Tesla to add dashcam feature to Autopilot version 9
Tesla is making some of the most popular EVs on the market, and one of the hallmarks of those cars is the ability for Tesla to add new features over the air. A new feature has been confirmed as coming to the next version of Autopilot by CEO Elon Musk via Twitter. According to Musk, a long requested and the anticipated feature will land in version 9 next month.
This feature is a dash camera that will record what is going on around the vehicle and play it back should the video be required. All current gen Tesla vehicles have eight different cameras to support Autopilot. Tesla has been using the feed from those cameras for its own needs in accident investigation for a while.
For instance, the camera video was used in the investigation when a Model X crashed into a building, and the embarrassed owner claimed the car accelerated without his intervention. That dashcam capability was possible in the first gen Autopilot hardware with a single camera. Musk previously promised the feature was coming soon for owners to use.
More than a year after that initial promise, the dashcam feature hasn't landed yet. Musk's tweet says that the dashcam feature is in final testing right now. The version 9 software was expected by now but has faced delays.
Good news on this front. Tesla engineering rallied & this will be part of V9. Going through final testing now.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2018
Exactly what those delays are hasn't been announced. To start, the dashcam will be a beta feature to be expanded on in the future. Autopilot version 9 will also add new Autopilot capabilities and a new user interface among other things.
SOURCE: Electrek