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Tesla's 2Q 2020 financial results have delighted investors. The company reported a profit, confirming that all areas in which it operates are advancing. During the Earnings Call, along with other striking announcements, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared information on the development of Autopilot and Full Self Driving.
Tesla reported that the traffic light and stop sign recognition system is becoming more robust as the company continues to collect more data from customers driving through intersections. The company’s Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control allow Tesla vehicles to recognize and respond to traffic lights, stop signs, and intersections. As of Q2, FSD-equipped cars stop at an intersection or drive through it without driver confirmation when it is deemed safe to do so. Ultimately, the necessity for confirmation will be withdrawn completely.
Tesla 2020.24.6.1 Software Update Autopilot Proceed Green Light Without Confirmation https://t.co/G7qmEgk6il pic.twitter.com/5oIvvry40h
— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) June 24, 2020
During the Earnings Call, answering a question about Autopilot, Musk explained that what Tesla has done so far is pretty much operating in 2.5D. But 2.5D is not well-correlated in time. "You're thinking about the world in three dimensions and the fourth dimension being time," said Musk.
He said that it is really difficult to convey how much better a 4D system would work.
"It's capable of things that if you just look - looking at things as individual pictures as opposed to video - basically, like you could go from like individual pictures to surround video. So, it's fundamental...
So, that architectural change, which has been underway for some time but has not really been rolled out to anyone in the production fleet, is what really matters for full self-driving."
Operating in 4D is something completely different and it will change the game. “The car will seem to have a giant improvement. It will probably roll out later this year. It will be able to do traffic lights, stops, turns, everything, pretty much. And then it will be a long march of (updates). So it's definitely way better than human, but how much better than a human does need to be," said Musk.
By the end of 2020, Tesla plans to introduce Level 5 Autonomy. These changes—happening real-time—represent some of the final milestones on the road to full autonomy.
Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
