Tesla in October 2016 revealed that every new vehicle it builds will come equipped with the hardware necessary for full autonomous driving. The functionality isn't yet enabled, however, as the company said it needed more time and real-world driving data to perfect the system for maximum safety.
With the requisite hardware already in place, all that would seemingly be needed to enable full autonomy would be a software update.
Unfortunately, that may be more difficult than initially anticipated - a realization that appears to be causing some turmoil within the company.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that employees in the Autopilot team have bumped heads over deadlines as well as design and marketing decisions. More than a dozen people have spoken to the publication regarding disagreements which have likely played a role in the departure of at least 10 engineers and four top managers.
Safety concerns have also apparently been an issue.
Mobileye, the Israeli startup that supplied image-recognition hardware for Tesla's Autopilot technology, parted ways with the automaker last summer. The firm, which was acquired by Intel earlier this year for $15.3 billion, later said the split was due to Tesla "pushing the envelope in terms of safety." News of the separation came shortly after a Tesla driver was involved in a fatal accident while Autopilot was engaged.