Tesla’s New Model S Can Park Itself in Your Driveway

Electric car maker Tesla revealed new, dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Model S sedans on Thursday night called the “D” range, the fastest of which can hit 60mph from a dead stop in a shocking 3.2 seconds. Musk said driving the high-tend new Tesla is “like taking off from a carrier deck,” according to Slate, which makes it sound pretty fun to drive — but it’s actually far from the most impressive thing about Tesla’s newest rides.

Instead, that honor belongs to Tesla’s new “Autopilot Mode,” a suite of self-driving features that use radar and other sensors to help you do things like stay in your lane and get out of the way of dogs, pedestrians or other obstacles that have somehow gotten in front of your Tesla.

But the best part is this: Say you’ve got a home and a parking spot or garage where you regularly stash your Tesla — that is, when you’re not out on the streets pretending you’re piloting a very low-flying intergalactic spaceship. The Tesla’s Autopilot Mode will learn the layout of your pad, meaning you’ll be able to pull up to your house curbside, get out, then let the Tesla tuck itself in every night automatically. There’s even talk of it doing the opposite: Letting you hail your Tesla so it can pick you up as you head out the door.

The Model S D will be available starting at the end of the year, with the base models around $71,000 and the high-end cars topping out at $120,170.