Summary / Background Draft 1

 Electric Vehicles

The electrifying technology behind Electric Vehicles (EVs), specifically Tesla models, have driven the transition towards solutions for automated transportation (Armstrong, 2023). In the area of vehicle automation, the Autopilot system, developed by Tesla, leads the charge for the future of cars and transportation by merging cutting-edge hardware with advanced software. Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that enhances safety and convenience when driving. At its core, Autopilot employs 8 external cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and a powerful onboard computer to perceive and interpret the surrounding environment (Tesla, n.d).

Its key features include Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) that adjusts the cruising speed of the vehicle to match surrounding traffic, Autosteer to assist in steering on vehicular roads, and Navigate on Autopilot to enable automated lane changes and highway interchanges. In addition to these driving-assist features, Autopilot also includes several advanced safety technologies, such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward and Side Collision Warning and Obstacle Aware Acceleration (Tesla, n.d).

While a driver must remain behind the wheel, Autopilot allows the vehicle to drive autonomously with minimal driver intervention, reducing the overall workload of a driver through partial vehicle automation (Tesla, n.d).

References

Armstrong, K. (2023). Tesla Pioneers the Future: How Autonomous Cars Will Transform Transportation. Retrieved from https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/1353/tesla-pioneers-the-future-how-electric-and-autonomous-cars-will-transform-car-ownership-and-transportation.

Tesla. (n.d). Autopilot. Retrieved from https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot.