Some days ago, Elon Musk took to Twitter to thank the Tesla customers and told them that some new Autopilot upgrades are coming. The said upgrades have perhaps arrived. Musk tweeted to share MIT researcher Lex Fridman’s chart which was tracking Tesla vehicles with different generations of Autopilot hardware. A journalist asked a question after the post was shared which was in the mind of all Tesla lovers.
Probably 4 to 6 months. Those who order full self-driving get the upgrade at no cost. It isn’t needed just for enhanced Autopilot.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 8, 2018
Fred Lambert, Editor in chief of Electrek, asked the CEO that when the Autopilot 3.0 will be introduced and whether or not the owners with hardware 2.0 will get a free upgrade. To this question, Musk told that the latest software will be available in the next four to six months and will be open for customers who purchase the ‘Full Self-Driving’ pack. Autopilot 3.0 will enable the features which are available in the package. These features include doubling the number of active cameras, improved automatic charge connection, and the capacity for the vehicle to drive itself. The package has a lot in it, and therefore the price is also set accordingly. Tesla buyers need to have the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ package. This option costs nearly $6000 as an upgrade after the delivery.
Tesla deliveries & AP hardware chart by @lexfridman at MIT pic.twitter.com/6vZxKMcec2
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 8, 2018
Users can install the full self-driving pack for $5000 as an upgrade after the delivery. Musk mentioned in his tweet that the new software is not needed for the owners who want the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ package. Musk told the investors that the head of Autopilot Pete Bannon and his team were on the path to “create this, the world’s most advanced computer designed specifically for autonomous operation.” Currently, Bannon is leading the development of hardware 3.0.
Glad you’re enjoying Model 3 & thanks for buying a Tesla! Major enhancements to Autopilot & fun games coming in a month with V9.0. https://t.co/HE7yfs5tLH
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2018
Bannon confirmed Musk’s claims during the call, saying, “The chips are up and working, and we have drop-in replacements for S, X and 3, all have been driven in the field.” This means that Tesla might finally deliver its promise of fully autonomous driving capability. Few hours after Musk’s hardware 3.0 news was revealed, Tesla started a free 14 day trial for the ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ option. The trial provides Tesla drivers two weeks of access to the features included in the pack. This includes Autosteer, Traffic Aware Cruise Control, Auto Lane Change, Summon and Autopark, at no cost at all. Once the trial is completed the customer can purchase the upgrade through the car’s touchscreen on their Tesla accounts.
