Autopilot software for Tesla Model S is available via download.Tesla Motors is making available an advanced set of autonomous features that are a breath away from being fully driverless. The company’s software allows hands- and feet-free driving and allows the car to self-park. Available via download for its 50,000 new Model S cars globally, the software requires drivers to take hold of the steering wheel every 10 seconds or the vehicle will slow. The software stops short of enabling the vehicle to be fully autonomous.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, claims that the company is being especially cautious at this stage, but that hands on the wheel eventually will not be necessary. The hands-on feature is required now to avoid special licensing requirements necessary under California’s department of motor vehicles and those of three other states. However, cars built by Tesla during the past year feature sensors and cameras that the software requires, and software updates are automatic for those vehicles. As a result, cars will be in compliance if at some future date they meet regulatory rules.

Musk claims that he has tested the autopilot function software near his residence in Southern California and finds that it works best with a car in front of it and clear lane lines. According to Musk, the next update will release more autonomous features. Plans call for the vehicle to be fully autonomous within three years, meaning drivers will not need to touch any controls.

Using the new software, a driver sets the vehicle’s speed through cruise control and then the car remains in the center of the lane, driving at speed and keeping distance from the vehicle ahead.

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