Elon Musk prepares pilot version of Tesla’s driver assist feature



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Elon Musk on Monday showcased a pilot version of an advanced driver assistance feature that Tesla Inc. is developing, a week after U.S. auto safety regulators launched an investigation into a more basic iteration of assistance in running the business.

The statement amounts to a public concession by the CEO of Tesla of a gap in a driver assistance feature designed to help vehicles navigate through urban areas. The feature, available on a relatively small number of vehicles as part of a pilot program, is part of what Tesla calls Full Self-Driving, or FSD, technology.

“FSD Beta 9.2 is actually not great,” Musk said via Twitter, adding that the company “is mobilizing to improve as quickly as possible.”

Tesla vehicles are equipped with driver assistance technology that the company calls Autopilot. The features exploit cameras and other sensors to help drivers with tasks such as maintaining a safe distance from other cars on the freeway. Tesla is also selling an enhanced feature suite, FSD, for $ 10,000. It is intended to provide greater functionality. The technology does not yet allow autonomous driving.

Tesla’s driver assistance technology has caught the attention of security officials and lawmakers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which regulates motor vehicle safety, said last week it was investigating Autopilot following 11 crashes since January 2018 involving Teslas at scenes to which emergency vehicles responded. Such probes can, but not always, result in callbacks.[[[[

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