Elon Musk announced on Thursday that Tesla will offer autonomous technology by this summer.
With the new technology Tesla vehicles are a step closer to being completely driverless.
The new software update is going to allow Tesla’s Model S sedans to drive themselves, in what the company refers to as a hands-free “autopilot” mode.
The cars will be able to take full control of driving in “major roads”, such as highways.
The software update is expected to be available in upcoming months.
Potential regulatory hurdles
However, there are some concerns about whether autonomous driving would be legal.
Karl Brauer, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book, said:
“There’s a reason other automakers haven’t gone there,”
“Best case scenario, it’s unclear. If you’re an individual that starts doing it, you’d better hope nothing goes wrong.”
“It’s not just a philosophical reason why automakers haven’t allowed their vehicles to drive themselves,” he said. “There’s a legal reason, too.”
A spokesman for Tesla, said that there was “nothing in our autopilot system that is in conflict with current regulations.”
Autopilot will help drivers in moments of distraction
At the press conference Musk said:
“We can basically go between San Francisco and Seattle without the driver doing anything,”
“It is technically capable of going from parking lot to parking lot,” Musk said, according to The Verge. “But we won’t be enabling that for users with this hardware suite, because we don’t think it’s likely to be safe in suburban neighborhoods.”
“There’s certainly an expectation that when autopilot on the Model S is enabled, that you’re paying attention,” he said. “But it should also take care of you if you have moments of distraction.”