Tesla update 8.0 release looms following Autopilot's fatal crash

Sometimes, you gotta wonder about timing.

Less than a week after Tesla announced a fatal car crash involving its Model S while in Autopilot mode, news of software update 8.0 coming to the cars is making headlines. Evidently, the two things are unrelated, but the timing is still raising some eyebrows.

In IT Blogwatch, we tease out the details.

Wondering what update 8.0 actually is? We get the pertinent information from AutoBlog:

Tesla will release update 8.0...the biggest interface refresh since the system was released.
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One of the biggest changes will be to the company's Autopilot system...The update will move the system closer to...using the automatic lane change feature to allow Autopilot equipped cars to exit the highway autonomously. Currently, the vehicles are only capable of automatically changing lanes. Once the vehicle is on regular streets, drivers must resume full control.
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In addition, update 8.0 will...improve the system's traffic awareness and smooth out the Autosteer feature. The Autopilot interface in the dash will better display where surrounding traffic is coming from.

Great, lot of new exciting features. But this doesn't mean Tesla's cars are meant to be left to their own devices. Fred Lambert issues an important reminder:

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