Tesla has rolled out a software update for its cars that removes a speed limit on Autopilot mode. Since a previous update, which was unveiled shortly before Christmas, drivers had been forced to travel at the posted speed limit when in Autopilot mode on non-divided roads. Prior to that update, Autopilot let you cruise at 5mph over the posted speed limit, more in line with how people actually drive on the highway.
The initial update that forced Autopilot to be legal was rolled out because Musk claimed that people were driving “too fast in general” on winding roads. When it was first released, Autopilot was only supposed to be used on divided highways, but people started deploying it on undivided roads quickly, and a spate of near-miss dashcam videos soon followed on YouTube.
But after Tesla limited Autopilot to the speed limit on non-divided roads, users quickly took to Twitter to shout at poor Elon:
As much as I love my Model S, I'm not enjoying the new #nannymode update to autopilot. I can't go 1 mph over the speed limit? @teslamotors
— Michael Markham (@michael_markham) January 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/chimichomko/status/814957759229788161
@elonmusk Merry Christmas now my car only goes the speed limit on autopilot? Talk about a lump of coal!! Please revert!
— Being Frank (@Benfrank48390) December 24, 2016
Just had an update on my Telsa. On two lane roads, cannot exceed the speed limit when using autopilot. Befire could go 5 miles over. .😠
— John W Powell (@johnp_powell) December 24, 2016
Similar comments sprung up on Twitter forums and Facebook owner groups.
Luckily for owners, it looks like Tesla has reverted the change with a new software update. In the new version, Tesla once again allows Autopilot to go 5mph over the posted speed limit, but also monitors traffic conditions more closely. If the car doesn’t like heavy traffic conditions, for example, it may ask the driver to take over or limit its own speed.
