’, adaptive cruise control, automatic lane changing and automatic parallel parking. That means that above 18 mph, the Model S will move accelerate and slow with traffic, maintain its position within a lane and even change lanes on its own with a flick of the turn single stock. Don’t be alarmed; whenever the system encounters a situation requiring human intervention, it warns the driver using both visual cues and an audible alert. Tesla’s lawyers have been quick to point out that the system is still a ‘hands-on’ feature what requires full driver attention. However, both Car and Driver and Jalopnik have tested the Tesla’s autopilot and it works happily without any human intervention. Below 15mph, the Model S will also locate potential parking spaces for you, and display an option to activate autopark.
Welcome to the future people. Check out Jalopnik’s first drive below!