Tesla's latest Autopilot update warns drivers about red lights

Red light!

The Tesla electric car community is talking about an Autopilot over-the-air update version 2019.8.3 that showed up on Saturday. Now the semi-autonomous system can warn drivers about traffic lights.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk unveils Tesla's Model Y

The Autosteer feature, which uses cameras and sensors to keep the car in its lane and navigate tight turns, can now alert drivers about an upcoming red light. If the car is about to run the light, the new system will alert the driver.

Called "Autosteer Stop Light Warning," the update gives drivers using Autopilot a visual and audio warning that they need to take over.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Tweet may have been deleted

Tweet may have been deleted

It's a simple update within the complicated Autopilot ecosystem, which includes the highway-only Navigate on Autopilot feature that suggests passing slower cars and switching lanes. It's as autonomous as the cars can get with the driver still required to pay attention and be ready at the wheel.

The new stop light update on Tesla cars also includes the warning that, "This is not a substitute for an attentive driver and will not stop the car." You still need to snap to attention and stop the car yourself if a red light appears.

As electric car news outlet Electrek pointed out, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted at the traffic light warning months ago.

Tweet may have been deleted

Even if the red light warning finally made it to the Tesla software, that drive from home to work with "no driver input at all" promise is still in the works.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Fully autonomous vehicles could be coming to California roads

---