Tesla to make hands-free model unavailable on residential roads

Charging poles for Tesla in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province, March 25, 2015.[Photo/IC]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tesla Motors is working to make the hands-free operation feature of its vehicles unavailable on residential roads or roads without a center divider.

To curb the feature, which was launched in October last year, the manufacturer of electric cars based in Silicon Valley said on Sunday that it was updating the Autopilot system in its Model S sedans.

The update would also reduce the vehicle's speed in anticipation of curves on the highway.

However, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said he was not aware of any accidents caused by the Autopilot software.