Most Autopilot features could come to Teslas with updated hardware next week

Newer Tesla Model S and Model X owners get a big benefit vs. their predecessors – all the sensors and computing power onboard needed to achieve full self-driving when the software’s ready. But they also had to deal with a temporary inconvenience, since they shipped without the majority of Tesla’s current Autopilot features, which provides advanced semi-autonomous driving for use on highways, including automated steering for lane-keeping, and adaptive speed for maintaining distance with other cars. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says that owners of so-called “Hardware 2” Tesla vehicles won’t have to wait long to get their  functioning Autopilot update, however.

The update has required additional time because it’s actually different from the original Autopilot system, and takes advantage of new on-board computer vision capabilities made possible by the changes to the sensor and computer hardware.

Musk notes that “most of” the original Autopilot functionality will be pushed via this update, but he doesn’t specify exactly what. The major features still not present in HW2 vehicles include emergency braking, blind spot detection, smart cruise control, auto steer and auto lane change, but other features also still need to be added to reach parity.

Again, owners of the newer Tesla hardware stand to benefit in the long run – only their cars will eventually be able to drive fully autonomously, after all, and in the meantime Autopilot improvements that aren’t possible using the old sensor loadout and computing stack will probably make it to their vehicles, too. But those in possession of the new cars are probably happy that Tesla appears to be on track to deliver an end-of-2016 treat with the addition of some of these highlight features.

Tesla update caps Autopilot at posted speed limit on undivided roads

Tesla is pushing out an update that will cap the max speed of Autopilot at the posted speed limit while using Autosteer, which controls the wheel while maintaining the car’s lane when engaged, TechCrunch has confirmed. The cap applies on undivided roads, and replaces previous functionality that allowed them to exceed the posted limit by up to 5 mph on these kinds of roadways.

Autopilot still doesn’t have this kind of speed limit restriction on divided highways, where the 90 mph global cap still applies, as Electrek first reported.

Restrictions like this are likely a wise safety measure, since the posted limits are there for a reason, even if in practice human drivers rarely actually match it exactly. Tesla has also previously added more features to alert drivers of when they need to resume manual control of the vehicle and put their hands on the steering wheel.

Tesla is also working on an updated Autopilot system called Enhanced Autopilot that will take advantage of the autonomous driving sensors and onboard computing power that all new Tesla vehicles have been shipping with since October, though it’ll also be limited to vehicles shipped since then, too. Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted this week that progress on that system was coming along nicely, though it doesn’t appear as though it’ll be made available before the end of this year.

Tesla introduces fee for lazy owners who leave their cars at Supercharger stations

There’s nothing like driving your nearly-empty Tesla up to a Supercharger station for a top-up and finding every spot taken by other cars — probably all charged up and ready to go. Where are their drivers? How dare they? Tesla shares your anger and will soothe it by giving  those drivers a different kind of charge.

You know, the money kind.

The company announced today that until it can make the cars move themselves once charged — probably not that far off, actually — drivers will need to undertake that task, and do it within 5 minutes of the car hitting 100 percent. Once that 5 minutes passes, a $0.40 per minute fee will begin to assess — retroactively inclusive of the first 5, so you’re looking at $2 right off the bat.

“One would never leave a car parked at a gas station right at the pump and the same rule applies with Superchargers,” read Tesla’s announcement.

How will one know that it’s done and you need to scoot? Why, one will get an alert on one’s phone, of course, via the Tesla app. One already does, in fact. So one never had any excuse.

“To be clear, this change is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it,” the announcement also reads. What an odd thing to say! Get that money, Tesla. I predict a couple thousand bucks in the first month. If you don’t want it, give it to someone who does.