Autopilot Behavior

[Skotty]

I've got autopilot for the first time (I have a new Model 3 now; I've had a Model S for a few years but it was pre-autopilot), and let me start off by saying I absolutely love it. That said, it could still use a little work. Attached is a little tease of how I would represent autopilot behavior currently (the loop-de-loop is a joke, but otherwise it does have this issue with on ramps).

 

[Kevy Baby]

Yeah, I get that too. Sometimes worse than others depending on a lot of factors. Same thing with lane splits (for off-ramps for example). It seems to have gotten better with later firmware updates (particularly with 2019.36.X.X)

I remember coming in to work one morning with three M3s in sequence (I was the last one). It was funny watching all three of us taking exact the same path, drifting as the lane split and then jerking back to center when the car realized what was going on.

And welcome to Team 3!

 

[Skotty]

Yeah, I get that too. Sometimes worse than others depending on a lot of factors. Same thing with lane splits (for off-ramps for example). It seems to have gotten better with later firmware updates (particularly with 2019.36.X.X)

I remember coming in to work one morning with three M3s in sequence (I was the last one). It was funny watching all three of us taking exact the same path, drifting as the lane split and then jerking back to center when the car realized what was going on.

And welcome to Team 3!

Ooh! I just got 2019.36. Maybe it has been improved? Looking forward to testing the same on-ramps next week now.

 

[animorph]

I'm on 40.1.1 on our X and it is about half as bad as it was when it first started doing this. Still wouldn't want a cop behind me watching that.

 

[Chisale]

LOL. Mine isn't that bad but, yes, it does seem to "feel its way" through situations like that. I think it's very amusing watching it in action (assuming you're not being tailgated or followed by a policeman as animorph suggested). There's just so many different ways lines are painted on American roadways I'm amazed it works as well as it does. And also as Kevy Baby commented, it's funny to get up behind another Tesla and try to figure out if they are on Autopilot or not. Hint: it doesn't take too long to figure it out.

 

[swaltner]

With the on ramps, I’ve found that I can keep it from drifting to the right in the “extra-wide lane” by putting a fairly strong bias against its turning force. Not enough to actually disengage autosteer, but enough to resist its desire to shift over. The key is to see the situation ahead and resist it from turning to the right to begin with. If it starts shifting over, you can’t shift back to the proper location without disengaging. If you see that it will happen and resist the car’s desire to shift to the right, no problem.

When I show passengers the autopilot feature, I joke that this is the way you can tell if a Tesla owner is using the feature.

 

[postersw]

By now you've probably realized that this behavior is not a defect particular to your car - it is a 'feature' of autopilot, and one of the reasons why autopilot always seems a bit half-backed, even though Tesla has been at it for 5 or 6 years. I use autopilot if I really have a lot of energy and concentration, so I can monitor it and stay on top of its unusual and sometimes unpredictable behaviors. But if I just want a relaxing drive, I turn it off and steer myself.

TACC, on the other had, seems pretty solid. But when you use it, don't forget the Tesla warning that if you are driving over 45 mph, the radar will not see any stationary object (which is why it runs into fire trucks, semi-trucks, and concrete barriers). So if you have no cars in front of you, don't tune out thinking that no traffic means that the the car will handle it - it might not.

 

[Skotty]

By now you've probably realized that this behavior is not a defect particular to your car - it is a 'feature' of autopilot, and one of the reasons why autopilot always seems a bit half-backed, even though Tesla has been at it for 5 or 6 years. I use autopilot if I really have a lot of energy and concentration, so I can monitor it and stay on top of its unusual and sometimes unpredictable behaviors. But if I just want a relaxing drive, I turn it off and steer myself.

TACC, on the other had, seems pretty solid. But when you use it, don't forget the Tesla warning that if you are driving over 45 mph, the radar will not see any stationary object (which is why it runs into fire trucks, semi-trucks, and concrete barriers). So if you have no cars in front of you, don't tune out thinking that no traffic means that the the car will handle it - it might not.

That's fascinating. While autopilot isn't perfect, I think it's a more relaxing drive to have autopilot on, despite it's shortcomings. I like having an extra set of eyes and hands to help keep me in my lane.

Now summon and automatic lane change, if I had it -- that would wrack my nerves a bit. Would take some getting used to.

 

[Fusil626]

I asked about this the other day as I noticed the same thing and the rep at Tesla told me the adjustment with a merging lane is just the autopilot trying to adjust to the middle of the 2 merging lanes and not to worry as the cameras will still compensate for other cars. I have noticed the on occasion the car will be in autopilot and almost come to a screeching stop and they told me that is due to the cars reaction to shadows....