Tesla vehicles have racked up one billion miles driven on Autopilot (TSLA)

Tesla has passed an impressive milestone. The carmaker's vehicles have racked up one billion miles driven on Autopilot, the company's semi-self-driving system, Tesla said.

That number represents 10% of all miles driven by Teslas since 2012, when the Model S sedan first appeared in the market. The company noted in a statement that Autopilot has been available only since 2015, but Tesla sold relatively few cars prior to the technology's launch.

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In 2017, for example, Tesla hit the 100,000 mark for deliveries, and in 2018 in should exceed that total by a wide margin as its new Model 3 sedan has hit the market.

Autopilot hardware is built into all new Teslas, but activating the necessary software is a $5,000 option at the time of purchase, and $7,000 if selected later.

Tesla aims to make Autopilot a full self-driving system in coming years. The technology uses cameras, sensors, and computing power to replace the expensive laser-radar systems employed by General Motors' Cruise division and Alphabet's Waymo, both of which are seeking to launch ride-hailing services in 2018-19.

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