September 21, 2016

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Tesla updates software to improve radar

In this Sept. 29, 2015, file photo, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company's headquarters in Fremont, Calif. Tesla Motors customers will get enhanced radar and other features in an over-the-air software update that starts Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. The update makes the Model S sedan and Model X SUV more reliant on radar than cameras when driving in Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode. Teslas made after October 2014 have radar. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
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In this Sept. 29, 2015, file photo, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors Inc., introduces the Model X car at the company's headquarters in Fremont, Calif. Tesla Motors customers will get enhanced radar and other features in an over-the-air software update that starts Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. The update makes the Model S sedan and Model X SUV more reliant on radar than cameras when driving in Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode. Teslas made after October 2014 have radar. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Tesla Motors customers will get enhanced radar and other features in an over-the-air software update that starts Wednesday night.

The update makes the Model S sedan and Model X SUV rely more reliant on radar than cameras when driving in Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode. Teslas made after October 2014 have radar.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the change should help avoid crashes like the one that killed a Tesla driver in Florida in May. That driver—who was using Autopilot—crashed into a tractor-trailer that Tesla's camera failed to detect.

Musk says the update also will allow customers to set a maximum temperature control system to help keep kids and pets safe if they're left in the car. The system automatically turns on the air conditioning.

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