Today, Tesla started the rollout of a new software update for its fleet of vehicles equipped with second generation Autopilot hardware.
The new update features what CEO Elon Musk called a ‘silky smooth’ new control algorithm for Autosteer, as well as automatic perpendicular parking and automatic display brightness adjustments.
Update: the software update also includes full speed Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), which was previously restricted to low-speed.
A Tesla spokesperson confirmed to Electrek that the update is not being pushed over-the-air yet, but it is being rolled into the new vehicles coming out of the Fremont factory and vehicles going into service.
By the end of the week, the fleet should start receiving the update over-the-air as promised by Musk at the shareholder meeting last week.
Some Tesla owners had complained that the Autosteer and TACC were rougher than what they were used to with the last few updates, but the CEO reassured owners last month by saying that an upcoming new algorithm would fix that:
Excited about the Tesla Autopilot software release rolling out next month. New control algorithm feels as smooth as silk.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2017
We were able to confirm with Tesla that the new update includes those improvements.
On top of the new control algorithm, Tesla is also pushing two features from the first generation Autopilot that were still missing on the vehicles with second generation hardware.
Here are the release notes:
Autopark: Perpendicular Parking
To make it easier to park in a variety of situations, Model S can now also back up into perpendicular spaces using Autopark. Drive completely past the space at no more than 10 mph until the ‘P’ appears in the instrument panel. Then use the same Autopark functions as in parallel Autopark – starting canceling, pausing, resuming, and so on.
Display Brightness
With Display Brightness, you can clearly see the touchscreen and instrument panel throughout the day and night. This feature adjusts screen brightness based on your Model S surroundings. It also learns from your preferences: if you adjust the brightness manually, Display Brightness uses your update to make future adjustments.
Display Brightness is enabled by default. To disable, uncheck Auto-adjust in Controls > Displays > BRIGHTNESS & MODES.
Autopark was already available for parallel parking, but perpendicular parking was one of the few features that were still preventing full parity with the first generation Autopilot.
The original system was powered by Mobileye technology, but Tesla has been developing the same features using its own computer vision technology on the new hardware.
While we still have to see what Musk meant by a “silky smooth” Autosteer with some test drives, it looks like this update could mark the start of the transition from just feature parity to Tesla starting the actual transition to the new ‘Enhanced Autopilot’. Though it apparently still doesn’t feature the automatic windshield wipers for some reason.
At the shareholder meeting last week, Musk reiterated that the improvements on Autopilot will eventually lead to Tesla demonstrating a completely autonomous coast-to-coast drive by the end of the year.
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