Adaptive Cruise Control

[AnOutsider]

Having played with it, I would have liked it, but it's not a huge deal breaker. I'd imagine though, that a well-designed ev-specific ACC would get really good range by keeping the car at an efficient speed and using regen when needing to slow down.

 

[widodh]

As far as I know there are quite some patents involved with ACC. I know that Bosch for example has build a ACC which they deliver to Mercedes and maybe Audi and BMW as well.

Could be that Tesla wanted to build it in, but could do so patent wise?

 

[Robert.Boston]

I still think that anyone who puts a car into cruise control in the middle of traffic is endangering not only their lives but the lives of others on the road. But clearly my view is not commonly held.

Wido, I'm sure that Tesla could license the tech from Bosch, and probably buy the whole package from Mercedes. The latter seems the most straightforward, so that all of the extensive learning and testing that has gone into Mercedes' proven product doesn't need to be replicated by Tesla. Even so, I imagine that significant mods will be required to take into account the two options for decelerating (regen and braking).

 

[Doug_G]

This was the deal-breaker for me. Lack of adaptive cruise control is the sole reason that I'm not buying a Model S.

Funny. I'll miss my G37's adaptive cruise control, sure. But there are a bunch of things I really miss when driving the G37, compared to the Roadster:

• Instantaneous torque control and smooth, quiet acceleration
• Periodically the dual clutch transmission preselects the wrong gear, and I have to wait what seems like an eternity for anything to happen. When it preselects correctly I merely have to wait a long time. Surprisingly frustrating for someone used to an EV.
• When you accelerate hard the thing really roars (deliberate tuning on Nissan/Infiniti's part, I'm told... geez, was almost a deal-breaker when I bought it).
• I keep having to go to this anachronistic smelly thing called a "gas station" and freeze my butt sloshing expensive liquid into it. For some reason I can't top it up in my garage every night.

I'd trade any single one of those bullet points for the adaptive cruise control.

 

[AnOutsider]

I still think that anyone who puts a car into cruise control in the middle of traffic is endangering not only their lives but the lives of others on the road. But clearly my view is not commonly held.

While I'm sure people do it, ACC is not designed primarily for stop and go traffic. It's meant for cruising. It's very useful, for example, when I'm cruising back from NYC and there's a truck or something that merges temporarily into my lane. Rather than hitting the brakes and disabling cruise control the car automatically slows down and keeps me a safe distance back. As soon as that car moves from my lane the car accelerates back to previous cruising speed.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I still think that anyone who puts a car into cruise control in the middle of traffic is endangering not only their lives but the lives of others on the road. But clearly my view is not commonly held.

You are not alone. From Autoblog:

Adaptive Cruise Control has been around for over a decade, but one issue with the system is that it just keeps track of the vehicle ahead. Nissan's Predictive Warning system takes the concept to the next level.

Using the same radar-based sensor mounted in the front bumper, the system detects the second vehicle ahead by extending the radar's range underneath the vehicle directly in front. If that vehicle doesn't brake in time the system alerts the driver with an audible warning, and when the driver directly ahead swerves out of the way, both an audible and visual warning alerts the driver of an impending collision and pretensions the seat belts. While Predictive Forward Collision doesn't brake for the driver, linking the ABS wouldn't be difficult, as you can see in the second demonstration in the video above. And before you ask, the system can still detect the second vehicle in line, even if the Civic directly in front suffers from a terminally low stance.

http://youtu.be/FjZTPtqGQfg

 

[brianman]

Wido, I'm sure that Tesla could license the tech from Bosch, and probably buy the whole package from Mercedes. The latter seems the most straightforward, so that all of the extensive learning and testing that has gone into Mercedes' proven product doesn't need to be replicated by Tesla.

Also, they have an established relationship with Mercedes already.

 

[Robert.Boston]

While I'm sure people do it, ACC is not designed primarily for stop and go traffic. It's meant for cruising. It's very useful, for example, when I'm cruising back from NYC and there's a truck or something that merges temporarily into my lane. Rather than hitting the brakes and disabling cruise control the car automatically slows down and keeps me a safe distance back. As soon as that car moves from my lane the car accelerates back to previous cruising speed.

I can see that use; it's when people talk about using it in LA traffic that I get queasy.

 

[ibcs]

Well, it's definitely not a deal breaker for me. Traffic in Ohio is light most of the time. Setting the cruise on the way to Columbus or Cincinnati would have been a nice feature. After reading the details of what is involved, I'm not surprised at all they decided not to include it in the first release.

 

[engle]

I specifically asked one of the engineers about ACC at the Oct. factory event. I was told they are working on ACC and it would be available as an option later on down the road, but definitely not at introduction. He said right now they were focused on getting all the unique-to-Tesla EV technology you won't find on an ICE vehicle working, first. Agree it would require several Betas and lots of testing under many different scenarios to make sure ACC works 100%. They can't afford the brand image damage if the software crashed and somebody using ACC rear-ended a car!

I have Mercedes ACC, called "Distronic PLUS with Pre-Safe Braking" on my 2011 E350 Bluetec (boring) sedan. It works fine and I use it all the time. I read somewhere their ACC is supplied by Bosch. My guess is Tesla would use the same system. When I test drove this vehicle, the salesperson wouldn't let me test the ACC, because he was afraid he would lose his job if it didn't work and I crashed the car!

 

[AnOutsider]

When I test drove this vehicle, the salesperson wouldn't let me test the ACC, because he was afraid he would lose his job if it didn't work and I crashed the car!

When we got it on the car we have, the salesperson on the test drive told me to leave it on as I approached a light and "watch it magically take over for you". It didn't. I ended up hitting the brakes before he even realized that the car wouldn't. It's a great tool, but far from an autonomous experience.

 

[Doug_G]

When we got it on the car we have, the salesperson on the test drive told me to leave it on as I approached a light and "watch it magically take over for you". It didn't. I ended up hitting the brakes before he even realized that the car wouldn't. It's a great tool, but far from an autonomous experience.

Yeah, my G37's adaptive cruise has failed to do its job a couple of times now. The problem with the technology is that you could be lulled into a false sense of security and be caught off guard when it fails to see a car. Especially on a long trip, when you're tired and a bit mesmerized by hours of continuous driving.

Sure, it's convenient when it works; you don't have to shut off your cruise when some goofball cuts in front of you and slows down. Many cars don't resume accurately so you have to fiddle with it every time. And it's much easier to set to the speed you want because it's got a target speed readout.

I find that latter feature just as helpful as the adaptive part. Probably wouldn't require a lot of engineering to have an accurate target speed display on a conventional cruise control...

 

[Robert.Boston]

Many cars don't resume accurately so you have to fiddle with it every time. And it's much easier to set to the speed you want because it's got a target speed readout.

I find that latter feature just as helpful as the adaptive part. Probably wouldn't require a lot of engineering to have an accurate target speed display on a conventional cruise control...

BMW's non-ACC cruise control does a great job with this. When you set the CC speed, a hand sweeps to a position on the speedometer and stays there even if you suspend the CC.

 

[jkirkebo]

BMW's non-ACC cruise control does a great job with this. When you set the CC speed, a hand sweeps to a position on the speedometer and stays there even if you suspend the CC.

Even the Leaf have a target speed readout; in the middle of the instrument cluster. Also it resumes very accurately. I don't feel any need for ACC in the Leaf.

 

[Mycroft]

I think it was the regen braking that is causing the delay for ACC. Otherwise, they would have used the Mercedes system and charged $2,500 for the option.

 

[DaveVa]

After driving the Model S for the last month, the one feature I really miss is the ACC. The current cruise control is excellent with a digital display of what the desired speed is (white arrow on speedometer) and the ability to adjust that target by 1 or 5 miles in either direction. The regenerative braking works great with the system in that it slows the car effectively to lower speed when clicking down and the acceleration is mild (slightly pokey) but very efficient (based upon the energy use screen)when clicking up. You can effectively drive using the CC stalk on highways much of the time. In order to add a mild version of ACC (not full stop) all that would be required is basically a sensor (radar or laser) to automatically adjust the target speed to that of the vehicle ahead. I hope this is in the works and would really want to retrofit my car.

 

[Doug_G]

I agree, ACC is the one "luxury" feature that I will really miss in the Model S. Given the powerful and quiet drive train, it could be difficult to keep the car in the desired speed band without constantly looking at the speedometer.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

I agree, ACC is the one "luxury" feature that I will really miss in the Model S. Given the powerful and quiet drive train, it could be difficult to keep the car in the desired speed band without constantly looking at the speedometer.

I don't think that ACC is a "luxury" feature since it concerns safety. I would rather consider it a necessary option. I would also prefer the full stop ACC rather than a mild ACC version. I think that when it comes to safety it is better to take any possible precaution.

 

[EV_de]

2014 will be the "precrash safety system" required in the EU , which is basicly a fullstop ACC ...
... So by End of 2013 Tesla should be Ready ...

 

[darthy001]

2014 will be the "precrash safety system" required in the EU , which is basicly a fullstop ACC ...
... So by End of 2013 Tesla should be Ready ...

Is this correct?

I thought I had read 2015 on that subject. If 2014 is indeed correct I might try to defer delivery on my S until this is implemented.