Tesla releases source code for some of its in-car tech
Tesla doesn’t have many fans in the open source crowd. It based its car platforms on open platforms like Linux and BusyBox, but it has gone years without sharing the source code their license (the GPL) requires. The company is finally setting things right, though — more or less, that is. It has posted the source code for both the material that builds the Autopilot system image as well as the kernels for the Autopilot boards and the NVIDIA Tegra-based infotainment system used in the Model S and Model X. While they don’t represent the absolute latest code, Tesla is promising to keep pace with newer releases.
Code will be available in “other areas,” Tesla noted in a message Electrek obtained from developers who requested the material.
As you might have guessed from the specific nature of the code, you’re not about to build your own semi-autonomous car with what’s on offer. Tesla isn’t providing the proprietary apps it runs on top of these foundations, including the full Autopilot framework, NVIDIA’s own programs and the Model 3’s infotainment platform. Even so, this might be worth grabbing as a peek into Tesla’s software side, especially if you think you might use it to build programs of your own.
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