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Tesla starts testing software v7.1 with an updated UI, a new self-parking feature, ‘Driver Mode’ and Autopilot restrictions

mobileye_cameras_dataWe recently reported on Tesla starting to push new Autopilot restrictions to some Model S owners last Sunday – about a month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned of upcoming constraints to limit some potentially dangerous use of the Autopilot as seen in videos posted online.

The Model S owners reporting on forums having received the update with new Autopilot restrictions have quickly removed their posts. We now learn through sources with knowledge of matter that Tesla started testing the new version 7.1 of its software with a select group of Model S owners this week.

The new update includes UI improvements, a new self-parking feature, ‘Driver Mode’ and Autopilot restrictions.
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BMW CEO doesn’t think Tesla has a lead with the Autopilot, compares the system to an unreliable app

BMW i8 Tesla Model SIn a recent interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, BMW CEO Harald Krüger reiterated the company’s intention to phase out diesel models and introduce more electric vehicles in order to comply with increasingly strict emission regulations.

The CEO also commented on Tesla’s Autopilot, which he doesn’t see as the lead semi-autonomous option on the market at the moment. Of course, this comment shouldn’t come as a surprise since you rarely hear an executive admiting that a competitor’s technology is more advanced than his own company’s, but Krüger’s comments went beyond boasting BMW’s tech.
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Tesla temporarily disables the Autopilot in Hong Kong after concerns from regulators

Autopilot IcelandTesla is temporarily disabling the ‘Autosteer’ and ‘Auto Lane Change’ features of the Autopilot for Model S owners in Hong Kong after a formal request from regulators at the Transport Department . The features were recently introduced to the Model S with the version 7.0 software update. 
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Tesla’s Autopilot gains regulatory approval in Europe and Asia, Musk already announces ‘Autopilot 1.01’

press01_autopilot_dashAs expected, Tesla started releasing its Autopilot software update to European and Asian markets on Friday, except Japan which is still under review, after gaining regulatory approval. While announcing the worldwide rollout on Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk already announced ‘Autopilot 1.01’ to improve the system’s autonomous features.
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Tesla hid a The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Easter Egg in its Autopilot software release

42 easter eggTesla Motors is known for hiding easter eggs in its software and the recent Autopilot v7.0 update is no exception. A year ago, a Model S owner figured out that by entering “007” in the access code of his car, the rendering of the Model S on the screen changes into James Bond’s submarine Lotus which Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought at an auction in 2013. Earlier this year, it was a Space Balls reference with the Ludicrous update and now it is an allusion to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
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Video of Tesla’s Autopilot and software v7.0 in action

autopilot in action

In our series of exclusive articles about Tesla’s beta Autopilot and v7.0 software update, we described in details its capabilities and functions, but we couldn’t publish any pictures or videos of the systems in action in order to protect our sources.

But as the wide release of the update is getting closer, we found a video (via TMC) of a Model S owner apparently from China running v7.0 with Autopilot and testing the system with Autosteer and TACC on the highway.
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Tesla will release its software v7.0 with Autopilot on Thursday Oct. 15

screen-shot-2015-08-21-at-6-19-23-pmTesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Saturday night that his company will release its software v7.0 with Autopilot for the Model S on Thursday (October 15th). In mid-August Tesla sent out the first release of the beta update to about 600-700 early access testers all around the U.S. and parts of Europe. This particular update is an extremely anticipated one. It includes an important UI design overhaul, but also and more importantly several new ‘Autopilot’ features, which some Model S owners have been waiting for over a year now.
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Quick look at the Model X’s User Interface [Video]

ModelXUIOne thing a lot of us were wondering as Tesla delivered the first few Model X’s yesterday is what software version would the Model X be using considering Tesla is still beta testing the upcoming v7.0 with new Autopilot features.

It turns out the Model X is running a unique update of v7.0 without the new Autopilot features: Autosteer and lane changing.

DragTimes published a quick video of the UI at the Model X launch event. You can watch the video below the break:
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Tesla releases second version of its beta v7.0 software update with Autopilot [Updated]

screen-shot-2015-08-21-at-6-19-23-pmLast month we wrote a first look at Tesla’s much-anticipated v7.0 software update with new ‘Autopilot’ features expected to be released later this year. Today we learn that Tesla released the second version of its beta v7.0 update to early access testers.

For previous releases, Tesla was able to update the beta fairly quickly for a wide-release just weeks after the original release to testers, but v7.0 being highly sensitive safety-wise, the beta testing process is taking longer than usual.
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First Look at Tesla’s v7.0 software update with Autopilot: auto-steering, UI refresh and parking assist

Sources familiar with Tesla’s new firmware update explained that version 7.0, which is currently being tested and should be released later this year, will include auto-steering, lane change activated by the turn signal, auto-parking (in parallel spaces) and an updated UI (see picture above).

A few months ago, I wrote an in-depth article about Tesla’s Autopilot, its hardware and its limitations. I based the article on information Tesla released when first unveiling the Dual motor version of the Model S in October last year. The company has since been advertising the Model S with the autopilot features, but owners have only been enjoying a fraction of what was promised during the unveiling.

Now, based on what we are learning about the upcoming software update, Tesla appears to be set to deliver on these promises, or at least most of them…


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