USA TODAY
Published 5:02 AM EDT Apr 26, 2019Imagine if your car could get new features or even become faster or get to farther on a fill-up just while sitting parked outside.
To the delight of Tesla owners everywhere, the electric car company continually offers over-the-air software updates to the cars they already have, making it feel as if they are walking out to a brand new vehicle, instead of having to wait a year or so for a new, improved model.
And now, CEO Elon Musk is talking about creating a fleet of Uber-like "robotaxis" with just such an upgrade.
In March, with the introduction of the base $35,000 Model 3, a Tesla update made all existing Model 3s faster, practically overnight.
This month, the Palo Alto-based company began rolling out its latest version of Navigate on Autopilot, which steers and navigates the car and negotiates traffic along a given path. This update gives drivers the option to allow their car to make lane changes on its own, without their having to confirm the suggestion. Prior to the update, drivers had to tap gear shift stalk to accept the lane-change suggestion before the car would shift lanes.
Once the feature is toggled, whenever on the highway with a location plugged into the navigation bar, drivers can receive both visual and audio prompts that the car is about to switch lanes by itself.
Drivers of cars built after August 2017 have the option of being notified through steering wheel vibrations.If you don't want to switch lanes, you can cancel the move by pressing the notification pop-up on the touchscreen or using the turn signal. No, this isn't a chance for you to take a nap while your car takes you to your destination. The autopiloting features work only if your hands are on the wheel.
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