Tesla driver killed in Autopilot crash ignored repeated warnings, NTSB says

Tesla AutopilotThe National Transportation Safety Board has published its first findings after investigating a fatal highway crash in 2016 involving a Tesla Model S and a tractor trailer. The crash occurred on last summer after 40-year-old Joshua Brown was driving with Tesla's Autopilot engaged. The system failed to apply the brakes when a tractor trailer turned...

Tesla to sell 200 electric cars to Dubai taxi service

2017 Tesla Model SIf you wanted to start a green taxi service—and had ample funds to do so—Tesla electric cars would seem to be a good choice. The Model S and Model X offer plenty of interior space and range, and their popularity would like raise the profile of any taxi service using them. So perhaps it's not surprising that the Dubai Taxi Corporation...

Tesla Autopilot features edge closer to self-driving in 3 to 6 months

Tesla Enhanced AutopilotLast year, after Tesla updated the radar, camera, and ultrasonic sensors on its electric cars, CEO Elon Musk said the new hardware’s capabilities would lag behind the cars on the street already. Now, Musk has projected that the “Hardware 2.0” cars may surpass the older generation of “Hardware 1.0” vehicles and be “fully self-driving” in 3 to 6…

Tesla Autopilot investigation closed by NHTSA, will continue to monitor

Tesla AutopilotThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed its investigation into the fatal Florida crash last May of a Tesla using the company's Autopilot driver-assist system. The Model S in question collided with a tractor trailer that turned left in front of it, killing the driver, who was the electric car's sole occupant. At the time...

Tesla upgrades Autopilot for 1,000 ‘Hardware 2’ cars to test

2017 Tesla Model STesla Motors is now beginning to roll out upgraded software to accompany the more complex suite of sensors known as "Hardware 2" that launched in October. All Model S and Model X electric cars built since then have this array of eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, as opposed to the less-elaborate "Hardware 1" package used previously. But while...

Tesla’s autonomous-car efforts use big data no other carmaker has

Tesla self-driving demonstration video screenshotIn the automotive industry, Tesla is a leader in many respects—but it's hardly head-and-shoulders above the rest when it comes to self-driving cars. The Silicon Valley automaker is developing fully autonomous cars, but it's part of a crowded field that includes many other automakers and a handful of rich tech companies as well. Still...

Tesla to roll out Autopilot self-driving capabilities ‘very soon’

2016 Tesla Model STesla Motors will soon begin rolling out software to restore lost Autopilot driver-assistance features, its CEO says, as a prelude to what the company claims will be the launch of genuine self-driving capabilities. Last month, Tesla announced that it was equipping new Model S and Model X electric cars with a more elaborate suite of sensors, known...

Tesla to roll out Autopilot self-driving capabilities ‘very soon’

2016 Tesla Model STesla Motors will soon begin rolling out software to restore lost Autopilot driver-assistance features, its CEO says, as a prelude to what the company claims will be the launch of genuine self-driving capabilities. Last month, Tesla announced that it was equipping new Model S and Model X electric cars with a more elaborate suite of sensors, known...

Why did Tesla take capabilities out of latest Model S + Model X?

2016 Tesla Model SAutomakers rarely "de-content" their cars, much less take away some of the very features that provide sizzle and PR value. But Tesla's new and more advanced "Hardware 2" electronic driver-assist features on latest cars appear to be a temporary step backwards. Announced last month, Hardware 2 is a new package of sensors for the Autopilot...

What a prototype self-driving Tesla ‘sees’ on public roads

Tesla self-driving demonstration video screenshotLike a human driver, a self-driving car needs to "see" its environment in order to navigate through it. But instead of eyes, autonomous vehicles use an array of sensors—including cameras and radar—to detect objects and obstacles. So what does a self-driving car's view of the road look like? DON'T MISS: Tesla's own numbers show...

Tesla Autopilot 8.0 better, still needs improvement, says Consumer Reports

2016 Tesla Model SThe magazine Consumer Reports has been one of the most vocal critics of Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance system. It has called for Tesla to disable Autopilot's automated-steering feature, calling the technology "too much, too soon." It also called on Tesla to stop using the "Autopilot" name, claiming it could be misleading. DON'T MISS: Consumer...

CA to restrict use of term Autopilot: Tesla-owning pilot weighs in

Tesla AutopilotA recent news item from California aimed directly at Tesla's Autopilot system has me musing on words, meanings, and life and death. Last week, that state's Department of Motor Vehicles published the draft of a proposed new regulation that “…prohibits the advertisement of lower levels of automated systems, where the human driver is...