Tesla Software 8.0 Rollout Probably Beginning On Wednesday, According To Musk

Those waiting impatiently for the new features arriving with the version 8.0 update to Tesla’s operating system, which we discussed in our article on the subject not long ago, will be probably be very happy to hear that worldwide rollout will probably begin on Wednesday. That news comes from a recent tweet from CEO Elon Musk, of course.

That tweet does use the wording “hoping to start,” though, so things are clearly still flexible.

Here’s the tweet:

Hoping to start WW rollout of 8.0 on Wednesday if no last minute issues discovered.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2016

As we noted previously, there are big changes coming with this update, including the integration of radar as a primary sensor, which should greatly (over time) improve Autopilot’s capabilities; autonomous freeway interchanges; and surely several more goodies.

The switch to utilizing radar as a primary sensor, along with the camera system, seems to have been mostly or at least partly a response to the fatal crash earlier this year when a Tesla Model S owner died (while reportedly watching a movie on his laptop) as the Model S plowed into the side of a semi-truck.

While the “driver” in that case was partly at fault if not watching the road while using Autopilot, the system also doesn’t seem to have recognized the side of the truck as being a danger. As a result, of course, the top of the Model S was sheared off when it collided with the side of the semi at high speed. It’s potential situations like this that the use of radar as a primary sensor may be able to help avoid accidents and deaths.