Ever wanted your own self-driving car?  You can buy one today—but it may be a while until it officially becomes your personal chauffeur. 

Tesla recently announced that all vehicles currently in production have full self-driving hardware pre-installed.  To illustrate, they released a video from the driver’s perspective “behind the wheel” of a self-driving Tesla in action. 

While private companies make headlines publicly testing fully autonomous vehicles, no one has yet offered a product anybody can buy.  Tesla is closer, but not quite there yet either. 

We’re still a ways away from a fully worked out set of laws and regulations.  And the software still needs perfecting before it takes over the wheel of thousands of cars.  But over time, the regulatory environment will be forced to adapt as more cars hit the road and other companies follow in Tesla’s footsteps.  Most of the big automakers are also working on their own tech. 

Only time will tell how that unfolds. 

Regulations aside, you can still buy a Tesla today in anticipation of the day a software update makes it self-driving.  Or for a first-person taste of the future, you can take a ride in a self-driving Tesla right now in the video below. 

Image credit: Tesla/Vimeo