【Business Relationship】

Tesla Motors will now equip all of its electric vehicles,Business Relationship including the Model 3, with full self-driving hardware, the company announced Wednesday.

The California automaker said the driverless capabilities will make the car substantially safer than those steered by humans.

Model S and Model X vehicles with this new hardware are already in production, Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, said on a call with reporters.

"All cars that Tesla makes from hereon out will have the hardware needed to be fully autonomous," he said.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk unveils new safety upgrades to Tesla's Autopilot system

Tesla cars will have Level 5 autonomy, meaning the vehicles are fully capable of driving themselves anywhere in all conditions and weather.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Achieving Level 5 was previously considered science fiction. An Audi representative in August went so far as to describe it as "mythical," Mashable previously reported.

Musk set a lofty goal for the driverless cars: A cross-country road-trip, from Los Angeles to New York City, without a driver behind the wheel throughout the 2,800-mile journey.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

By the end of 2017.

The Level 5 Teslas will include eight cameras with 360-degree visibility, up from the single camera on today's cars. The computing power will increase by a factor of 40, Musk said.

"It’s basically a supercomputer in a car," he told reporters.

Teslas will also include 12 updated ultrasonic sensors to complement the cameras, allowing the vehicles to detect both hard and soft objects at nearly twice the distance of the prior system.

A Tesla model S sits parked in a new Tesla showroom and service center in Brooklyn, New York, July 5, 2016. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A forward-facing radar with enhanced processing will gather additional data to help steer the car, even through heavy rain, fog, and dust, according to Tesla.

The announcement arrives as Tesla is facing widespread scrutiny over Autopilot -- the existing system that controls the car's automatic machine steering, collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control and assisted lane-changing functions.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Several Autopilot-related collisions -- including a fatal crash in Florida in May -- have left many drivers wary about ceding control of the car to a computer.

On the call, Musk bristled at the mention of safety concerns. He insisted the driverless Teslas would lead to fewer accidents and roadside deaths than human-driven cars.

If reporters contribute to turning people off from buying self-driving cars, "You're killing people," he claimed.

BONUS: Elon Musk says the Tesla Model S 'floats well enough' to double as a boat

Topics Electric Vehicles Tesla Elon Musk

• Tech
• Science
• Life
• Deals
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Entertainment
• Social Good

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 5, 2025
• Reddit bans communities under policy changes targeting illegal trades
• Remember Palm? The company is back with (wait for it) new earbuds.
• Facebook's international misinformation problem is even bigger than it is in the U.S.
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 10: Tips to solve 'Connections' #699.
• Original iPod prototype was almost as big as a MacBook
• 5 damning revelations from the Facebook Papers
• What is a VPN Router?
• NYT mini crossword answers for May 9, 2025
• Soothing places online to escape the hellhole that is 2018

• Trump is back to tweeting like Trump again
• Seabirds may eat so much marine plastic because of its scent
• Here's a small way to support the vulnerable in Trump's America
• White House visit includes mind
• Politician requests Trump pardon for 'Australian hero' Julian Assange
• Trumpism hangs over the USA vs. Mexico World Cup qualifier like a dark cloud
• Leonard Cohen, singer
• 'You're the Worst' actress calls out Hollywood's complicity in electing Trump
• These pub signs sum up the U.S. election in quintessential British style
• People were too busy shopping on Singles' Day to eat

• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• Grown man Ben Carson blames his wife for the $31,000 dining room set
• What's the difference between a healthy and abusive relationship? Reddit can help.
• Apple's latest MacBooks Pro will be backordered until at least December
• This is the fattest of the extremely fat bears
• Facebook's international misinformation problem is even bigger than it is in the U.S.
• The notch on Apple's new MacBook Pro is causing some funny glitches
• No, Stormy Daniels' lawyer didn't say he has Trump dick pics
• Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
• Lindsay Lohan has a bizarre new gig with Lawyer.com

• This fat bear's before and after photos are stunning
• If you consider Hot Cheetos a vegetable, this is the meme for you
• Grown man Ben Carson blames his wife for the $31,000 dining room set
• 10 best classic movies on Hulu for when you're feeling nostalgic
• Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
• 'Eternals' brings great new heroes to the MCU but leaves us wondering why
• Who would have guessed Tessa Thompson and goats have so much in common?
• Viral TikTok air fryer recipe for peanut butter
• Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
• Smarter and smoother: Riding the new generation of e