Tesla’s (TSLA) Model S owners woke up to a new software upgrade on Thursday that includes an autopilot feature, and no one is more excited than Stephen Colbert.
The Late Show host raved about the version 7 upgrade. Although it’s not technically self-driving quite yet, Colbert showed a video posted by a Model S owner testing out the new feature that showed the car essentially driving itself and even changing lanes on its own.
Legally, you still have to keep one hand on the wheel when your Model S is in autopilot mode, but Colbert added that fully self-driving cars are not far down the road. He has already hosted three separate billionaires on his fairly new show, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who are all working to advance self-driving technology, which researchers estimate will save 300,000 lives per decade.
He adds that the biggest player is Google (TSLA), which is already testing prototypes. Chris Urmson, who is heading the company’s self-driving program, said in a Ted Talk that he is hoping to have them on the road within the next few years.
