Tesla is about to start testing its autopilot feature on select Model S cars beginning this month. The testing follows the company's announcement earlier this year that it plans on rolling out the feature to its vehicles by summer of 2015.

The announcement was made during the electric car manufacturer's second-quarter earnings meeting. CEO Elon Musk revealed that the beta testing for the feature will only be made available to a select group of car owners beginning August 15.

Musk said that the company is still ironing out how the beta test will be conducted. "We're working out the final details," he told CNBC.

While many are already speculating on how the autopilot feature will change the way drivers control and steer their vehicles, the CEO said that it was not designed to "replace the drivers" but instead, just help them in what they need to do.

"Its much like autopilot in a plane," said Musk. "You turn it on in a plane, but there's still some expectation the pilot will pay attention to what the plane is doing and won't go to sleep or disappear from the cockpit."

In a sense, the autopilot feature will not do away with drivers but will give them confidence that the vehicle can "maneuver through traffic" with less human engagement.

"We don't want to set the expectation that you can basically pay no attention to what the car is doing," the CEO added.

According to Tech Gen Mag, a car's autopilot feature utilizes "exterior cameras and GPS" to gather information and details on the vehicles nearby surroundings to operate and steer it in select situations, like driving in a highway, for example.

The feature will not be available in all driving situations such as in urban areas and thickly populated environs. In this situation, the feature will turn over full of control of steering and maneuvering to the driver.

The roll out of the feature to all Tesla Model S cars will be dependent on the user feedback of the beta test.

Should the beta test encounter issues, challenges and even accidents, then it will definitely cause some delay on other Model S receiving the feature.

The autopilot feature is one of the new technologies that many car manufacturers are keen on perfecting for roll out in their own vehicles.

In 2014, General Motors' CEO Mary Barra hinted that the company is working on a "Super Cruise" feature to be added to its Cadillac model coming out in 2017, reported Popular Science.