The OP can thank me for not ripping into the inflammatory and irresponsible title of this post; regardless, it has engendered at least some productive commentary.
The subsequent collective posts also are suggestive that, at one level, the plural of anecdotes can at least sometimes truly
be data. Here is mine:
- Yesterday our AP2 Chitty Chitty Shush Shush navigated the 45 miles of a narrow, tight-curved, and moderately steep road.
- It traverses one of the most beautiful stretches of high Sonoran Desert on this planet (otherwise scarcely relevant to this discussion, other than that it provided the reason for performing the rest of the test)
- In that I consider myself fairly familiar with the driving habits of central Arizona's Tesla owners, I can reasonably state it never has been "mapped" (i.e., navigated) by an AP2 vehicle. There is a fairly good likelihood no AP1 car also ever has been on it. It has been navigated, twice, by our AP0 Audiemobile.
- The vehicle's driver was a long-time Mercedes technician who - because long since he became at least as sheltered an Alaskan troglodyte as I - never had even seen any Tesla before, let alone driven in one. I gave him the wheel once we reached this road, and showed him how to engage self-driving
- A safety feature of importance to me (passenger, vehicle owner, reasonably responsible citizen, &c) is that this road is supremely lightly trafficked, other than at mine shift changes. We encountered three vehicles during our drive. I could find a better road than this in Alaska - longer, yet more challenging, lighter traffic - but I'm not there at present so this had to suffice
- Speed limit on the entire length of the road is 35mph, with appropriate yellow "caution" speed reductions at the appropriate curves. Perfect for AP2 at this time.
The result of this test: the vehicle performed perfectly, with the sole exception of one moment when both fog line and center line disappeared and Chitty Chitty hesitated and wandered for a driver-required two-second or so length of time. She hugged the track; she decelerated appropriately at curves and hill crests, there was, other than the aforementioned exception, no time when she was not driving at least as well as any human could drive.
And...my Teutonic friend, who prior to this visit - and this test - had absolutely no intention ever of so doing - ordered a Model 3 last night.
Anyone who wishes to replicate these results is encouraged to traverse the Bagdad Mine Road. Prickly pear blossoms are out and the saguaros will be blooming shortly; this winter's rains have liquified its many stream channels and greened the hillsides to perfection; desert wildflowers are burgeoning daily. The drive provides
superb testimony to AP2's effectiveness as of March, 2017.
