Lifestyle
Who knew, Tesla Autopilot has a human collision avoidance system
Tesla released arguably one of the biggest over-the-air software updates in its company history when it introduced Version 8.0 with updated Autopilot in September. Not to be confused with the more recent announcement that new Model S and Model X vehicles are equipped with next generation “hardware 2” capable of Full Self-Driving, Autopilot under Version 8.0 leveraged two-year-old hardware to issue enhancements in drivability and safety through advancements in radar signal processing.
By placing more emphasis on input from the vehicle’s forward-facing radar, Tesla Autopilot was able to detect vehicle activity from two cars ahead and better react to sudden emergency braking events. A recent test using a Model X while trailing two vehicles – the furthest vehicle would simulate an emergency braking situation – demonstrated that Autopilot was able to automatically react to activity beyond what its human driver could see.
But how does v8.0 Autopilot fare against activity from a non-vehicle – let’s say, a human obstacle? Previous tests put together by Tesla owner and YouTuber KmanAuto attempted to see just that. Using a very trusting friend, Kman was able to demonstrate Autopilot’s lack of ability to account for pedestrians when it comes to emergency braking under version 7.0.
Back at it again, and with the same friend Mike Anthony, the duo staged seven separate tests to see how the latest Version 8.0 Autopilot, using radar-based technology supplemented by the front-facing camera, was able to handle situations involving a human obstacle.
Tesla Autopilot under Version 8.0 vs. Human (Mike)
Before we jump into the results of the various tests, we’d like to note that Teslarati in no way endorses or recommends this type of stunt, or any activity of similar nature.
We’ve provided the full video here with outcome of the results summarized below. Be sure to also check out the video from Mike’s perspective.
Test 1 – Tesla @ 20 mph vs. Human in middle of lane
Description: Vehicle was able to detect Mike and gradually come to a complete stop on its own with no driver input. Display did not show an object. No human collision warning appeared.
Video of Test 1 (open link in new window to jump to test)
Test 2 – Tesla @ 20 mph vs. Human walking in front of the car
Description: Vehicle was able to detect Mike walking into the car’s path of travel and bring itself to a complete stop. As Mike walked backwards and away from the vehicle, Autopilot Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) was able to keep its distance to Mike and proceed forward as Mike inched backwards.
Test 3 – Tesla @ 20 mph vs. Human walking from side of road in front of car and then off the road again
Description: Vehicle was able to detect Mike walking into the car’s path of travel and bring itself to a complete stop. As Mike walked off to the side of the road, TACC resumed.
Test 4 – Tesla @ 20 mph vs. Human walking in front of the car
Description: Same as Test 2.
Test 5 – Tesla @ 30 mph vs. Human jogging across all lanes in front of vehicle
Description: This is the first sighting of a human collision warning indicator. Vehicle detects Mike and attempts to hard brake. “In the interest of safety I helped [brake] it, the car gave me a collision alert and it also applied the brakes.”, says Kman.
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- Tesla Autopilot detects human entering from side of road and begins to Autosteer while applying brakes
Kman indicates that the vehicle likely would not have stopped in time to prevent hitting Mike but it would have severely lessened the force of impact and possibly lessened the severity of human injury.
Test 6 – Tesla @ 25 mph vs. Human walking in front of the car
Description: Vehicle was able to detect Mike walking into the car’s path of travel and bring itself to a sudden stop and avoid impact.
Test 7 – Tesla @ 35 mph vs. Human standing directly in front of moving car
Description: Vehicle was able to detect Mike standing before the car and bring itself to a quick stop though no visual warning was seen on the display. It would appear the human collision warning only appears with objects that are non-stationary and enter the vehicle’s path of travel.
Conclusion
The test demonstrates Tesla’s remarkable ability to continuously improve upon its Autopilot suite of features through changes to its set of algorithms driven largely by data collected through the company’s fleet learning program. The test is also significant in that Tesla was able to dramatically improve the safety on its vehicles – now capable of performing emergency braking events when a human is detected – purely over-the-air and with no hardware improvements whatsoever.
With Autopilot 2.0 consisting of seven more cameras and enhanced long range sonar sensors fed from billions of miles worth of driving data, it’s not a question of if Tesla can reach full Level 5 autonomy, but one of when.
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
Tesla’s dedicated Optimus factory construction officially underway at Giga Texas
