Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced Sunday that the company will improve its Autopilot system so its electric cars rely more on radar images than on cameras, USA Today reported.
Musk told the newspaper that the upgrade could prevent fatalities such as the one that occurred in May, when an Ohio man was using the Autopilot system in a Model S and a truck crossed his path in Florida.
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Musk told the newspaper that the new Autopilot system in Teslas could make the vehicles three times safer than vehicles without the system.
Rain, snow and dust will not hinder the system from sending its beam and bouncing it under the vehicle ahead of it, which is meant to prevent chain-reaction, rear-end collisions, Musk told USA Today. He said the new system should also stop the vehicle from striking large animals, such as moose, but not necessarily smaller ones, such as deer.
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But Musk told the newspaper that just because the new system is better than the old one, an Autopilot system can never promise "perfect safety." He said drivers still need to pay attention to the road. If drivers ignore alarms or don't keep their hands on the steering wheel, the car will not operate in Autopilot until it is restarted.
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