Tesla
A visualization of Autopilot in action.
- Tesla's cars have driven one billion miles with the Autopilot semi-self-driving feature engaged, the company said.
- That's 10% of all Tesla miles driven since 2012.
- Autopilot was launched in 2015.
Tesla has passed an impressive milestone. The carmaker's vehicles have racked up one billion miles driven on Autopilot, the company's semi-self-driving system, Tesla said.
That number represents 10% of all miles driven by Teslas since 2012, when the Model S sedan first appeared in the market. The company noted in a statement that Autopilot has been available only since 2015, but Tesla sold relatively few cars prior to the technology's launch.
Read more: I tried Tesla's new Autopilot feature that helps navigate during highway driving to see if it's helpful - here's the verdict
In 2017, for example, Tesla hit the 100,000 mark for deliveries, and in 2018 in should exceed that total by a wide margin as its new Model 3 sedan has hit the market.
Autopilot hardware is built into all new Teslas, but activating the necessary software is a $5,000 option at the time of purchase, and $7,000 if selected later.
Tesla aims to make Autopilot a full self-driving system in coming years. The technology uses cameras, sensors, and computing power to replace the expensive laser-radar systems employed by General Motors' Cruise division and Alphabet's Waymo, both of which are seeking to launch ride-hailing services in 2018-19.
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