Tesla cars to follow “like a pet”

In a few weeks a Tesla car will be able to drive itself short distances and follow its human driver “like a pet”, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says.

It can also be driven from a smartphone in some cases, using the advanced Tesla TSLA, -0.37% “Summon” feature.

Musk reckons it will work on cars made in the past two years.

“Summon” was introduced some years ago as part of Tesla’s Autopilot, its suite of advanced driver-assistance systems.

The upgrade would be a “slightly smarter version” and by next year “a Tesla should be able to drive around a parking lot, find an empty spot, read signs to confirm it’s valid and park,” Musk says on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Musk has inspired the production of a comic book series, The Adventures of Starman.

The president and founder of My Tesla Adventure, a California-based Tesla Owners Club, has created the series. Eli Burton is also a long-time space enthusiast, amateur rocket maker and a SpaceX fan.

“We all were brought up with the ideal that when we grew up we were going to live in a Futurama world — flying cars, space travel and humans becoming a multi-planetary species. Instead all we got were 140-characters and a chance to buy upgraded smart phones, until Elon Musk came along,” Burton says. “When I saw Starman orbiting around the Earth in Elon’s Tesla Roadster, I knew I had to do something to help push his vision forward.”

Burton hopes people will be inspired by his cartoons, encouraging youngsters to aim for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.

Visit theadventuresofstarman.com for more information.