Musk’s Tesla may be first off the block with driverless car

Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, on Thursday took a big step toward putting driverless cars on the market, announcing that his company, known for its high-end electric cars, would introduce autonomous technology by this summer.

The technology would allow drivers to have their cars take control on what he called ''major roads'' like highways.

Musk told the press and analysts that a software update not a repair performed by a mechanic would give Tesla's Model S sedans the ability to start driving themselves, at least part of the time, in a hands-free mode that the company refers to as autopilot.

But some industry experts said serious questions remain about whether such autonomous driving is actually legal, and are skeptical that Model S owners who try to use autopilot would not run afoul of current regulations.

In fact,  Tesla has virtually been accused of mis-selling its new product.

Musk said that new driver-assist features will make it possible to drive a Tesla "from San Francisco to Seattle ... parking lot to parking lot", without any human driver input at all. But he added that Tesla would be enabling its auto steering feature in a limited fashion, only on highways and at low speeds on private property.

''The fact that Tesla can get a test car to make a long-haul trip in robot mode doesn't mean the EV maker is prepared to let you try it,'' the PC reviewer said.

''There's a reason other automakers haven't gone there,'' echoed Karl Brauer, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book. ''Best case scenario, it's unclear. If you're an individual that starts doing it, you'd better hope nothing goes wrong.''

Brauer said while a handful of states had passed laws legalising autonomous vehicles, those laws were written to cover the testing of driverless cars, not their use by consumers.

But Alexis Georgeson, a spokesman for Tesla, said that there was ''nothing in our autopilot system that is in conflict with current regulations.''

Georgeson said the system was designed to be used by an alert driver. ''We're not getting rid of the pilot. This is about releasing the driver from tedious tasks so they can focus and provide better input,'' she said.

There are cars on the road today from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and Honda that have the capability of driving themselves on the highway. But the automakers have taken steps to prevent actual autonomous driving in such cars, and instead require consumers to keep their hands on the wheel.

A few seconds without touching the wheel, for example, and a warning is sounded; the cars then simply come to a stop.

What Musk said Tesla was planning for this summer, however, could still be a revolutionary step.