Tesla Autopilot appears to be getting closer to 'On-ramp to Off-ramp' feature, handles 'curve of death'

As recently reported, some significant Tesla Autopilot updates are in the works and it could represent one of the greatest leaps for the program in a long time.

With the latest updates, it looks like Tesla is now getting closer to the promised ‘On-ramp to Off-ramp’ feature and it even handles the ‘curve of death’, according to a Model X owner.

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‘On-ramp to Off-ramp’ is one of the most important features promised by Tesla with the Enhanced Autopilot suite.

Tesla describes the feature:

“Once on the freeway, your Tesla will determine which lane you need to be in and when. In addition to ensuring you reach your intended exit, Autopilot will watch for opportunities to move to a faster lane when you’re caught behind slower traffic. When you reach your exit, your Tesla will depart the freeway, slow down and transition control back to you.”

The feature is not there yet, but recent updates seem to be bringing an important missing piece for the feature: Autosteer’s handling of highway ramps.

While Autopilot has been increasingly good on highways, drivers generally turn it off when exiting on a ramp – especially if it has an aggressive curve.

Mike, a Tesla Model X owner, has been testing each recent Autopilot update on what he calls the ‘curve of death’, a full loop on a highway in Virginia.

He recently tested it with a Model S loaner with Autopilot 2.0 and it performed remarkably well:

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As Mike explains in the video, when he uses Autopilot on the same curve with his Model X, it generally follows the line on the left side of the lane instead of the one on the inside of the curve.

It didn’t do it with this Model S and he was even able to merge on the highway – getting one step closer to ‘On-ramp to Off-ramp’ feature.

But he also did it again with his Model X on an even more recent software update and it also had an interesting run:

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As you can see on the instrument cluster, the Model X followed the outside line unlike the Model S loaner, but it stayed in the middle of the lane instead of hugging the line like it would previously do.

Electrek’s Take

Of course, it’s only anecdotal evidence of improvements and therefore, it should be taken with a grain of salt.

But I think it was interesting enough to take note, especially on the verge of a reportedly more significant Autopilot update coming relatively soon.

As we recently reported, Tesla started beta-testing a new Autopilot update with new feature and a more advanced neural net.

We hear that the update represents a significant improvement on the system and while it still doesn’t feature the long-promised features of Enhanced Autopilot, the more advanced neural net could serve as a strong basis to deploy those features.

But it has become a lot harder to get a good timeline for the release of those features as Tesla is seemingly becoming more careful about it after missing several deadlines previously announced by CEO Elon Musk.

Have you lost hope or are you still excited for Autopilot 2.0? Let us know in the comment section below.

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