Tesla releases new update which lets the car switch lanes automatically

tech2 News StaffApr 05, 2019 17:05:16 IST

Tesla has always been at the forefront of autonomous driving, or at least it tries to be. With competition rising fast from the likes of Waymo and Uber, Tesla is making changes in its autopilot technology to stay a step ahead.

Tesla model S. Image: Tesla

Tesla has released a mode for its car that will completely let your car decide when to change lanes. What happened before was that to change lanes on autopilot, the driver had to keep their hands on the steering wheel and feet at the pedal. After that, the Tesla autopilot system asked for confirmation before it makes any lane changes. The new update will change that.

As per Tesla's press release, "In the Autopilot settings menu, a driver can press the Customize Navigate on Autopilot button which will now display three additional settings – Enable at Start of Every Trip, Require Lane Change Confirmation, and Lane Change Notification." Selecting the 'No' option on  'Require Lane Change Confirmation'  will let the car switch lanes automatically.

Tesla has said that it has already tested the feature internally, for more than half a million miles already. For now, the feature is rolling out to US customers and it will be introduced in other markets soon after proper validation and regulatory approval.