P85D Software Updates/Autopilot Timing/Range Improvements

Rice390 said:

I thought it would be useful to start a thread related to the improvements in the P85D that will be rolled out in the future. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm a bit surprised nobody is asking where their Autopilot is. Do we have any idea of when this will be activated? I'm guessing it's a regulatory issue that needs to be worked out.

Also, would be good to stay up to speed on the range improvements and the software updates that are coming out. One came out today, and Elon signaled the major range update would be out sometime near the end of January.

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From the first day the ordering page was live, the Autopilot feature was listed as something that would be rolled out in several future software updates. One of those updates went out today enabling adaptive cruise control.

I think the TACC is a good precursor to the actual AutoPilot. It is letting me get somewhat familiar to what the car can/can't handle.

Our Model S was delivered in December with the Autopilot hardware and was told when available in January 2015 we could get this for $500 (in addition to $3750 tec package cost).
Rcvd good news today from the Marietta Georgia store mgr:

Good news, just today they announced that any car built with the new autopilot features before today will automatically get all the auto pilot features at no additional charge.

Rice390 said:

I thought it would be useful to start a thread related to the improvements in the P85D that will be rolled out in the future. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm a bit surprised nobody is asking where their Autopilot is. Do we have any idea of when this will be activated? [...]

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I agree. teslamotors.com talks about autopilot as if it already exists, with no indication of its availability. Is this coming next week, next month, or next year?

derekt75 said:

I agree. teslamotors.com talks about autopilot as if it already exists, with no indication of its availability. Is this coming next week, next month, or next year?

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The order page still has this text on it:

It will take several months for all the features to be completed and uploaded to the cars.

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The Model S page says the following:

Autopilot features are progressively enabled over time with software updates. The current software version is 6.1, adding traffic-aware cruise control, forward collision warning, and camera-enabled automatic high/low beam headlights.

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So I think it's an exaggeration to say that it talks about it as if it already exists. I know the Model S page didn't have the above statement until relatively recently, but the order page details have been there since October 9th.

breser said:

The order page still has this text on it:


The Model S page says the following:


So I think it's an exaggeration to say that it talks about it as if it already exists. I know the Model S page didn't have the above statement until relatively recently, but the order page details have been there since October 9th.

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The whole autopilot stuff is all written in the present tense, not the future tense.
Model S automatically follows the road. changes lanes. automatically parks.
To me that's pretty much the definition of talking about something as if it exists.

Even the caveat about rolling out autopilot features over time is written in the present tense, while I'm not sure they've actually rolled out anything described in the "autopilot" system. (yes they have the features listed in the next sentence, but are those even "autopilot" features? I tend to think they're not. If they are autopilot features, then every luxury sedan has autopilot.)

Regardless, I wasn't so much complaining about Tesla misleading as I was seeking actual information about the releases.
What's the plan?
ACC Jan '15
collision avoidance (automatic braking) Q1 '15?
steer on the highway Q1 '15? Q2?
lane change Q2?
park with you in the driver seat Q3?
park on its own and pull out of the driveway Q4?

derekt75 said:

Even the caveat about rolling out autopilot features over time is written in the present tense, while I'm not sure they've actually rolled out anything described in the "autopilot" system. (yes they have the features listed in the next sentence, but are those even "autopilot" features? I tend to think they're not. If they are autopilot features, then every luxury sedan has autopilot.)

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Yes those are features that are part of the Autopilot feature set. The general public seems to perceive autopilot as something more akin to driver less cars when it's more akin to Autopilot on airplanes. Autopilot is a set of driver assistance features. Some of them are designed to help with safety, while others are purely convenience (i.e. reduce driver workload).

I'd anticipate that Tesla will exceed what other luxury vehicles have, but I wouldn't expect them to reach that point until the end of the year. They're still playing catch up with everyone else.