Tesla’s upcoming software update is about to make its Model 3 electric vehicle easier to drive than ever. A Sunday report claims the company plans to clean up the $35,000 car’s user interface, moving key navigational information, while also improving the car’s semi-autonomous driving functionality.
The update, Electrek claims, will move the navigation system’s rundown of its next move. The car will now display the running order of directions on the driver’s side, rather than the passenger side as with previous models. The car uses a giant 15-inch touchscreen in place of an instrument cluster and traditional control system, offering a cleaner interior but also meaning decisions like these are critical for drivers. The Model S and X, which use a second screen behind the wheel for displaying speed, are expected to receive an update that brings the user interface more in line with that found on the company’s latest car.
The Tesla Model 3 now ships in a "performance edition" style.
See more: Tesla Autopilot Version 9 Is Coming Soon: What to Know
The update is also expected to improve the car’s semi-autonomous driving systems. The “drive on nav” function now works more like the promised “on ramp/off ramp” feature, making lane changes and exiting the highway depending on the address entered into the navigation system. It’s one step closer to fully autonomous driving, as promised by CEO Elon Musk back in October 2016.
The new update will lay the groundwork for cross-country autonomous road trips, a feature initially promised by the end of 2017. Musk told investors in February that the team missed the deadline because it “would have required too much specialized code to effectively game it or make it somewhat brittle and that it would work for one particular route, but not the general solution.” Musk claimed last week that the alpha version of Autopilot version 10 could finally bring the feature to consumers.
The ninth version of Tesla’s software is set to reach consumers by the end of the month, after getting pushed back from its August release date.
Beyond features like dashcam, refined interface and better autonomous driving, the update is also set to include a range of Atari games.
