Tesla CEO Elon Musk has updated the timeline for the release of the automaker’s highly-anticipated Autopilot core rewrite — delaying it by about several weeks to a month.
As we previously reported, Tesla is going through “a significant foundational rewrite in the Tesla Autopilot.”
CEO Elon Musk says that the “neural net is absorbing more and more of the problem” as part of the rewrite.
It will also include a more in-depth labeling system and should enable Tesla to deploy more features under its ‘Full Self-Driving’ package faster.
Last month, Musk said that it will result in a “quantum leap” and claimed that a “limited public release will come in 6 to 10 weeks:
“The FSD improvement will come as a quantum leap, because it’s a fundamental architectural rewrite, not an incremental tweak. I drive the bleeding edge alpha build in my car personally. Almost at zero interventions between home & work. Limited public release in 6 to 10 weeks.”
A month later, Musk now says that the first public beta is still another 6 to 10 weeks away if all goes well.
The CEO commented on Twitter:
“Releasing private beta in 2 to 4 weeks, public beta (early access owners who opt in) 4 to 6 weeks after that, then all US Tesla owners mid December. Above schedule is contingent upon not encountering major unexpected setbacks.”
Musk says that the update would make its way to the first public release, in the early access program, 4 to 6 weeks after a private beta that is coming in 2 to 4 weeks.
It would push the wider public release in the US to December.
Last year, Musk announced Tesla’s plan to deploy 1 million “Robotaxi” vehicles for a self-driving ride-sharing network by the end of 2020.
This new update is critical to Tesla achieving that goal, which Musk recently insisted is still achievable.
Electrek’s Take
At this point, we need a major asterisk next to the “1 million Robotaxi vehicles” claim.
Since the update would only reach Tesla’s US fleet, it will not be 1 million vehicles with the Full Self-Driving package.
Furthermore, the update won’t make them robotaxis.
At best, it would result in what Elon has been referring to as “full self-driving feature complete”, but that’s not quite an autonomous taxi.
I think that needs to be clear for Tesla owners’ expectations with the end of the year coming.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
