Tesla Autopilot 8.0 Put To Test: Still Needs To Be Improved; Complete Features Revealed [VIDEO]

Although the new Tesla Autopilot 8.0 has undergone several major safety changes, the semi-autonomous driving system still needs to have certain improvements. Elon Musk believes the new Autopilot 8.0 is the beginning of a new era of fully-autonomous driving. Consumer Reports' view, however, doesn't quite agree with Musk's view.

The Organization has asked Tesla to disable the new Autopilot's automated-steering feature, following a test drive of Tesla Model S car in Autopilot mode after it had received the Tesla 8.0 Update.

What Does Consumer Reports Say?

Before the fatal accident that happened in May, Consumer Reports had asked Tesla to do a number of changes in its Autopilot. These were:

• To disable the Autosteer feature of Autopilot unless the drivers keep their hands on the wheel.
• To Stop calling the system 'Autopilot' as the term is misleading.
• To issue clear guidelines on how to use the system.
• Before public deployment, test all the safety-critical systems without any beta releases.

According to the organization's official website, Tesla's recent changes in the Autopilot 8.0 may have addressed some of their concerns but some improvements still need to be made.

Model S Driver and a YouTuber KmanAuto also did a review of the new system and revealed that Tesla Autopilot 8.0 might not be that better than the previous Autopilot 7.0. According to Teslarati, This has been said with respect to the Autopilot's ability to keep the Car in its lane when it's not tracking any other vehicle.

New Features:

During the test drive, the Autopilot was reported to check up on the driver more frequently than it used to. The timing, however, depends on the nature of the road. The new Autopilot 8.0 has also made the visual notification more noticeable. The car now first displays the message 'hold steering wheel' on its instrument panel and then flashes the edges of the panel.

If the driver still fails to put his hands back on the wheel, the car makes a beep warning loudly for three times and then shuts down the Autopilot. To restart the Autopilot, the driver has to pull over and restart the Car.

The Autopilot 8.0 now features a decisive capability about the roads as well. If the road is very twisty or if the road markings disappear, the Autopilot will not activate.

Moers #Tesla #SuC @148795km. 2.5 year old #ModelS feels all new with 8.0 Software. Thank you @TeslaMotors and @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/QtyvA49iTx

— Tesla SuC Trips (@segway_i2) October 8, 2016

What the Update Still Lacks:

Although Tesla has done some improvements in its Autopilot 8.0, there are still some issues which need to be taken care of. The system -still called Autopilot- allows the driver to drive hands-free for a minute and even for longer durations on highways. The Update is also still in its Beta Version.

Consumer Reports' Fisher said earlier that while Tesla and other auto manufacturers have been improving their semi-autonomous systems, they should ensure that the whole system is designed, launched and marketed safely.