Right Now Tesla Drivers Are Downloading "Autopilot"--The Advent Of The Autonomous Car Is Here.

Tesla is way too cool--seriously. Is it a flagship for human autonomy? No. Is its innovations going to phase out human driving completely within the next 5-10 years? Most likely. Will our children and grandchildren know what it's like to white knuckle it through the Muskokas at midnight as a result of this technology? No. 

Nevertheless, Tesla is spectacular. Right now, all Tesla Model S drivers are downloading a new upgrade to their vehicles called, aptly enough (pun intended), "Autopilot." 

Now, before I go into the details of "Autopilot," let's just pause for a moment and get our heads around what's happening here: Tesla drivers are downloading this upgrade into their vehicles main computer system. They're not taking the car to a mechanic; they're not having to drop into a Tesla dealer nearest them--they are downloading this upgrade like you would a new OS X on your Apple. Talk about revolutionary! This, to me, is what makes Tesla way too cool. 

What are the features of this downloadable upgrade?

1. Tesla S can steer, change lanes, and drive at highway speeds with little to no help from a human

2. Parallel park itself

3. Slow to a stop if driver happens to fall asleep

4. The next upgrade may even be able to wake itself from its parking space and pick up its driver

According to Musk, the technology is only going to get better, with one objective being that the car can pull in and put itself to sleep in the garage. 

Moreover, this upgrade, according to Tesla, is set to reduce 33,000 U.S. highway vehicle deaths per year. The driver still must keep his/her hands on the wheel ever several seconds under highway laws; and the technology is really for highway use, kicking into functionality once the vehicle hits 18 mph and above. 

Such innovation is incredible when you really think about it--not only the functionality of the vehicle itself, and that we're in the advent of the driverless car, but also how the user simply downloads the upgrade to the vehicles computer. Let your imagination run wild on this one and there is no limit to the kinds of apps a vehicle will one day be downloading to its computer system.