Image credit: Abdiel @NASA8500
Tesla released its 2020.36 software update on Saturday and with it came some improvements to Autopilot, including Green Traffic Light Chime and also Speed Assist, which will now see cameras detect speed limit signs.
Tesla’s 2020.36 release notes detailed, “a chime will play when the traffic light you are waiting for turns green. If you are waiting behind another car, the chime will play once the car advances unless Traffic Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer is active.”
Below is a video of the Green Traffic Light Chime, as shared by Abdiel (@NASA8500) who was sharing updates from 2020.36 on Twitter:
Here’s one as the lead vehicle. Takes a bit more than if you were fully paying attention but of course this is intended as a “hey look up the light changed” sort of chime. pic.twitter.com/6TVvoIakI8
— Abdiel 🚀 (@NASA8500) August 30, 2020
The green traffic light chime sounds like something out of an airplane cabin, when the seat belt sign is turned off. It’s a gentle sound and a reminder for drivers that a green light is ahead.
As for detecting speed limit signs, the 2020.36 update also brings Speed Assist improvements in the United States, which “leverages your car’s cameras to detect speed limit signs to improve the accuracy of speed limit data on local roads. Detected speed limit signs will be displayed in the driving visualization and used to set the associated Speed Limit Warning.”
Check out the demos below, again courtesy of @NASA8500:
Happy to help the community! Here’s the last one for now showing it operating with a quick AP activation (can’t remember if I posted it already or not 🤣) pic.twitter.com/wRdr3bUm8G
— Abdiel 🚀 (@NASA8500) August 29, 2020
In the video below, the Tesla cameras also pick up a speed limit sign blocked and hidden by a tree:
It even picks it up if it’s hidden behind a tree! 🤯 Good Job @elonmusk and @Tesla team! Even with the human eye you can barely see the speed limit sign and the car quickly catches it pic.twitter.com/z39GuIqmWe
— Abdiel 🚀 (@NASA8500) August 29, 2020
If you are the lead vehicle It will chime at you but you still will need to give confirmation. On the other hand, if you’re following another vehicle it will chime at you right before it begins moving (after the light turns green and the vehicle ahead has moved).
— Abdiel 🚀 (@NASA8500) August 30, 2020
As for other updates from Tesla 2020.36, there’s also an update for Autosteer Stop Sign and Stop Light Warning. “Your car may warn you in some cases if it detects that you are about to run a stop sign or stop light while Autosteer is in use. This is not a substitute for an attentive driver and will not stop the car,” explains the Tesla 2020.36 release notes.
Also new are Cruise Set Speed Improvements, which now let Tesla owners “quickly adjust the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer set speed to the current speed by simply tapping the cluster speedometer. You can still tap the speed limit sign to adjust the set speed to the speed limit.”
