Tesla’s Autopilot system has cleared regulatory hurdles in several countries and is all set to go international. The company sells its cars in 19 countries and in all of them, except Japan, it has passed the legal requirements, says CEO Elon Musk.
Update to Autopilot soon
Tesla introduced autopilot in the U.S. two weeks ago as a part of Version 7.0 of the software powering the Model S sedan and the Model X crossover. Tesla’s Autopilot is the most advanced driver-assist systems available to date, and soon there will be an update to it, Musk informed fans. The update will be improvements to the existing features rather than new features.
“Autopilot 1.01 coming soon: curve speed adaption, controller smoothness, better lane holding on poor roads, improved fleet learning!,” Musk tweeted.
Several drivers are putting Autopilot to the test despite it being in beta mode. A team of three traveled 2,995 miles between California and New York in a Tesla Model S. They took 57 hours and 48 minutes to travel the distance and kept their hands off the wheel for most of the time.
Many drivers have also posted videos online showing the shortcomings of the system. In one of the videos, a car running in autopilot mode is seen making an unexpected dive to the side of the road. Tesla has repeatedly issued warnings that the feature is still in beta and the drivers should remain in control all the time.
Tesla to produce cars in China?
Apart from the technology, Tesla may also move some of its manufacturing overseas. On Friday, Reuters reported that Tesla is discussing plans to make a shift towards local manufacturing in China. The cost of importing vehicles into China from its factory in California is very high, because of which Tesla sales have remained weak in China.
Reuters informed readers that by manufacturing EVs in China, Tesla will be able to bring down its cost by one-third. Musk also hinted at this during his recent trip China. Talking of an affordable Tesla, Musk hinted that the company would like to manufacture Model 3 vehicles in Chinese factories. He said the relationship the two countries share with each other was getting stronger.
On Monday, Tesla shares closed up 2.95% at $215.26. Year to date, the stock is down by over 3% while in the last three months, it is down by almost 19%.
