Anyone not getting Enhanced Autopilot (EAP)?

[slipnslider]

I WAS in the NO EAP camp, until I rented a model 3 for a day and experienced it. I always thought "I like driving so why would I let the car drive?" but it's really pretty cool. Yes it's overpriced for it's current capabilities. $3k would be more fair. I'd pay $2k just for adaptive cruise control. But I went ahead and ordered with EAP because I live in a high traffic city and it makes traffic jams far more bearable. It almost makes driving into a game of sorts. And since I got the LR I'll be taking some road trips, and EAP will be useful then too.

I actually think the current price of EAP makes it more dangerous. When an ignorant consumer pays $5k for a self driving product, they might think it can do more than it is capable of simply because of the price. $5k suggests it can do a lot better than adaptive cruise control plus lane keeping, but that's really all it is. Summon is just a gimmick.

 

[SageBrush]

I've counted the number of cars I pass going in the opposite direction on my commute to work during the 30 mile rural highway portion. It is somewhere around 1 per mile, so it it obvious that old fashioned CC does a pretty good job for me and radar assist is a small marginal benefit if any for a car in front of me. And actually, radar assist is a bad idea in my hands since it encourages my bad habit of settling in behind a truck for improved fuel economy. I gave up a car with radar assisted CC for the Model 3 without, and it has been fine.

Point being, know the driver and the driving conditions, then decide.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

I'm curious to hear from the posters in this thread from a year ago that passed on EAP initially. Did you change your mind a year later?

 

[Foxhound199]

I'm curious to hear from the posters in this thread from a year ago that passed on EAP initially. Did you change your mind a year later?

Nope. And I'll be honest, I'm not really sure I understand the hype. I've still never tried AP, so maybe the free trials they are starting to hand out will change my mind. But I feel less inclined to consider it now than before I bought the car. Why? Because driving it is so damn fun! I feel absolutely indefatigable driving this thing.

 

[Electroman]

And I'll be honest, I'm not really sure I understand the hype

.. so said the person who has never used it..

 

[spyderdawg]

I have been using the autopilot free trial since Saturday and do not regret not purchasing. If my commute were all interstate or stop and go it would be more useful. The 22 mile drive into work is quite exhilarating, just hope I can avoid a speeding ticket.

 

[brkaus]

I have it on my S.

Did not order it with our 3 (wife's car and she's not a fan of technology). Starting to change mind w/ the 30 min stop and go drive 2x per day.

I wish the car came with a free trial and only $500 premium if purchased in the first month.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

I have it on my S.

Did not order it with our 3 (wife's car and she's not a fan of technology). Starting to change mind w/ the 30 min stop and go drive 2x per day.

I wish the car came with a free trial and only $500 premium if purchased in the first month.

It's kind of where I am right now. I luckily have flexible work schedule and try to commute when traffic isn't too bad. Still, traffic on 360 seems to be getting worse every year... That's really the only times I would use it. I (almost) never road trip.

 

[stayfocus18]

Im in the no EAP i have a 12min commute... not worth it for me.

 

[Foxhound199]

.. so said the person who has never used it..

Well, now I've tried it. I wanted to wait to give a full two week review, but unfortunately it only worked for a day and disappeared thereafter. I'll start by saying that TACC is indeed very cool. I might contest that it brakes a little more dramatically than a human driver, and a few times it seemed quite confused how fast it should be going, but overall it was very good and I could easily see myself using it. The remaining features did not seem to have any practical application for me, at least in their current iteration. Most bewildering by far was autosteer. Beyond the novelty of how cool a car that steers itself is, I couldn't figure out why anyone would use it. It took substantially more effort and concentration to focus on exerting just the right about of torque on the wheel for it not to incessantly nag me than I have ever put into actually steering the car myself. I had to correct it at most exits as well. The autopark provides some entertainment value in just how audacious some of the places it suggests to park are. Yet in my office's well marked parking garage, none of the ample number of spots seemed to be deemed suitable. I actually had kept open the possibility of getting autopilot when the federal tax credit came in, but I am no longer interested.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

Well, now I've tried it. I wanted to wait to give a full two week review, but unfortunately it only worked for a day and disappeared thereafter. I'll start by saying that TACC is indeed very cool. I might contest that it brakes a little more dramatically than a human driver, and a few times it seemed quite confused how fast it should be going, but overall it was very good and I could easily see myself using it. The remaining features did not seem to have any practical application for me, at least in their current iteration. Most bewildering by far was autosteer. Beyond the novelty of how cool a car that steers itself is, I couldn't figure out why anyone would use it. It took substantially more effort and concentration to focus on exerting just the right about of torque on the wheel for it not to incessantly nag me than I have ever put into actually steering the car myself. I had to correct it at most exits as well. The autopark provides some entertainment value in just how audacious some of the places it suggests to park are. Yet in my office's well marked parking garage, none of the ample number of spots seemed to be deemed suitable. I actually had kept open the possibility of getting autopilot when the federal tax credit came in, but I am no longer interested.

In newer software version, you can satisfy the autopilot nag with any buttons on the steering wheel.

 

[rachelhikes]

I’m not getting it. I did drive a car on a long drive down I5 the other day that had adaptive cruise control, and it was very nice. But that isn’t something I would much use, and $5,000 is just too much money, given that usage expectation.

The other autopilot features (autosteer, summon, self parking) don’t excite me at all.

 

[Foxhound199]

In newer software version, you can satisfy the autopilot nag with any buttons on the steering wheel.

How often? I felt like I was being nagged about every 10 seconds. I guess the thing I learned in trying it was that steering takes absolutely no conscious effort, and even an incredibly easy conscious task that replaces it feels quite taxing.

 

[drawfour]

Well, now I've tried it. I wanted to wait to give a full two week review, but unfortunately it only worked for a day and disappeared thereafter. I'll start by saying that TACC is indeed very cool. I might contest that it brakes a little more dramatically than a human driver, and a few times it seemed quite confused how fast it should be going, but overall it was very good and I could easily see myself using it. The remaining features did not seem to have any practical application for me, at least in their current iteration. Most bewildering by far was autosteer. Beyond the novelty of how cool a car that steers itself is, I couldn't figure out why anyone would use it. It took substantially more effort and concentration to focus on exerting just the right about of torque on the wheel for it not to incessantly nag me than I have ever put into actually steering the car myself. I had to correct it at most exits as well. The autopark provides some entertainment value in just how audacious some of the places it suggests to park are. Yet in my office's well marked parking garage, none of the ample number of spots seemed to be deemed suitable. I actually had kept open the possibility of getting autopilot when the federal tax credit came in, but I am no longer interested.

To each their own.

I absolutely love EAP. I use TACC most of the drive into work because it can really help with all the stop and go. It also keeps me at the same speed as the car in front. I only have to pay closer attention at stop signs or stop lights, and also some when turning, since it can start to accelerate back up to the set speed if the car in front turns out of the way. But it makes the majority of driving very easy. I also use autosteer, and am amazed at some of the places it works well and some places where it just sucks, but I've always got my hand on the wheel to correct it.

I can't wait to see how it advances. I'm happy I bought it without every having tried it, and I can't wait until FSD starts coming out with features in V9 w/ upgraded CPU. I bought FSD as well.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

How often? I felt like I was being nagged about every 10 seconds. I guess the thing I learned in trying it was that steering takes absolutely no conscious effort, and even an incredibly easy conscious task that replaces it feels quite taxing.

Maybe every 30 seconds? Not sure. I haven't driven the car very much. It's sitting in the garage until the PPF is done in a couple of weeks.

 

[Electroman]

but unfortunately it only worked for a day

So you decided autosteer is useless just trying it for one day perhaps for one trip?

I have said this a few times and will say it again. Getting comfortable with Autosteer is like learning cycling or skating. It will be nerve wracking the first few times, and even after that the extra concentration you are giving will make it seems that it is more stressful than driving yourself.

It takes a while, several trips over many days to slowly get comfortable and understand where Autosteer shines well, and where you need to pay more attention, and where you should absolutely not use it.

When you trying it for the first few times:

- Do not go over speed limit
- Do not drive in the right lane where there are exits.
- Do not drive where there lanes that are not clearly marked
- Do not drive in any place other than highways.

Follow these simple rules for say about 300 to 400 miles of driving, and then you can slowly remove some of those constraints over a period of time and really enjoy this amazing feature. The trick is to learn where it shines - which is close to 90% of freeway driving and a large percentage of backroads too - and use it there. It is one awesome stress reliever.

To me it is like I paid 20k for the car, 10K for the long range and 20k for the AP feature

 

[GTIceman]

I have AP1 on my S and I will get EAP for my 3, just not at delivery

 

[derekmw]

I have AP1 on my S and I will NOT be getting EAP on my 3. lol

It's nice and convenient at times, but not $5k convenient for me. I use it here and there but:
1. My wife hates it after too many odd behaviors that have scared her
2. If you have to switch lanes fairly often on the freeway, it is insanely annoying at times where it just won't switch lanes forever...i end up yanking it to cancel and just switching lanes myself
3. I can't really truly relax since I would normally hold my left hand on steering wheel with elbow on door armrest. Somehow though, the car doens't sense enough pressure and still nags me
4. I get frequent annoying braking because a car in front moved in front of me ahead, or acceleration because it moved out of the way. It's not smooth and I find it annoying...so do all the passengers (except they just assume I suck at driving)
5. There still many areas where lines break or exit lanes cause the car to get slightly confused and swerve slightly before correcting. A bit scary and again annoying

All these annoyances (and there's more) aren't bad enough that I don't use it (I got it for free)...but I definitely wouldn't pay $5k for it...

 

[stayfocus18]

I'm curious to hear from the posters in this thread from a year ago that passed on EAP initially. Did you change your mind a year later?

Nope no regrets... even after having the trial... I really enjoy driving the car myself and my commute is way too short to make use of it.

 

[Foxhound199]

So you decided autosteer is useless just trying it for one day perhaps for one trip?

Thought you might say that. Not sure what else I can say, I didn't request their trial to crap out on me after one day. For the record, I drove for about an hour with autosteer. In that time, I felt it was getting more tedious as time went on. I don't doubt that at some point, the little things you have to do to keep it working right would become second nature. But at least for me, the experience made me realize how really, incredibly easy steering a car is. Now maybe different people are wired a different way and can make good use of this technology. That's great! Because ultimately, what we're moving towards (full self driving) is really cool! But I just don't personally find these iterative steps to add a lot of convenience, other than TACC.