Connect with us

News

Tesla aims for worldwide rollout of ‘Enhanced Autopilot’, first-gen AP will also improve

Published

on

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed on Twitter that the next batch of ‘Enhanced Autopilot’ over-the-air software updates will be pushed out on Monday to the first 1,000 Model S and Model X vehicles equipped with Autopilot 2.0 hardware. This will be followed by a planned end of week worldwide rollout to Tesla’s remaining fleet of vehicles operating in Shadow Mode.

The news comes a week after select Model S and Model X owners first began reporting the effects of Enhanced Autopilot taking place on their “hardware 2” equipped vehicles. Tesla pushed the much anticipated software update to a select group of 1,000 vehicles as part of the company’s initiative to take incremental steps towards bringing newer generation vehicles with Autopilot 2.0 to near feature parity with Tesla’s first generation Autopilot.

All vehicles currently operating in what Tesla refers to as Shadow Mode, wherein the vehicle pits the decision of the driver against the company’s Autopilot algorithms, is expected to receive Forward Collision Warning, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) and Low-Speed Autosteer (Beta) features by the end of this week.

Tesla will also be increasing the speed limitation set on its Autosteer feature – currently capped at 35 mph – after the company initiates the global rollout of Enhanced Autopilot, and has collected enough driving data through its fleet of vehicles. Data captured through Model S and Model X drivers form the basis for the company’s Autopilot algorithms.

WATCH: Tesla owners with Autopilot 2.0 are seeing improvements by the day (VIDEO) 

Tesla owners with first generation Autopilot hardware are also expected to see improvements through the much anticipated worldwide software rollout. Musk didn’t indicate what these improvements will consist of but discussions taking place within the forum community suggest that lane detection and Autosteer will be improved.

Stay tuned as we bring you more videos of Autopilot 2.0 features in action. A new ‘Ludicrous+’ feature, also known as the ‘P100D Easter Egg’, is also expected to be pushed out through the upcoming over-the-air software update.

Do you have a tip or video you’d like to share with us? Send us a TIP at tips@teslarati.com. Or send us an anonymous tip through our iOS and Android app.

Gene has been obsessed with cars since before he could legally sit in the front seat. Writer, researcher, unofficial CS support, accountant, native suit guy when needed, and overall stick poker. He approaches every story the way he approaches a road trip: with too much enthusiasm, not enough planning, and a surprisingly good outcome. gene@teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch

Published

on

Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.

SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.

The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.

Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean

Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.

This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.

Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims

Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.

A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.

It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.

Advertisement
-
-
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars

Published

on

Rendering of a colonized Mars by way of SpaceX
Rendering of a colonized Mars by way of SpaceX

Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.

The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.

Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”

The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”

Advertisement
-
-

Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.

Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.

SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk

In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.

The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.

Continue Reading

Investor's Corner

SpaceX gets an absolutely crazy price target after rough IPO

Published

on

Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.

SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before

The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.

Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.

SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.

It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.

Advertisement
-
-

The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.

Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.

Continue Reading