The Model X Design Studio for Production Models has been released. In it, they list the "Autopilot Convenience Features" which are identical to the current Model S. No stereo or tri-focal cameras, no additional sensors noted. I've believed Autopilot 2.0 hardware is further away than many of the recent speculations. Some of people were saying "by the end of the year." Can we put that to rest?
Let's not forget Autopilot 1.0 hardware was announced with the P85D, only to be activated (Autosteer in Beta) a year later. A 70D configured today won't be out until mid-late 2016 and it's not be advertised with any new Autopilot abilities.
I'm curious if anyone still thinks we're going to see a new hardware suite in the next couple months? Thoughts?
My thoughts are often pie-in-sky and not as down to earth, and these are the pie type:
1. I wonder how much engineering support specs the AP2.0 HW creators (that Israeli co?) have created -- what I mean is this: what would Tesla need to know in order to engineer their vehicles to be able to install AP2.0 HW? What cables would need to go where, what holes and glass and plastic where, etc..
2. I wonder if #1 is done, if Tesla has that information.
3. I wonder if #2 is done, if Tesla has started engineering.
4. I wonder if #3 is done, if Tesla has finished engineering.
5. I wonder if #4 is done, if Tesla has engineered an upgrade path into the chasis, such that AP2.0 HW could be installed after it has been released.
6. I wonder if #5 is done, if Tesla has started to put it into the chasis of any vehicle they're producing.
7. I wonder if #6 is done, if Tesla is even close to installing AP2.0 HW in any way, or has any desire to be HW upgradable.
There may be some engineering reasons why HW upgrade would not be possible in the way that Tesla has approached it. Other than that, I'm just very curious of all of this kind of thing. To me it seems like if I were Tesla, I'd push the AP partner to give me future-upgrade physical and support specs so that I could engineer it into the cars coming off the line (all models) and offer it as an upgrade in the future. There's lots of engineering that needs to be done -- crash tests, etc.. -- so the sooner they do every step the better, in order to get it to market sooner.
To be fair, #1 might not even be done; maybe they have ample Alpha testers with setups, but want to tune the positioning, layout and engineering details of AP2.0 HW in such a way they can't even tell what support, locations, views, angles, etc., it needs.