Tesla to Equip All Future Models for Full Autonomous Driving

Tesla Motors Inc. says it will now outfit all its electric vehicles, including next year’s $35,000 Model 3, with the hardware needed for fully automatic driving.

The company’s current—and controversial—Autopilot feature can drive a car robotically under many but not all conditions. CEO Elon Musk says the new system will disable some Autopilot functions.

The $8,000 “Hardware Two” package will include eight cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors to enable the ultimate level of autonomy: the ability to pilot the car under virtually any situation. Musk says the system will be able to drive an owner from home in Los Angeles to Times Square in New York City, then park itself automatically.

But Musk says vehicles with the new hardware won’t immediately be able to achieve fully autonomous capabilities. That, he says, will come over time as Tesla accumulates million of miles of real-world testing and issues a series of software upgrades based on its findings.

Much of the testing will involve monitoring its cars and driver behavior in a “shadow mode,” in which the sensors observe and report the car’s surroundings, while the driver remains in full control. Musk says Tesla will begin issuing software updates every few months, beginning at the end of this year.