Autopilot clarification?

[Gloor]

Hello guys,

can I get some clarification on the AP feature (not the FSD)?

Its my understanding that AP works just like FSD except its just in a lane. It won't drive from address to address but if I'm on a highway it will drive itself just like FSD, correct? All I need is to keep being aware and ready to take over but other than that nothing is really required. The car will drive itself.

Does AP include the collision warning, emergency breaking etc.? On Tesla website its in a section just under they talk about FSD so I don't know if thats still to FSD or overall.

I'm getting M3 with AP but not the FSD so I want to be clear about my expectations and also understand the tech I will have.

If I'm not on a highway but I'm on a road and that road goes 40 miles and I'm not leaving it does that mean that AP will drive those 40 miles for me? Because technically I will still be in the lane. What happens if I get to a crossroad (with or without lights) but I still keep going straight? Will the car ask me to take over or does that fall under 'staying in lane' and it will drive itself?

Can someone answer this (maybe basic) question, please?

 

[Az_Rael]

All safety features (collision warning, auto emergency braking, etc) are included in all Tesla cars.

Autopilot is like an enhanced lane keep system. It will keep you in your lane and combined with the radar cruise control (traffic aware cruise) it will brake for slowing cars in front. The system is currently only recommended for use on freeways and highways without lights or cross traffic. You can engage the system on other roads, but it may act unexpectedly. It will not react to light or stop signs and may not react to stopped traffic ahead if you are traveling quickly. In intersections it may behave very erratically when the lane lines disappear.

So, on the freeway, it will keep you in your lane and will brake for slower cars. You will have to disengage to change lanes with basic AP. It is a great fatigue reducer on long freeway trips. I do not recommend using it on surface streets - it is too unpredictable.


If you really want all the ins and outs of AP before buying your car, download a copy of the manual and read the AP sections. https://www.tesla.com/content/dam/tesla/Ownership/Own/Model 3 Owners Manual.pdf

 

[JulienW]

Also keep in mind you will not get ANY new features as they are rolled out like full city driving/stopping at red lights/stop signs later this year (Elon time). Also you won't get Summons and Advanced Summons should be out in an update or two.

 

[Leafdriver333]

AP will limit your speed to 5mph over the limit if you are not on a freeway.

 

[Gloor]

Also keep in mind you will not get ANY new features as they are rolled out like full city driving/stopping at red lights/stop signs later this year (Elon time). Also you won't get Summons and Advanced Summons should be out in an update or two.

I thought summon was included in AP. Hmm, ok, I'll walk to it then

 

[Twiglett]

I thought summon was included in AP. Hmm, ok, I'll walk to it then

It was part of EAP not AP

 

[animorph]

Basic AP is not like freeway FSD. It is not as smart as FSD should be and does require hand(s)-on-wheel supervision. But it is good for offloading the steering and following tasks from the driver. Be careful thinking of AP as FSD, driving itself, or drive for me. There are plenty of cases it can't handle, and you are officially the responsible driver. I have one hand on the wheel. I can feel what it's doing and instantly correct it. I have my foot over the accelerator, where I can accelerate (when it "phantom brakes") or hit the brakes (when it looks like it might not stop fast enough). But my attention can be further down the road, and if there is nothing unusual going on I can look at the scenery a bit. Much easier than making little steering and speed corrections, or using dumb cruise control.

The "same lane" limitation just means it won't change lanes by itself. You will have to manually steer in order to change lanes, and then re-enable AP. I wish auto lane change came standard as well (it's only in FSD), since that's what allows you to stay in AP for long periods of time. Without auto lane change it's like fooling with the old cruise control, canceling and resuming each time you come up on a slower car and can't change lanes early enough to leave CC on. TACC avoids that CC problem, but now Autosteer has to be disabled/enabled instead.

 

[Eno Deb]

Hello guys,

can I get some clarification on the AP feature (not the FSD)?

Its my understanding that AP works just like FSD except its just in a lane. It won't drive from address to address but if I'm on a highway it will drive itself just like FSD, correct? All I need is to keep being aware and ready to take over but other than that nothing is really required. The car will drive itself.

I think you need to adjust your expectations.

- No Tesla can currently drive autonomously "from address to address".

- The "Autopilot" package as it exists since March (?) of this year is basically just a lane keeping assist with adaptive cruise control. It will not change lanes, take exits or perform any other maneuvers required to navigate highways, so the car will not really "drive itself".

- The "Enhanced Autopilot" package that was offered before March included everything that is currently available in the "FSD" package. This includes the "Navigate on Autopilot" feature which can (in theory) change lanes and take exits automatically, although it is not always reliable today (especially in heavy traffic).

- You'll need to keep your hands on the wheel and pay attention at all times.

Does AP include the collision warning, emergency breaking etc.?

Yes, these safety features are available in all Teslas.

If I'm not on a highway but I'm on a road and that road goes 40 miles and I'm not leaving it does that mean that AP will drive those 40 miles for me? Because technically I will still be in the lane. What happens if I get to a crossroad (with or without lights) but I still keep going straight? Will the car ask me to take over or does that fall under 'staying in lane' and it will drive itself?

Can someone answer this (maybe basic) question, please?

The car currently cannot handle crossroads or traffic lights. Officially Autopilot is not to be used on local streets.

 

[Tam]

...Will the car ask me to take over...

No. AP is designed to continue to maintain its speed and its lane through an intersection without any regards to traffic lights or stop signs...

 

[Gloor]

No. AP is designed to continue to maintain its speed and its lane through an intersection without any regards to traffic lights or stop signs...

But it will slow down when vehicle in front slows down and then speeds up when the vehicle in front does too, right? So it will just drive itself within the lane and thats about it. Right?

 

[jdcollins5]

But it will slow down when vehicle in front slows down and then speeds up when the vehicle in front does too, right? So it will just drive itself within the lane and thats about it. Right?

As long as there is a car in front of you.

 

[TJ73]

I wish Tesla would update AP to allow drivers to change lanes themselves without having to disable LKAS. All LKAS systems I've used works this way.

 

[Gloor]

As long as there is a car in front of you.

and if there is no car in front of me? I would assume it still keeps the lane and still goes forward and and microsteers to be in the lane, right? I think we are making it more complicate than it needs to be. All I'm asking essentially - does keeping in lane mean that the car is driving on its own and everything is taking care of or I need to do something? (except having one hand on the wheel and double check that everything is ok)

 

[Eno Deb]

and if there is no car in front of me? I would assume it still keeps the lane and still goes forward and and microsteers to be in the lane, right? I think we are making it more complicate than it needs to be. All I'm asking essentially - does keeping in lane mean that the car is driving on its own and everything is taking care of or I need to do something? (except having one hand on the wheel and double check that everything is ok)

Not sure what you are asking. But if there is no car in front of you, the car will not stop when approaching an intersection. It will happily run red lights or crash into cross traffic if you don't intervene. It will also at times be confused e.g. if lanes split or merge.

 

[JulienW]

and if there is no car in front of me? I would assume it still keeps the lane and still goes forward and and microsteers to be in the lane, right? I think we are making it more complicate than it needs to be. All I'm asking essentially - does keeping in lane mean that the car is driving on its own and everything is taking care of or I need to do something? (except having one hand on the wheel and double check that everything is ok)

Yes it will stay in the lane and follow the road the same with a car or no car in front of you (other than speed). However Not "..everything is taking care of.... If you have AP set to 60mph it will go 60mph. If there is a red light and no cars stopped it will blow through it at 60mph. Also if there is a plastic trash can in the road it will run over it. So it's not set and forget.

 

[Az_Rael]

and if there is no car in front of me? I would assume it still keeps the lane and still goes forward and and microsteers to be in the lane, right? I think we are making it more complicate than it needs to be. All I'm asking essentially - does keeping in lane mean that the car is driving on its own and everything is taking care of or I need to do something? (except having one hand on the wheel and double check that everything is ok)

Maybe you should go test drive one and see how it works. I think the answer is yes, mostly. When AP is functioning well you don’t have to have your foot on the pedal or be actively steering. However, there are situations where AP is dicey and you will need to hover a foot over the brake (or accelerator - phantom braking is a thing), or need to put both hands on the wheel and prepare to steer during lane merges, so you will have to take actions like that while using it. Those “dicey” situations increase exponentially on surface streets, so you may be hovering your foot over pedals fairly frequently.

Note that using AP is highly dependent on good lane markings. In my area, the freeways are normally pretty well marked, but city streets are a huge mixed bag. Lane lines missing, no line on the right shoulder, huge gaps in line markers where road repairs were made, etc. Also there are all sorts of varying lane widths on surface streets and AP has trouble with that as well. So you may be asked by AP to take over frequently depending on how good your local government is at street markings. So think about your planned travel paths and how well the lanes are marked for a computer to read, not a human.

 

[Gloor]

Cool, thank you. Thats what I was after. I don't think I'll be using it that much as Montreal (or QC in general) is messed up when it comes to roads. So maybe on my other trips
Cheers guys

 

[Fernand]

Aside from the convenience of NOA, it's also safer in that it has a route to the destination, so it doesn't get as easily confused by changes in lane markings, splits etc. If you are considering options and want to see NOA, this is a > 3.5 Hr drive on freeways entirely in NOA.

 

[JulienW]

Aside from the convenience of NOA, it's also safer in that it has a route to the destination, so it doesn't get as easily confused by changes in lane markings, splits etc. If you are considering options and want to see NOA, this is a > 3.5 Hr drive on freeways entirely in NOA....

Also while not a big fan of Navigate WITH auto lane change, I use it with lane change confirmation. Being able to change lanes while still on AP (requires FSD) is something I would severely miss. I love just cutting my blinker on and letting AP do all the work. For instance I just went from the HOV lane to an exit across 6 lanes in about ½ mile and all I had to do was click on the blinker [plus backup by] checking my properly adjusted mirror and AP did all the frustrating work.

 

[Tam]

But it will slow down when vehicle in front slows down and then speeds up when the vehicle in front does too, right? So it will just drive itself within the lane and thats about it. Right?

Yes. That's the idea.

If the car in front moves, AP will move. If the car in front stops, your AP will stop and not colliding to the car in front. It's called TACC Traffic Aware Cruise Control. Others call it a smart cruise, adaptive cruise... So the priciple is the same.

If the car in front run a red light, your AP would follow that car and run the red light too.