If you’ve been eagerly waiting for autopilot mode to arrive on the Tesla S, you have only a few more days to go. On Saturday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce that version 7 of the company’s software package for the Tesla S will be released to the general public on Thursday, October 15th.
Tesla Software Version 7 won’t turn your car into a fully autonomous vehicle, but it does bring with it several autopilot features. According to Electrek, the new software package will allow the Tesla S to park itself in parallel parking spots and change lanes automatically after to flick on your turn signal, among other things.
The story behind the story: Buzz around Tesla’s autopilot features began back in March after Musk went on on record to state that Tesla’s current cars have the sensors necessary to drive themselves in certain circumstances, but that the tech isn’t quite ready for more complex driving conditions, such as driving around a city.
Full automotive autonomy is on its way
Today’s self-driving technology may be limited, but not for long. Musk states last month that the Tesla S’s autopilot features are geared toward “highways and for relatively simple roads.” But the Tesla CEO also said that we’re only one to three years from fully autonomous vehicles, though it may take an additional few years for regulations to catch up with the technology.
Given Musk’s comments on the matter, the rumored Apple car, Google’s ongoing self-driving car project, and work from more traditional automakers, we all might be buzzing around town in fully autonomous cars sooner than we expect. Get ready.