16.2 Near Collision w/ Auto Lane Change

[Jazz_MIII]

Now if only we could use autopilot to navigate around potholes... Glad you are ok and you were able to brake accordingly! I am curious as to why the sensors didn't pick up on the car braking in front of you and at least help slow you down more quickly prior to you having to use the brakes...

 

[Kant.Ing]

Because some genius think the blinkers or braking light shouldn't be trusted, or it can't tell brightness or the sensor flickers.

 

[mswlogo]

Not sure if this has already been discussed but I have two comments. I assume this is "no confirm" lane change. It's a classic.

1) Did you have your foot on the throttle, because it should have slowed down when it abandoned. But if your foot was touching throttle you are overriding the speed control.

2) I have learned every single time the Car abandons a lane change it's because I didn't have my hand on the wheel firmly enough. When I first used Change Lane with no confirm, this abandoning would happen more often than not. It does not work the same when "no confirm" is off.

When no confirm is off when you hit the blinker you can relax your hand and let it change lanes with no nag or abandonment.
When no confirm is on when it starts to change lanes you must have a firm grip through out the lane change, if you don't, it will abandon.

Once I got the hang of it, it has never abandoned since. But it is very confusing to your muscle memory because the behavior is quite different. You can have firm grip with no confirm off, but it's instinctively smoother to relax it, and let it change the lane. But with no confirm on you must maintain tension while it moves the wheel throughout the lane change (it's not instinctively natural). It ends up being "more work" and somewhat pointless IMHO. I might as well change lanes myself if I have to keep consistent tension on it (as the wheel moves) on every lane change. It tension during a turn is awkward and not the same as tension while just holding a lane.

I gave up on it. It's more relaxing to have no confirm off. And then I don't like it's lane change suggestions (especially when the road is busy), so I only use AP now (NoA off). It never abandons a lane change and never makes bad suggestions (because it doesn't make any). And tends to change lanes more promptly after I request it with the blinker. NoA is way to slow (confirm or no confirm) which can also create situations that can a real abandonment, because it's to late (which might have been the OP's case as well).

 

[pitabun]

@mswlogo, no foot on the throttle. Also I've never experienced Tesla abandoning an active lane change because of misplaced hands.
It does alert you before making the change but never during, at least with me.

I've also had this feature enabled since release and was quite comfortable with letting it do its thing with a glance here, and a look there. Of course at that time I was less comfortable and more alert because traffic.

 

[GolanB]

@mswlogo, no foot on the throttle. Also I've never experienced Tesla abandoning an active lane change because of misplaced hands.
It does alert you before making the change but never during, at least with me.

I've also had this feature enabled since release and was quite comfortable with letting it do its thing with a glance here, and a look there. Of course at that time I was less comfortable and more alert because traffic.

I've also never experienced an aborted lane change because of misplaced hands - only that it won't initiate one unless its recently gotten confirmation that your hands are on the wheel.

@pitabun I am curious - when this happened, do you recall getting alerted from the forward collision warning system? How do you have this set? I'm assuming the emergency braking system did not engage and that you handled the braking entirely on your own?

The reason I am asking is that I'm wondering whether or not the Tesla missed the collision warning (simple explanation).

It makes me wonder what the logic map looks like for lane change, and whether or not the branch ends too early (for lane aborts) and does not do any of the predictive analysis that it usually would had it not tried to switch lanes first.

Sorry about the mild attempt of ascii art:

Initiate Lane Change - Is Lane Clear?-Yes-Change

|​

No-Is original Lane Clear?-Yes-Revert to Original Lane.

|
No-Slow down to safely revert to Original Lane​

I'm assuming something like this exists in the code, but for whatever reason, it did not engage properly. There might need to be another branch there that deals with a condition where the car cannot safely revert to its original lane and has to make an evasive maneuver.

 

[mswlogo]

I've also had this feature enabled since release and was quite comfortable with letting it do its thing with a glance here, and a look there. Of course at that time I was less comfortable and more alert because traffic.

Not in my experience. It would abandon left and right all over. Once I learned to keep a little tension during lane change it was fine. It was not enough to just be "recent" like maintain lane needs. It needed to know your hands were in control at the time of lane change and even through it. At least that's what I found.

I have not tried it a while, maybe it's improved. When it wanted to change lanes didn't help either so I just shut NoA off.

 

[Artax]

Probably because EAP is explicitly not for use with oncoming or cross traffic


Why do people keep using the system in places it's not supposed to be used at all and then acting surprised when it doesn't work right?



I'd suggest reading the owners manual so you can learn not to have even turned in on in places it's not intended to be used.

EAPs base assumption is you are on a divided highway with all cars going in the same direction, no cross traffic or pedestrians, and the only way people enter or exit that road is on/off ramps.

Interesting point, but then I have to wonder why the option is presented if I am not supposed to use it?

 

[Knightshade]

Interesting point, but then I have to wonder why the option is presented if I am not supposed to use it?

Because Tesla is assuming you actually read the warnings in the owners manual, and/or the screen you have to click on to agree to activate AP at all, and/or the warnings when you turn it on every time....and as such you, the driver, the one who is told every time he uses it is ultimately responsible will only turn in on in situations it's intended to be used for.

 

[Artax]

Because Tesla is assuming you actually read the warnings in the owners manual, and/or the screen you have to click on to agree to activate AP at all, and/or the warnings when you turn it on every time....and as such you, the driver, the one who is told every time he uses it is ultimately responsible will only turn in on in situations it's intended to be used for.

Thanks for speaking for Tesla. Yes, I am probably just stupid, but doesn't answer the question '...why the option is presented if I am not supposed to use it?'.

 

[Knightshade]

Thanks for speaking for Tesla. Yes, I am probably just stupid, but doesn't answer the question '...why the option is presented if I am not supposed to use it?'.

Why will your car let you drive it off a cliff if you're not supposed to?

 

[Artax]

Why will your car let you drive it off a cliff if you're not supposed to?

You are missing the point... and your condescension is not helpful.

 

[Knightshade]

You are missing the point...

I'm really not.

You're not supposed to use AP in those situations. The manual clearly tells you it's not intended for use in such situations.

The fact it "lets" you do something that's dangerous and that the MFG of the car explicitly states it's not intended to do doesn't change the fact it's dangerous and you should not be doing it.

THAT is the point.


And that's why it's so frustrating that not a week (sometimes not a day) goes by that we don't have yet another person come in here, having not read the manual or any of the messages they clicked "I agree" on, all of which tell them this stuff- complaining that "EAP screwed up" when they really mean they screwed up using it someplace it's not intended to be used.