Tesla introduced Autopilot in 2015 as a software upgrade to cars already on the road. It includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control to stay a certain distance behind the car ahead, automatic steering based on lane markers, and the ability to change lanes and pass other cars in some cases. But Tesla warns owners that the feature is not a self-driving system and requires the driver to be alert and active at all times.
Like other automakers and transportation providers, Tesla says it will offer self-driving capability in the future. Shipping Teslas have the hardware for self-driving, in the form of built-in cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors and other components, according to the company.
But Autopilot is what Tesla has now, and an increasing number of other vehicles are coming equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) with similar capabilities.
Market research firm Grand View Research predicted in a report earlier this year that the global ADAS market, estimated at $14.5 billion per year in 2016, would grow by an average of 19% per year until 2025.
The trend began with high-end marques such as Mercedes and Cadillac, as well as Tesla, but ADAS is now coming in nearly every class of car. Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru and other automakers introduced cars with ADAS features last week at the New York International Auto Show.
They included Toyota’s 2019 Corolla Hatchback and its Rav4 SUV, the best-selling non-pickup vehicle in the US last year. The standard features on the new Toyotas will include adaptive cruise control, automatic lane-centering and lane departure assistance, pedestrian detection, emergency braking and street sign detection. Toyota cautioned that these features aren’t substitutes for attentive driving.
— Stephen Lawson is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @sdlawsonmedia.