Tesla to Add Safeguards to Just-Launched Autopilot System

CEO Elon Musk says Tesla Motors Inc. will update its new Autopilot autonomous-driving feature to address problems encountered during the first few weeks of public availability.

Musk tells attendees at Tesla’s quarterly update meeting that additional constraints will be added to help prevent drivers from doing “crazy things." He didn't specify what the changes will be or when they'll be implemented.

Tesla downloaded Autopilot, which enables automated steering, braking, throttle control and lane changes during highway driving, into 40,000 of its Model S electric cars in mid-October. Since then a number of homemade videos have been posted on the Internet showing the system working improperly—even on open straightaways—and motorists using it when they shouldn’t.

Noting that Autopilot still is in its beta phase, Musk says the errors aren’t surprising. But he stresses that there are no reports of the system causing any accidents and suggests there is some evidence that Autopilot has helped prevent some crashes.

Musk points out that Autopilot has a self-learning function that will improve its performance over time as road information is updated over a common network and shared among Autopilot users. As a result, Musk expects the system to become “quite refined” within a few months.

When Autopilot was launched, Musk cautioned drivers to be “quite careful” and emphasized that users are ultimately responsible for their own safety. Tesla encourages drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel while the car is operated autonomously, although the system doesn’t require them to do so.