Tesla will soon be adding speed limit recognition and roundabout support in future software update

Until July 2016, Mobileye was integrated with Tesla’s Autopilot system, allowing earlier builds of Tesla vehicles to read and recognize speed limit signs using both map data and vision (the Mobileye part).

All Tesla vehicles since then have not had any speed limit recognition built-in, instead relying on map data only. The problem with relying on map data is that it can quickly become outdated, leaving you suddenly travelling either faster or slower than surrounding traffic.

Based on code found recently by Tesla hacker @greentheonly, speed limit sign recognition could be making a comeback, along with support for roundabouts.

Green was able to find the renderings for 3 different types of speed limit signs, as well as a sign for a roundabout, indicating Tesla’s Autopilot feature will soon be able to navigate through a roundabout. He was also able to confirm with Drive Tesla that the feature is not geofenced, and should arrive in both the US and Canada at the same time.

This is a huge step towards feature complete Full Self-Driving (FSD), and is a good indicator that Autopilot turning at intersections could also come soon.

A Tesla owner that is part of the Early Access Program (EAP), which sends software updates well in advance of wide release, has already revealed the new roundabout sign on the display.

While tackling a roundabout may sound simple, the difficult part is knowing how to deal with drivers who don’t know how to correctly navigate through a roundabout. Elon Musk even commented on this recently on Twitter.

These new features will only be available on cars equipped with Tesla’s latest HW3.0 computer and the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package, according to @greentheonly.