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Tesla's New Dual-Motor, AWD Car Has Autopilot That Reads Speed Limit Signs--and Automatically Sticks to the Limit

By Rain Noe - October 10, 2014

in Cars

Yesterday Tesla Motors held a press event where they announced their new all-wheel-drive models, which hit the road in December. These being electric cars, rather than using a single motor to drive all four wheels, Tesla is simply dropping a second motor into the car; with one up front and one in back, there's no need for a driveshaft in between and all of those pesky linkages.

And these cars will go from 0-60 in an absurd 3.2 seconds, in case you need to smoke a Bugatti. "This car is nuts," Tesla skipper Elon Musk told the audience. "It's like taking off from a carrier deck." (See video below for the full carrier deck/Battlestar Galactica-esque "launch sequence.")

Some optimists assumed that at last night's event, Musk was going to pull the sheets off of a completely self-driving car. While that's undoubtedly a ways off, the autopilot features announced last night for the new models indicate it's not as far off in the future as you might think. Using a combination of radar, a camera and a dozen sensors, this is what Tesla's new models can reportedly do:

- The new system will move the car over a lane when the driver uses the turn signal.
- The car reads speed-limit signs and adjusts the car to the speed on the sign.
- Drivers will be able to get out of the car in their driveways and watch it park itself in the garage. When drivers are ready to leave, the car will able to drive itself up, with the car's temperature and stereo system set to the driver's preferences.

"It will come to you wherever you are," Musk says. "It will slowly make its way to you."

I'm not sure why you'd choose to get out of your car in the driveway rather than in the garage—most architects are thoughtful enough to put a door between the garage and the house—but then again, perhaps Musk is targeting the super-rich owners who live in manses apart from the stables. In any case, it was that speed limit thing that caught my eye. I can't speak for the rest of the country, but here in the Tri-State Area it's commonly accepted that highways have a ten m.p.h. grace range, meaning you can do 65 in a 55 and no cop will pull you over (unless maybe you're driving one of these). I wonder if Tesla's auto-nanny has got an override, or if you have to shut the whole system off, thus losing all of the other safety features, to cruise at a reasonable speed on the highway.

Check out SlashGear's video of a test drive from last night's event demonstrating the autopilot:

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Mitch

10 years ago

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If you dont want to use the autopilot option then dont use it.. Do you honestly think Tesla woudl make a car that goes 0-60 in 3 seconds, but doesn't let you drive how you want. LOL

its like cruise control with a brain. Thats all.
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powers

10 years ago

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@JeffJ Haha! OVERRIDE! OVERRIDE!!!
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Tom Mc

10 years ago

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The "auto" removes all choice from the equation. Guess it's time to move to the country where freedom trumps the "collective."

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Paul

10 years ago

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i'm all for Tom Mc, above, getting his wish of a fully driver-managed car but there are an awful lot of people who would be better off -- and so would the rest of us -- if they didn't touch anything but the radio.

The 10 mph grace is where things go pear shaped. An assembly line or railroad where things travel at different speeds is doomed. Ideally, this kind of system becomes so common that congested areas are centrally managed to get everyone through it quickly. That means hands free driving (sorry, Tom) with cars as closely packed as possible at a steady speed. People can choose to drive on the new autobahn (where auto truly means auto) or take the unmanaged surface streets.
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Tops

10 years ago

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I intend to change my Tesla software to cyrillic ;-)
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JeffJ

10 years ago

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Oh Jeeze, I can see the neighborhood kids turninging the 3's to 8's
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Tom Mc

10 years ago

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I won't buy any car that exerts this level of control over my decisions. That concept turns the activity of driving into something disengaging and boring and relegates the car to a mere transportation device. I have a hard enough time with an automatic transmission!

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