How To Try Tesla's Autopilot Before Buying It

If you already own a Tesla Motors Inc TSLA Model X or Model S but don’t want to shell out $3,000 to add the popular Autopilot feature, Tesla has some good news. If you’re curious about what you’re missing, the company is currently offering a free 30-day trial for vehicles with supported hardware.

Best of all, the update can be done remotely, meaning that Tesla drivers don’t have to deal with the hassle of taking the car in to be serviced.

Tesla describes Autopilot as “semi-autonomous” because it’s far from the concept of a completely driverless car that Alphabet Inc GOOGL is developing.

Autopilot delivers limited automatic steering, lane changing and speed control.

Mercedes, General Motors Company GM and Audi are all reportedly working on rolling out similar technology in the near future.

“It’s pretty basic, as far as autonomous technology goes, but it’s the kind of thing that could put a crippling dent in the 33,000 highway fatalities the US suffers each year,” Wired’s Aarian Marshall writes.

Related Link: Tesla VP Says Electric Pickup Truck Is Coming

Tesla recently unveiled its first attempt at the mass automobile market with its highly-anticipated Model 3, which has Autopilot capabilities. GM is set to begin shipping its answer to the Model 3, the Bolt EV, later this year.

Disclosure: the author holds no position in the stocks mentioned.