Tesla Curbs Autopilot Feature, but Musk Says Better Than Human Driver
By REUTERS

DETROIT — Tesla Motors said on Sunday it was updating the Autopilot driving systems in Model S sedans to put new limits on its hands-free operation, which has been both praised for its innovation while criticized for having been launched too early.

The function will now be restricted on residential roads or roads without a center divider, meaning the car cannot drive faster than the speed limit maximum plus five miles (8 km) per hour.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said the car will now reduce its speed in anticipation of curves on the highway, but added he was not aware of any accidents caused by the earlier version of the software.

Tesla announced the Autopilot upgrade the day before the start of Detroit’s North American International Auto Show, where traditional carmakers – which in general have lagged Tesla in unveiling semi-autonomous technology – launch new models.

When Autopilot launched in October, Musk cautioned the hotly anticipated function was in beta mode, or a test phase of development, with full ‘hands-off’ driving not recommended.

Still, a host of subsequent videos posted by Tesla drivers on YouTube showed near-misses on the road with Autopilot, prompting Musk to say he might curb the function to minimize the possibility of people doing “crazy things.”

The U.S. pioneer in luxury electric cars charged by batteries was one of the first companies to offer steering that could be operated hands-free, one of the first steps to full self-driving that industry experts say may be available by 2020.

In an interview with reporters, Musk said Tesla’s system was “probably better than human at this point in highway driving,” able to keep to its lane using cameras, radar and mapping.

The company’s expertise in software has allowed it to add the hands-free functionality – and to correct any glitches – through a software update, but critics have suggested the company should have delayed Autopilot until it was perfect.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, the head of GM’s global product development, Mark Reuss, said his company would “never” use over-the-air upgrades in safety-critical systems like steering and braking.

Tesla said improvements were made to help the car better stay in lanes even with faded markings, and when passing highway exits. In cruise control mode, the car will now anticipate exits by slowing down if the turn signal is activated.

Using a feature called “summon,” Model S drivers can park their cars from outside the vehicle in tight spots and the cars can also park themselves in perpendicular spots to the curb.

In a bold pronouncement characteristic of Musk, who also has interests in space travel, he said advances in the “summon” technology would allow Tesla owners to summon their cars from New York to Los Angeles within two years.

特斯拉自駕車…聽你召喚

美國電動車大廠特斯拉（Tesla）上周釋出車載作業系統最新版本7.1，自動駕駛系統Autopilot大升級，其中最吸睛的就是增加「召喚」新功能，電動車可自動停車，執行長穆斯克更大發豪語，兩年後電動車可從紐約一路自動開到洛杉磯。

穆斯克在10日表示，車主可透過遙控鑰匙或手機下拉選單召喚車子，電動車將自動開出車庫，並開到車主面前。

目前召喚功能仍處於測試階段，但穆斯克預期這套系統未來幾年可望發展完善。穆斯克指出，兩年後，車主能在全美任何地點召喚愛車，若車主人在紐約，但車子停在洛杉磯，電動車將自動開往紐約，甚至沿途還可自動充電。

目前特斯拉的測試版召喚功能限制車主距離車子不能超過33英尺（約10公尺），必須時時控制愛車，更要求車主只能在平坦的私人土地上開啟召喚功能。更新後的7.1版本也可讓電動車自動路邊停車與倒車入庫。

拉斯維加斯消費電子展剛閉幕，自駕車與車載軟體是汽車業兩大熱門話題，穆斯克認為，自駕技術可望在未來24至36個月發展成熟。

穆斯克說，出於安全考量，車主將作業系統更新至最新版本後，若車子開到住宅區或沒有中央分隔島的馬路，自動駕駛系統將限制時速最高只能比限速高5英里（約8公里）。若自動駕駛系統預測前方道路彎曲，也會自動調整車速。

特斯拉去年10月推出Autopilot系統，穆斯克就提醒車主這套系統仍處於測試階段，不建議車主「放手」駕駛。然而，之後一些車主在YouTube發布Autopilot系統上路的驚險影片，促使特斯拉決定對自動駕駛系統設限，降低車主做出瘋狂事情的可能性。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2016/01/10/technology/10reuters-tesla-autopilot.html

2016-01-12．經濟日報．A8．國際．編譯鍾詠翔