Tesla Autopilot updates to cut accidents by half, says Musk

Tesla has announced a new over-the-air update to its Model S and Model X Autopilot software that will reduce crashes involving the vehicles by as much as half, according to boss Elon Musk. 

Part of the version 8.0 update, the new software brings a range of improvements to Autopilot that allow the cars' radar systems to register far more objects than before. "The new software enables the car to initiate braking no matter what the object is – especially if its large, metallic and dense... It could be a truck crossing the road, a road sign, it could even be a spaceship or a pile of junk metal," said Musk.

Since no additional hardware is required for the improvements, all Model S and Model X cars from the past two years (those fitted with radar) will benefit from the downloadable update. Musk confirmed to Autocar UK that the over-the-air update would roll out in the next fortnight to models worldwide, including the UK.

Once downloaded, the cars will not only recognise more objects in the road but will also be able to use something Musk calls 'radar echo'. This technology bounces radar off the road, underneath the car in front and back off objects ahead of that. Musk said: "Now if the car in front of you suddenly swerves, we've already seen the obstacle in front."

When questioned by Autocar UK about the reliability of radar echo, for example, if a radar pulse tried to bounce under a very low car directly in front, Musk said: “It would have to be very very low. Even if a car had six inches clearance, it should be able to work.” He added that the radar would also try and “bounce around the car and through the glasshouse of the car”.

The system also improves on Autopilot's geocoding functions, flagging up false positives into GPS map data so future Teslas passing that point will be aware of whatever object it is that causes the auto-braking alarm. The system also gets better lane detection by downloading geo-coded lane widths. It's all part of what Musk calls Tesla's 'fleet-learning'. 

Interestingly, Musk also revealed: "Autopilot accidents are far more common with expert users; they get very comfortable with the system." To help improve concentration among more laissez-faire Autopilot users, the new software update will force users to park up and restart the car if they choose to ignore three alarms telling them to put their hands back on the steering wheel.

Musk revealed he believes that the Model S and Model X are already the safest cars on the road by quite some margin, but claims that this update should improve safety further by as much as 50 percent. 

"It's about improving the probability of safety; we have about 160,000 cars covering billions of miles so even if it's one-in-a-billion there won't be zero injuries or zero fatalities," said Musk. But he did comment on the recent death of a driver using Autopilot, saying that he believes "it is probable" this update would have saved his life. 

The announcement is the latest in a line of continual improvements from Musk. He recently confirmed the arrival of a 100kWh battery pack to its Model S and Model X cars, which will make the Model S P100d the quickest car in the world. In July, Musk also revealed his ‘Masterplan, part two’ which unveiled plans for a compact SUV and pick-up truck.

Also read: One in four drivers would sleep in self-driving car