As Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced over Twitter last week, the long-awaited 8.1 update for Tesla Autopilot 2.0 is now out. For now, the update is available only for Tesla vehicles in North America, but it's expected to roll out worldwide in the next couple of days.
The 8.1 software update comes as part of Tesla's goal to develop fully autonomous, (SAE Level 5) vehicles. In general, the update will enable and improve driver-assistance features in Autopilot 2.0 vehicles.
Autosteer, which Tesla says uses "Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to maintain the car’s speed in relation to surrounding traffic," is getting a boost in speed. Previously limited to 88 km/h (55 mph), it can now work at speeds up to 128 km/h (80 mph).
Other updates in 8.1 are features previously available only to Autopilot 1.0 vehicles, such as Auto Lane Change, Autopark, and Summon. The first works with Autosteer and prompts Tesla vehicles to change lanes following a simple engagement of the turn signal. The latter two features maneuver the vehicle into a parking spot and let a driver retrieve their Tesla within a radius of 39 feet using just a mobile app or the vehicle's key, respectively.
Update 8.1 also has a host of other minor enhancements for both 1.0 and 2.0 cars. In total, it's a package that puts Tesla's self-driving cars another step ahead of everybody else.
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