While Tesla's Autopilot has so far been designed to keep the car on a set path, following the road and its curves, the company now offers a system for the car to boldly go on new routes. Tesla is rolling out Navigate on Autopilot, which it calls an active guidance feature. The system combines navigation and autopilot functions, and as a result, it now guides the car into the directions it gives. The car can take off-ramps, complete the lane changes it suggests, and choose the right highway interchange and exit.

At first, the feature will require drivers to confirm suggested lane changes by using the turn stalk, but Tesla says future versions of the feature can function without user confirmation. Still, the manufacturer underlines that the driver is responsible for the car even when using the feature. The required stalk confirmation comes as a direct contrast to BMWs changing lanes without using the turn stalk.

The system includes four settings for speed-based lane changes, ranging from mild, average, the charmingly named "Mad Max" and off, and it'll detect when traffic causes the car to travel slower than desired. The "Mild" setting suggests a lane change when traffic moves significantly slower compared to the set speed, and "Mad Max" is eagerly ready to switch lanes when traveling just a bit slower.

Navigate on Autopilot is only available with Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot setup, which uses ultrasonic sensors, radar, cameras and machine learning to function. The feature was introduced on October 26th.