Tesla cars can now almost drive themselves

San Francisco - The so-called Version 7.0 software is due to hit the European and Asian markets next week after obtaining the required authorisation.

High-end electric vehicle maker Tesla is taking a major step towards self-driving cars by installing new autopilot software on Thursday in North America to automatically change lanes, manage speed and even hit the brakes.
Self-driving capabilities - previously limited to cars tested by technology titans such as Google - hit the streets "overnight" with the latest Tesla Version 7.0 software, the company said on Wednesday.
The feature, unveiled on Wednesday, is being added to thousands of Tesla's Model S cars already on the road. By June 30, Tesla had already sold nearly 80,000 of the four-door sedans.
The so-called Version 7.0 software is due to hit the European and Asian markets next week after obtaining the required authorisation.
"We're being especially cautious at this early stage so we are advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case," Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk told reporters.
"In the long term, people will not need hands on the wheel, and eventually there won't be (steering) wheels or pedals." Autopilot allows Model S to steer within a lane, change lanes by tapping a turn signal and manage speed using "traffic-aware" cruise control.
The car can also scan for available parking spaces, alert drivers when one is spotted and then parallel park on command.
A year ago, the California-based company began equipping Model S cars with radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors and other hardware to begin incrementally introducing self-driving capabilities.
But the new software has its limits. It still can't recognise the color of traffic lights, though it can alert drivers to parking spots. On its website, Tesla acknowledged that "truly driverless cars are still a few years away."
"Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear," it explained. "The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car."
The autosteer capability is still in beta form, Musk stressed, adding that the system would be updating itself systematically across the whole network of connected cars.
Tesla sold about 11,580 Model S cars during the third quarter. - AFP