Tesla Motors said on Sunday it was updating the Autopilot driving systems in Model S sedans to put new limits on its hands-free operation, which has been both praised for its innovation while criticized for having been launched too early.
The function will now be restricted on residential roads or roads without a center divider, Tesla said, meaning that the car cannot drive faster than a maximum of the speed limit plus five miles per hour.
When Autopilot launched in October, Chief Executive Elon Musk cautioned that the hotly anticipated function was in beta mode, or a test phase of development, with full "hands-off" driving not recommended.
Still, a host of subsequent videos posted by Tesla drivers on YouTube showed near-misses on the road with Autopilot, prompting Musk to say he would curb the function to minimize the possibility of people doing "crazy things."