• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Watch What Tesla’s Fully Autonomous Future Looks Like

By
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kirsten Korosec
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 20, 2016, 2:18 PM ET

There have been plenty of videos—some frightening, others funny—that show off the capabilities of Tesla’s semi-autonomous feature known as Autopilot. The video of a freaked out grandma riding in a Tesla Model S is just one example.

But early Thursday morning Tesla released a video (see below) that aims to illustrate where it’s headed: fully autonomous Level 5 driving, which is notable for those who know what that means.

Here’s a primer: Autopilot is just “Level 2” on the 0 to 5 scale of autonomy as defined by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and SAE (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers). The Autopilot feature allows Tesla vehicles to automatically steer and change lanes on highways, while maintaining the appropriate distance from other cars. It does well on a highway; it’s not designed to navigate more complex environments like city streets. And it requires human intervention.

Tesla as well as other automakers and Google are aiming for level 5, which means the vehicle takes over all safety-critical functions and monitors roadway conditions for an entire trip. In other words, the cars don’t need humans to handle any part of the driving or parking. It’s the point when drivers become riders.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Tesla announced Wednesday that all of its cars, including its upcoming Model 3, will be equipped with new hardware such as radar and cameras that will allow the vehicles to reach that Level 5 fully autonomous driving capability. That doesn’t mean the cars will be fully autonomous as they roll off the assembly line, however. The company has essentially laid the foundation. The software, or the brains, will still need to be validated and then eventually rolled out via over-the-air updates to the system—a capability that Tesla has used to keep improving its cars over time. The proper regulatory approvals will also need to be sorted out.

The video demonstrates what that final fully autonomous moment might look like.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement (which is further stoked by the soundtrack) when watching this video. But keep in mind, that the video only provides a glimpse of what Tesla CEO Elon Musk is promising. This is a sunny day: no rain, snow, or dust. And while the video does show a few more complex maneuvers—like recognizing a stop sign and street lights—it doesn’t prove the car can handle the millions of odd situations that come when driving in a city.

In short, it’s very hard to tell where Tesla stands versus any other company, most notably Google which has been testing its self-driving car software on public city streets for years.

 

About the Author
By Kirsten Korosec
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Retail
Trump just declared December 26th a national holiday. What's open and closed?
By Dave SmithDecember 26, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald's say opportunity is still there—if you have the right mindset
By Preston ForeDecember 26, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Europe
Christmas 500 years ago was a drunken 6-week feast that may have been considerably better than the modern holiday, medieval historian says
By Bobbi Sutherland and The ConversationDecember 25, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, 'don’t go to Harvard.' You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 27, 2025
15 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Billionaire philanthropy's growing divide: Mark Zuckerberg stops funding immigration reform as MacKenzie Scott doubles down on DEI
By Ashley LutzDecember 22, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
Why over 80% of America's top CEOs think Trump would be wrong not to pick Chris Waller for Fed chair
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianDecember 27, 2025
13 hours ago

Latest in

Healthbrazilian politics
Bolsonaro undergoes medical procedure to treat severe hiccups
By Fabiano Maisonnave and BloombergDecember 27, 2025
4 hours ago
North AmericaReligion
Jeffrey R. Holland, next in line to lead Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 85
By Hannah Schoenbaum and The Associated PressDecember 27, 2025
4 hours ago
InvestingMutual Funds
Brutal year for stock picking spurs trillion-dollar fund exodus
By Isabelle Lee, Alexandra Semenova and BloombergDecember 27, 2025
4 hours ago
Innovationspace
Blue Origin names Tory Bruno to new national security group
By Loren Grush and BloombergDecember 27, 2025
4 hours ago
BankingUkraine invasion
Russian official warns a banking crisis is possible amid nonpayments. ‘I don’t want to think about a continuation of the war or an escalation’
By Jason MaDecember 27, 2025
4 hours ago
PoliticsTaxes
Peter Thiel and Larry Page are preparing to flee California in case the state passes a billionaire wealth tax, report says
By Jason MaDecember 27, 2025
7 hours ago