Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla, is at the forefront of autonomous systems for cars and the company CEO has confirmed on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that Tesla is actively working on a self-parking feature for its cars. This functionality will enable Tesla vehicles to autonomously park without the need for a driver behind the wheel.
The billionaire mentioned that, thanks to this feature, Tesla EVs will soon have the ability to identify open parking spaces and autonomously park in them. This feature can identify nearby objects when driving at speeds below five miles per hour or while in reverse. At present, every Tesla vehicle comes equipped with a parking assist functionality and the addition of the said feature would mean a significant upgrade.
In the post, Musk wrote: "We are working on a feature where the car identifies probable viable parking spaces. You tap on one, exit the vehicle and it parks there.”
Furthermore, Tesla's autopilot includes an auto-park feature, enabling vehicles to navigate into both parallel and perpendicular parking spaces. It's worth noting that Tesla cars can perform parking maneuvers at speeds below 13 mph for parallel parking and 8 mph for perpendicular parking.
While the recent progress appears to be a notable advancement in autonomous parking technology, it is important to note that other automakers also provide similar versions of this feature. South Korea's Hyundai, for instance, has introduced an enhancement to its parking system, enabling a car to analyze its parking surroundings and autonomously maneuver into the chosen parking spot. Making use of ultrasonic sensors and surround view monitors, this system scans its surroundings. This technology aids select Hyundai vehicles in seamlessly maneuvering into a parking space.
Also, Mercedes has developed a version of this technology for its 2024 E-Class models.
Meanwhile, In a ruling last month, Judge Reid Scott said that there is substantial evidence suggesting that Tesla CEO Musk and other executives were aware of a flaw in the Autopilot system of the company's vehicles. Despite this knowledge, they allegedly permitted the operation of these cars in an unsafe manner. Scott's decision, which has not been previously disclosed, allows the plaintiff in a lawsuit related to a fatal crash to advance to trial, said a report by news agency Reuters.