Tesla

The Tesla Version 7 software with Autopilot gets its release this Thursday and brings with it plenty of upgrades, a new look and that all important ability for Tesla cars to be far more autonomous than is currently the case.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce the release yet gave very few details on what it actually consists of beyond a cosmetic update and the aforementioned small tweaks.

This isn’t the first time that Musk has spoken up about Tesla’s autonomous vehicle plans. At a conference in early 2015 he explained that the process towards autonomy would be a gradual one and that it would “take quite a while”.

Plenty of other companies are indeed rolling out autonomous technology to their cars and a study by Ford found that semi-autonomous car tech has been wildly popular in Europe thus suggesting that autonomous tech will be embraced by the masses.

Tesla’s Version 7 software has been around for a little while after the company released it to a clutch of beta testers back in August and consumers can expect to get behind the wheel of their up-to-date Tesla Model S or X in the next five data.

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Speed freaks usually disregard the environment with gas-guzzling vehicles, but now they can don an electric car. Tesla’s new Ludicrous Mode makes the Model S reach 155mph 20 per cent faster than the bog-standard version.  

The boost, which comes via the aid of a new “smart fuse” allows the car to accelerate at 1.1G, which CEO Elon Musk says makes it “faster than falling.”

Beyond the fuse, Musk added: ”That was combined with upgrading the main pack contractor to use inconel (a high temperature space-grade superalloy) instead of steel so that it remains springy under the heat of heavy current."

Ludicrous Mode isn’t exclusively for the Model S either. Musk confirmed that it would feature on the Tesla Model X SUV following testing, which will boost its 0-60 time to 3.3 seconds.

The only caveat is the price. It isn’t exactly a cheap add-on, going for a hefty $10,000. If you’re already driving a Model S but want to upgrade, then you can get Ludicrous Mode installed for $5,000 within the next six months.

Tesla also announced plans to revisit its original electric car: the Roadster. It was originally released in 2008, but Tesla plans to release a new and improved version in 2019.