A car that can drive from Seattle to San Francisco without the driver ever touching the steering wheel, including observing speed limits, changing lanes and navigating freeway on- and off-ramps. It sounds like science fiction, but Tesla is moving closer than ever to the release of self-driving cars. According to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, the next software update for their Model S car will be rolled out in three months, and will include an auto-steering function.

All Tesla Model S cars include the sonar, radar and other hardware necessary for auto steering. They also have the ability to combine that ability with the GPS, navigation and real-time traffic systems. They just need the software to tie it all together.

The preliminary autonomous capability will be fairly basic: the ability to keep the car in its lane at an appropriate speed. The trick may be getting permission to actually run a self-driving car. Only California (where Tesla vehicles are hugely popular), Michigan, Nevada, Florida and Washington, D.C. govern how these cars may be tested. However, the laws only apply to testing, so it might be possible to take the car straight to market.

If regulators get too concerned about cars driving themselves around the country, they could be banned. Laws prohibiting reckless driving could be applied if lawmakers decide autonomous cars are too dangerous.

Other automakers are pursuing self-driving cars. General Motors plans similar abilities in its new Cadillac CT6 sedan that will be available later this year. Audi and Nissan also promise autonomous cars within the next few years.