Autopilot Cross Country Record Attempt

[Lanny]

Alex Roy (former NY to LA "Cannonball" record holder) along with Carl Reese and Deena Mastracci (Guinness World Record for the least non-driving time to cross the United States in an EV), are apparently attempting to set a record for fastest Autopilot equipped Tesla to drive coast to coast. I got a clue that something was up this morning when @AlexRoy144 tweeted, "What Is The Level 2 Autonomous Driving Record? Enquiring Minds Want to Know" #Tesla #Autopilot.

Currently they are in Eastern Colorado heading for New York.

Lanny

 

[bonnie]

Oh fun! Thanks for alerting me to this.

 

[lodenthal]

How cool. Can we follow them?

 

[Lanny]

How cool. Can we follow them?

Here are their Twitters:

Alex Roy 144 (@AlexRoy144) | Twitter

Carl Reese (@EVrecordattempt) | Twitter

deena m mastracci (@P85dDeena) | Twitter

Lanny

 

[woof]

How cool. Can we follow them?

Twitter: @AlexRoy144, @EVrecordattempt, #AutonomousCannoball

 

[Lanny]

At last report, they were cruising at 90 MPH on I-70 eastbound in Kansas. Expected to reach NYC on Wednesday.

 

[andrewket]

Fun. I would have loved to do this, but I also would like to stay employed :/

 

[Lanny]

Fun. I would have loved to do this, but I also would like to stay employed :/

Is it the time commitment or the potential arrest record that's holding you back?

Can we tell stories about "Supercharging Across America" or has the statute of limitations not run out yet? :biggrin:

Lanny

 

[andrewket]

Is it the time commitment or the potential arrest record that's holding you back?

Can we tell stories about "Supercharging Across America" or has the statute of limitations not run out yet? :biggrin:

Lanny

Completely the time commitment. And if I recall, the incident you're referring to occurred in Wyoming or Utah .. Somewhere where the speed limit was 80 or non existent

 

[Lanny]

And if I recall, the incident you're referring to occurred in Wyoming or Utah .. Somewhere where the speed limit was 80 or non existent

My recollection will remain fuzzy on the exact jurisdiction and I'll agree to stick with, "the speed limit was non existent." :smile:

The crew that's crossing the country on AP are unable to set the speed above 90 MPH. At least one news report says, "Autopilot can manage a Model S at up to 92 mph." Has anyone been able to set the speed to 92?

Lanny

 

[AEdennis]

My recollection will remain fuzzy on the exact jurisdiction and I'll agree to stick with, "the speed limit was non existent." :smile:

The crew that's crossing the country on AP are unable to set the speed above 90 MPH. At least one news report says, "Autopilot can manage a Model S at up to 92 mph." Has anyone been able to set the speed to 92?

Lanny

perhaps downhill with wind in the back? :wink:

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

perhaps downhill with wind in the back? :wink:

Might be that you can set to 90 and natural variations under cruise control allow it to tolerate up to 92mph.

 

[Lanny]

A year ago, David Black, who was the co-driver in the current cross-country record in a gas car, pondered the future of EVs in cross-country record attempts.

With a passionate community of Tesla owners, it wouldn’t surprise me to see an actual multi-car EV “rally” from New York to LA. The U.S.’s legal climate prevents organizers from acknowledging times during an event on public roads (and even during track events). But human nature dictates that times will be privately recorded and used to one-up other drivers. This would be fun to see...

There’s a lot to like about this challenge. Beyond the slower speeds and potential to best a well- publicized record, the requirement for recharging (aka 30 minute breaks) makes it seem actually “fun” and not 100% business.

Here is a link to the entire article.

-Lanny

 

[Lanny]

The EV "Cannonball Run" LA-NY record is now 57 hours and 45 minutes. Beats the old record of 58 hours, 55 minutes.

-Lanny

 

[Electroman]

how does using autopilot or not, really is any relevant to a cannon ball run?. Given that autopilot can be used only on the highways and that too on a section where it will work properly, not sure why this is any different from the regular run?

What next? Canon ball run on an EV with leather seats .vs. textile?

 

[hockeythug]

Very positive about the auto pilot at least. Claimed they used it for 96% of the trip.

http://jalopnik.com/we-set-a-cross-country-record-in-a-telsa-that-drove-its-1739410767

 

[Vitold]

As much as the trip was a success, here's excerpt that points out APs limitations:

Whereas every other manufacturer so far has been cautious about exposing drivers to potentially accident-inducing shutdowns of their autonomy, Tesla has thrown Autopilot onto the market with grossly insufficient transition alerts. When the first Autopilot accident occurs, it won’t be because Autopilot failed. It will be because it worked perfectly until the driver was forced to take over, and the driver wasn’t ready.

When thresholds are unclear, warnings are unclear, and when transitions are too short, the untrained the driver will pay the price. This is why allowing the car to cruise on Autopilot up to 90mph—regardless of the speed limit—is unwise.

end his suggestion:

In the meantime, I suggest restricting Autopilot to the speed limit, or the flow of traffic. I wouldn’t want to figure out the latter algorithm.