Tesla owners without Autopilot have been somewhat neglected in term of software updates since the introduction of the second generation Autopilot. Tesla’s software team has been focused on bringing the new system to parity with the first generation Autopilot’s features.

The 8.1 update is expected to be the next big step for all Tesla owners, Autopilot or not, but it has been pushed on a few occasions. CEO Elon Musk now says that it is coming in “10 days or so”.

Again, he added that it is dependent on the progress made with Autopilot 2.0 – more specifically the “full speed Autosteer test results”.

He made the comment on Twitter as usual:

@BizbuilderUSA @mcannonbrookes It's been a bear to get done, but prob 10 days or so, depending on full speed autosteer test results — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 12, 2017

In the past, the CEO has linked the 8.1 update with Autopilot 2.0 improvements to bring the system to parity with the first generation, but they have been pushing those updates in iterations of 8.0.

Tesla increased Autopilot 2.0 speed limits with an update last week, but it’s not the “full speed” of the Autopilot with the Mobileye system. The company is still trying to make those features work safely on its own in-house ‘Tesla Vision’ image processing system.

The update 8.1 is also expected to upgrade Tesla’s operating system with the new Linux kernel and introduce several UI improvements, especially a better usable internet browser has been promised. As we recently reported, less than 30% of Tesla drivers use their in-car internet browser on a monthly basis.

It was first expected in December 2016, but it was pushed every month since in order for Tesla to focus on second generation Autopilot software. 8.1 was also associated with Tesla’s new mobile app overhaul, but they ended up releasing it last month before 8.1 was ready.

It has somewhat made the 8.1 update less exciting, but owners are still waiting on several UI improvements, especially with the media and map apps, that are supposed to come with 8.1 according to Musk on Twitter.

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