Tesla's lane changer: a glimpse into the autonomous future

Electric carmaker Tesla has stolen a march on its competitors with an "autopilot" system that lets cars change lanes by themselves.

It will take the form of a software upgrade, and will be delivered to 60,000 Model S and Model X cars. The Model X, an electric SUV, was launched in California a few weeks ago.

"When you need to change lanes, you flip your turn signal and the car will move over on its own when it determines it's safe to do so," writes Fast Company, which has road-tested the new system. "We're not quite ready to simply enter an address and let the car handle everything, but it's a glimpse into our autonomous future."

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Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has warned users to exercise caution with the new software. "It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully," he told reporters. "It should handle them well."

Playing catch-up: Tesla's rivals

The update, available in the US from today and in Europe and Asia from next week, puts Tesla a step ahead of Google, whose two-seater driverless car with a top speed of 25mph appears somewhat rudimentary in comparison.

But the BBC's Dave Lee says the two companies have competing visions of the self-driving car. "Unlike Google, which aims for a fully-autonomous vehicle, Tesla's approach is to gradually introduce features which take away the need for drivers to carry out certain functions," he says.

Apple, meanwhile, has also hired a string of automated driving experts. Megan McClain, a former Volkswagen engineer with expertise in automated driving, and Vinay Palakkode, a graduate researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, have both joined Apple in the past few months, as has a senior engineer from Tesla. However, the Wall Street Journal says Apple does not intend to make its first electric vehicle fully autonomous.

A future without drivers

Observers believe that the recent VW emissions crisis is likely to accelerate the emergence of electric cars – and stimulate the innovation that will lead to increased automation. Self-driving vehicles will raise significant legal and psychological questions, but they will also bring great social benefits, says David Bailey in The Guardian.

"People who are ill and immobile could enjoy enhanced mobility and freedom" he says. "Young people could access personal mobility without the need for a licence. Accidents and insurance costs could be cut dramatically, and the need for heavy crash safety features on cars could be reduced, thus saving more fuel - whether hybrid, electric or hydrogen."