I have an AP1 and am considering upgrading to a slightly newer AP2.0 . what is the current difference in function in the UK? I know about the US but I would like to know about the UK functionality as it is different.
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AP1 vs AP2.0 in the UK
- Thread starter 4EVar
- Start date
Terry_B58
Member
I have no experience of AP1, but AP2 has been getting a lot better recently (as in over the last 6 months). It's still missing speed sign recognition, but otherwise I would imagine it is now well ahead of AP1 in terms of its driving algorithms and situational awareness. But in terms of basic functionality, nothing much has changed in the UK. It makes no use of navigation or on/off ramp capability like it now has in the US. Lane changing has recently improved with now just a brief prod of the indicator stalk to initiate a lane change, rather than the full engagement it used to require. It also works now on pretty much any dual carriageway, not just motorways. Not sure how AP1 compares though. There is also blind spot detection and warning now when you signal to change lanes.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Personally I would miss that - particularly on Motorways with variable speed limits.
is the speed limit database (for AP2) still lousy? AP1 notes the change as soon as you go, for example, from 30 MPH into 40 MPH ... but if you just come out of a zone it can take "a while" to show what the actual "national speed limit" is for the stretch of road that you are on
Terry_B58
Member
AP2 will only 'note' the speed from the Nav database. If TACC is active, the car will slow down to 'follow' the speed change BUT this time it takes means you are actually speeding as it takes quite a bit of distance to drop the speed. This is the critical area where mobile speed cameras get you.
If the speed limit increases, TACC does not increase the speed, but it does 'allow' you to manually increase it with the stalk. Any speed limit 60 and below TACC will not let you select a higher speed.
Actually TACC on AP2 does increase the speed as long as you were going faster before you engaged TACC. If you’re doing 60, it changes to 30, then back to 60 if it was engaged in the first 60 it will go back after the 30. If engaged at 30 it will keep doing 30. You can specify an offset up to I think +5 mph over the speed limit for TACC.
Does AP2 actually change your speed on TACC when the speed limit changes? AP1 recognises the speed limits beautifully but doesn't actually adjust the speed of the car accordingly when the speed limit changes. (unless I'm doing something wrong).
It seems like functionally, it's on a par with AP1 which is interesting, seeing as its been out for over 2 years now in the UK. Are we expecting any amazing functionality to hit the UK any time soon? Anything to make use of all the extra hardware and cameras? I'm really trying to justify the cost of an upgrade to myself. Lol. (it'll probably be at least 15K to change cars)
Terry_B58
Member
Never noticed the increase as I always cancel it when in a 30 zone, must give it a try one day.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I don't know exactly how this works ... but I think it's better, somewhat
, than your description.If I put AP1 (probably just TACC actually) on on a single carriageway A Road at 60MPH then when i come into a 30 MPH village the car will slow (immediately it passes the sign, but not before, so "somewhat illegal") and when I come out of the village it will speed back up to 60 MPH (regardles of whether that is appropriate for the road conditions! although it will slow to tight bends etc). Pretty sure it will do the same for multiple zones such as 60, 40, 30 ... 40, 60
If I am on Dual Carriageway at 70+3MPH and come into temporary 50 MPH roadworks the Dashboard will show the correct speed limit, but TACC does NOT adjust the speed.
Or that's how it seems to me ...
Not sure what causes the difference between the two as the only time I drive on TACC on A-roads is when experimenting, I don't use it in normal A-Road driving ... and 99% of my driving is on dual carriageway, and then I'm on AP, so I don't have enough experience to have figured out the difference and exactly how it behaves.
I see it slightly more rose-tinted
AP1 was amazing (I've had mine 3 years, and that was about when it came out, nothing else on the road had anything approaching it ...) it then got better over the initial months.Tesla fell out with their AP1 supplier, MobileEye, and brought out AP2 (well ... failed to bring it out for nearly 12 months ...)
So basically Tesla have developed, from scratch, what we now have in AP2 in a couple of years. I am sure it isn't quite that amazing - they must have had development prior to the launch, and they had shed-loads of actual logged data, but they were not expecting to fall out with MobileEye so dramatically that they wound up with nothing, so were forced to accelerate the development.
Such a huge proportion of my driving is dual carriageway, mile after mile of "just carry on carrying on"
that current tech is all I need. I assume that part is the low-hanging-fruit hence significant improvements are taking a long time : currently just "stay in lane" - although obviously it has to not run into anything, and has gained the ability to dodge side encroachment, and get a radar signal under the car in front to start braking even if the car in front fails too ...I also use it for bumper-to-bumper and stop-start in town, but I expect that's relatively easy too ... but I do have to disengage AP when I get to the front of the queue otherwise I will just blindly follow the car in front out onto the junction / roundabout
AP1 is still a bit wobbly over-crest (AP2 probably better in that situation)Navigation in town and taking the right off-ramp and so on isn't going to make any difference to me, so my only interest is curiosity. I already tell everyone "The car drives itself of course" so the car actually being able to do that won't give me any more bragging rights!
Further benefits, for me, are:
more potential accident scenarios avoided - i.e. like the radar-under-car-in-front and side-intrusion - improving my personal safety
Drive itself from A-to-B on its own. Sending the car to ferry my aged father-in-law around the countryside roads would be much, much, better than him driving himself at his age. And I will save time of, currently, picking him up for a meal.
Whether the Candlestick maker in town will develop a business model to just put customer's requests into their unoccupied cars, when they rock up, who knows
Yodel and Tesco etc. all come here already for that type of business ... so maybe not needed.Fully-Self-driving-taxis ... now that is a massive £££ market for Tesla
Thank you for the detailed reply. I can't get it to reduce speed when the speed limit reduces. Unless the car in front slows down, obviously.I don't know exactly how this works ... but I think it's better, somewhat
If I put AP1 (probably just TACC actually) on on a single carriageway A Road at 60MPH then when i come into a 30 MPH village the car will slow (immediately it passes the sign, but not before, so "somewhat illegal") and when I come out of the village it will speed back up to 60 MPH (regardles of whether that is appropriate for the road conditions! although it will slow to tight bends etc). Pretty sure it will do the same for multiple zones such as 60, 40, 30 ... 40, 60
If I am on Dual Carriageway at 70+3MPH and come into temporary 50 MPH roadworks the Dashboard will show the correct speed limit, but TACC does NOT adjust the speed.
Or that's how it seems to me ...
Not sure what causes the difference between the two as the only time I drive on TACC on A-roads is when experimenting, I don't use it in normal A-Road driving ... and 99% of my driving is on dual carriageway, and then I'm on AP, so I don't have enough experience to have figured out the difference and exactly how it behaves.
I see it slightly more rose-tinted
Tesla fell out with their AP1 supplier, MobileEye, and brought out AP2 (well ... failed to bring it out for nearly 12 months ...)
So basically Tesla have developed, from scratch, what we now have in AP2 in a couple of years. I am sure it isn't quite that amazing - they must have had development prior to the launch, and they had shed-loads of actual logged data, but they were not expecting to fall out with MobileEye so dramatically that they wound up with nothing, so were forced to accelerate the development.
Such a huge proportion of my driving is dual carriageway, mile after mile of "just carry on carrying on"
I also use it for bumper-to-bumper and stop-start in town, but I expect that's relatively easy too ... but I do have to disengage AP when I get to the front of the queue otherwise I will just blindly follow the car in front out onto the junction / roundabout
Navigation in town and taking the right off-ramp and so on isn't going to make any difference to me, so my only interest is curiosity. I already tell everyone "The car drives itself of course" so the car actually being able to do that won't give me any more bragging rights!
Further benefits, for me, are:
more potential accident scenarios avoided - i.e. like the radar-under-car-in-front and side-intrusion - improving my personal safety
Drive itself from A-to-B on its own. Sending the car to ferry my aged father-in-law around the countryside roads would be much, much, better than him driving himself at his age. And I will save time of, currently, picking him up for a meal.
Whether the Candlestick maker in town will develop a business model to just put customer's requests into their unoccupied cars, when they rock up, who knows
Fully-Self-driving-taxis ... now that is a massive £££ market for Tesla
I get that Tesla did a great job starting from scratch with AP2 coding, but I'm really looking at it from the point of view of current functionality differences, regardless of the challenges faced by the company. And whether it's worth the money to go to AP2.
so far, it doesn't seem like much difference exists.
I'm pretty sure TACC (in AP2) doesn't alter your speed for different speed limits. I could have sworn it only does this when in AS too? I'll test it next time. When in AS it definitely does follow speed limits, both down and up - but the latter only up to the speed limit originally set when AS was initiated (as explained in post #6). Has to be in AS though I think, not just TACC alone. For me TACC ignores speed limits entirely.
Terry_B58
Member
You are correct, it is when Auto Pilot is fully engaged (blue steering wheel), not just TACC
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
I agree. I had an AP2 Loaner last Autumn. I tried it on the back roads (centre line only) and it had less tendency to follow the openings into farm field gates! than AP1. I reckon AP2 Autopilot was somewhat better than AP1, but on dual carriageway I doubt I would notice the difference. (Not sure if AP2 is more reliable to change-lane-on-signal, I've never figured out what makes AP1 sometimes do it "instantly" and sometimes "too slow" or "not at all". Long journey yesterday and I had significant stretches of "instant" followed by long stretches of "not at all". The Bing-Bong when I manually change lanes is a bit annoying for passengers, but its most definitely a 1st World Problem type thingie
AP2.5 (or AP3 or whatever it is called) will do that lane-change by itself ... no idea if I would be prepared to abdicate responsibility at that level yet ...
Speed Sign Recognition is either something you would miss .. or not.
Thank you for all your comments people. Still unsure whether it's worth the upgrade. If I switch for one with a bigger battery and it happens to have AP2 then I may go for it.
