Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/587664
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2015 VI Motoring New Tesla autopilot feature launched THE electric carmaker Tesla Mo- tors hopes to overtake competi- tors with a new autopilot system that lets cars change lanes by themselves. Like other semi-autonomous systems available from companies including Mercedes, Audi and Volvo, Tesla's system automati- cally keeps the car within its lane and maintains a certain distance from the car in front, both at high- way speeds and on city streets. But analysts say the lane- changing feature is an industry first. Tesla's chief executive, Elon Musk, said the system would con- stantly collect data from drivers and improve itself. The system would note, for example, how quickly drivers could safely navi- gate a particular bend or where there were stop signs. "I think this is going to be quite a profound experience for peo- ple," Musk said. "It will change people's perception of the future quite drastically." Musk added a caution: drivers needed to keep their hands on the wheel, and the autopilot sys- tem would chime to remind them. Drivers – not Tesla – would be held liable in a crash, Musk said. "We're being especially cautious at this early stage, so we're advis- ing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case," he said. "The software is very new." Musk said that from a techni- cal standpoint, fully autonomous, hands-free driving was at least three years away, although it would probably take regulators longer than that to allow it. The autopilot update would be added to about 60,000 vehicles worldwide, including Model S se- dans made after September 2014 and Model X SUVs. Owners would get the system through a software update starting on Wednesday evening in North America. Owners in Europe and Asia would get the software up- date in about a week. People with Model S sedans that were made earlier do not have the required sensors and would not be able to add them retroactively. Only owners who paid the $2,500 charge for the full autopi- lot system would be able to acti- vate all of the autopilot features, but the side-impact warning was a safety feature and would be avail- able to everyone. Musk said that for the next up- date, Tesla was working on having the car drive itself in and out of garages when summoned by the owner. Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book, said Tesla's sys- tem appeared to up the ante for the industry. General Motors' Super Cruise system, for example, which is due out on the 2017 Cadillac CT6, will let drivers take their hands off the wheel at any speed on the high- way, but will not change lanes by itself. "This is the game we're going to be playing, round and round, for the next five to 10 years until there's fully autonomous driving," Brauer said. "Each time there's a step by someone out there, every- one will have to match it." Brauer said there was a danger to that, because people may not know their particular car's capa- bilities. "Having that kind of nebulous, blurry grey zone could introduce many more problems," he said. But Musk was optimistic about the benefits of autopilot: "In the long term it will be safer than a person driving." Combined consumption (l/100 km): from 3 to 5.6. CO 2 emissions (g/km): from 79 to 129. NEW PEUGEOT 208 AWAKEN YOUR INNER ENERGY Michael Attard Ltd. – National Road, Blata l-Bajda – T: 2123 8854 – M: 79 406 607 – E: sales@michaelattard.com Peugeot Malta www.peugeot.com.mt 1063. Peugeot - 208 Ad - 18x5.indd 1 03/09/2015 16:17