Autopilot and v7 coming this Thursday! (15-10-15)

[brianman]

I think there's a pretty decent chance today's language was just a CYA.

Assuming the software acts as we've seen in the beta videos, the question then becomes will Tesla continue the CYA language even after they stop referring to the software as beta software. And if they keep the language, do we care if the car actually does what we expected it to do in the first place?

Some might make the argument that if Tesla is now (and by now I mean in the future, when the software is out of beta, and assuming they maintain the CYA language) telling is not to use the feature they way they had marketed it, then they have not delivered what they promised. (A familiar refrain around here lately.) Others might argue that Tesla is only leaving the language in place to appease lawmakers, regulators, etc., and it's really just a wink and a nod to us as owners, since the car really does do what they said it would do.

Should things play out as above, I'm not sure which camp I'd fall into, but I think I'd be leaning towards the latter.

There's an ECE spec that talks about "hands on the wheel" with language such as "for at least 7 seconds per driving session." Later "driving session" is defined as "the entire duration of owning the vehicle". So I think they're ok. In Europe.

Too soon?

 

[ecarfan]

Wow, I quite like that display. It tells me my speed, the speed limit of the road I'm on, that my TACC is on, Autopilot is engaged, location of the vehicles ahead and to the side of me, that my headlights are on, my instantaneous power draw, the power draw over a recent time span, the battery state of charge, rated range remaining, and on the right an area I can define. That's a lot of info but it's not confusing.

This is the full screen capture:
View attachment 97762
He wasn't parked or in neutral. He was cruising at 68 MPH.

 

[CmdrThor]

Posted this in the thread about the press kit ..

http://electrek.co/2015/10/14/tesla-reveals-all-the-details-of-its-autopilot-and-its-software-v7-0-slide-presentation-and-audio-conference/

During the presentation, Musk said that in good road conditions “people may (removed their hands from the steering-wheel), but we don’t advise that.”

The presentation emphasized that the system will be a real help in high traffic situations. It works “super-well in gridlock traffic – you can almost take your hands off the wheel…almost…some people will”

 

[Chasedrgc1223]

I don't think so... It seems as if there is some type of side radar or sonar as shown in the side collision warning page. There are fluid lines radiating from the front and rear, but that also may just be some sort of calculation done when it is first detected by the rear radar, though I doubt it.

 

[R²B]

Posted this in the thread about the press kit ..

http://electrek.co/2015/10/14/tesla-reveals-all-the-details-of-its-autopilot-and-its-software-v7-0-slide-presentation-and-audio-conference/

Good, cleared that up then.

 

[gsxdsm]

Thanks!

 

[Max*]

I don't think so... It seems as if there is some type of side radar or sonar as shown in the side collision warning page. There are fluid lines radiating from the front and rear, but that also may just be some sort of calculation done when it is first detected by the rear radar, though I doubt it.

There is no rear-radar. And the all-around sensors are the parking sonar sensors, nor radar. They can't see as far.

 

[brianman]

If Tesla's auto steer requires more than just occasional touching of the wheel to maintain auto steer then this is not what I bought, not what was advertised, and I'll demand my money back. Guess we'll find out for sure tomorrow.

considering that's the law in all 50 states, good luck.

Funny things you can find in a search engine...

Are drivers legally required to keep hands on the wheel? - Seattle 911 A Police and Crime Blog

Q: The other day I was driving behind an SUV that was swerving and varying speeds. The driver and others in the car appeared to be moving their hands quite a bit.

Upon closer examination, I noticed they were using sign language.

I don’t discriminate by nature, but I am wondering if this is OK? In other words, are you required to keep hands on the wheel?

A: From State Patrol Trooper Dan McDonald.
There is no law against removing your hands from the steering wheel or using sign language while driving.

With that being said, the driver’s primary responsibility is to drive and maintain constant control of the vehicle.

If someone is unable to maintain control of their vehicle while communicating in sign language then the appropriate enforcement would be taken on the moving violations that are committed: unsafe lane travel, unsafe lane change, no turn signal, following too close, speed, etc.

 

[Coiled]

Yeah.... I'm not going to hold me breath on this one!

+1000. Not going to be fooled into believing any time estimates on this one.

It will be super-nice if/when they can eventually pull it off though.

 

[Stoneymonster]

I don't think so... It seems as if there is some type of side radar or sonar as shown in the side collision warning page. There are fluid lines radiating from the front and rear, but that also may just be some sort of calculation done when it is first detected by the rear radar, though I doubt it.

What is this in reference to? There is only one radar, in the front.

 

[green1]

Wow, I quite like that display. It tells me my speed, the speed limit of the road I'm on, that my TACC is on, Autopilot is engaged, location of the vehicles ahead and to the side of me, that my headlights are on, my instantaneous power draw, the power draw over a recent time span, the battery state of charge, rated range remaining, and on the right an area I can define. That's a lot of info but it's not confusing.

Your screenshot is out of date, the new one removes half the info in the power graph and still take up a third of the display to do what used to be part of the centre gauge.

 

[Stoneymonster]

There is no rear-radar. And the all-around sensors are the parking sonar sensors, nor radar. They can't see as far.

I wouldn't necessarily characterize them as parking sensors, they have far greater range (which in the X reveal they seem to imply they had increased).

 

[Andyw2100]

There's an ECE spec that talks about "hands on the wheel" with language such as "for at least 7 seconds per driving session." Later "driving session" is defined as "the entire duration of owning the vehicle". So I think they're ok. In Europe.

Too soon?

We need to get vgrinshpun's interpretation of it. He'll know what it means for sure!

 

[R²B]

From Electrek.co

This afternoon Tesla CEO Elon Musk held a press conference to explain the Autopilot features included in the update v7.0, which the company will start releasing tomorrow to Model S owners.If you have been following our coverage of the beta Autopilot, you have a good idea of the capabilities of the system, but Musk revealed a few more details and explained Tesla’s approach to the release.
Tesla will start releasing the update tonight in North America, but the roll-out could take a few days. Europe and Asia will follow in a few weeks. Musk says that Tesla has a fleet of 60,000 cars with the Autopilot hardware ready to receive the software.The company is being extremely careful in the way it is releasing the update. They are still calling the version a “beta” and they are asking drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel while using ‘Autosteer’:

Tesla requires drivers to remain engaged and aware when Autosteer is enabled. Drivers must keep their hands on the steering wheel.
​

During the presentation, Musk said that in good road conditions “people may (removed their hands from the steering-wheel), but we don’t advise that.”
When we tested the early access version of the Autopilot, the Model S would only ask the driver to hold the steering-wheel when the system momentarily didn’t have enough data to calculate the projected road, but we could technically drive without touching the wheel on the highway.
The main point differentiating Tesla’s Autopilot from driving assist systems from other manufacturers is the fact that all cars are connected to each others and learn from each driver.
Musk referred to each Model S owners as an “expert trainer”, which will feed the collective network intelligence of the fleet simply by driving the vehicle on the Autopilot.
Every week the system should get better by updating the driving algorithm. Musk said that Model S owners could add ~1 million miles of new data every day.
The presentation emphasized that the system will be a real help in high traffic situations. It works “super-well in gridlock traffic – you can almost take your hands off the wheel…almost…some people will”
The CEO referred to using the Autopilot as “quite a profound experience” on a number of occasions throughout the call and thins this is a milestone in the evolution of automobiles.
Tesla currently has a team of about 50 employees working on the software of the Autopilot, while a team of 100 people have been working on the hardware package. The whole company has surpassed 14,000 employees worldwide.

 

[Lex]

The presentation emphasized that the system will be a real help in high traffic situations. It works “super-well in gridlock traffic – you can almost take your hands off the wheel…almost…some people will” Musk said.

In case I forgot why I love this man... he always seems to find a way to CYA and get real info out.

 

[Joel]

http://www.wired.com/2015/10/tesla-self-driving-over-air-update-live/

Obviously, there are legal reasons that Tesla can’t let you just go totally hands free: There are different regulations all over the country, and stricter ones in Europe, where the company has a large consumer base. TL;DR, this is Tesla’s way of keeping you responsible for your car (and keeping lawyers off its back). Still, it’s a fairly aggressive attitude. “Regulators need to see clear evidence that the reliability is there,” says Musk. “It works almost to the point where you can take your hands off,” Musk laughs, “but we won’t say that. Almost.”

 

[LetsGoFast]

I love the "start releasing tonight to North America" talk. Time to monitor the sniffer for a big download.

 

[Coiled]

Elon: Autopilot drives better. Human drivers drift out of their lane more often than AP.

Daniel Sparks

Implying that AP does sometimes drift/malfunction, presumably.

 

[RubberToe]

"The main point differentiating Tesla’s Autopilot from driving assist systems from other manufacturers is the fact that all cars are connected to each others and learn from each driver. Musk referred to each Model S owners as an “expert trainer”, which will feed the collective network intelligence of the fleet simply by driving the vehicle on the Autopilot. Every week the system should get better by updating the driving algorithm. Musk said that Model S owners could add ~1 million miles of new data every day."

Auto evolving algorithm based on what every driver experiences. Perfect!

Didn't see that aspect coming. That is the game changer...

RT

 

[Chasedrgc1223]

Tesla press conference for the Autopilot v7.0 software - YouTube
Full conference call.