I just made and 800-mile trip from Florida to Kentucky and I thought I’d post some thoughts about Navigate-on-Autopilot.
Overall, I am floored with the technology. I managed to traverse 2h of evening rush-hour traffic in Atlanta in the dark in a misting rain and I didn’t have to make any inputs to the pedals or steering wheel other than the wake-up-jiggles.
That being said, there are some annoyances that pop up in my Model S.
1) The AI seems to wait until the last minute to make lane changes before an upcoming exit. That doesn’t fit my driving style and I would like to be able to customize that the system prepares for an exit one or preferably two miles ahead of time.
2) I drive a lot in the left lane on the highway to avoid semi-trucks and potholes. The incessant requests to change out of the “passing lane” are really distracting and annoying.
3) In the Model S, there should be a way to cancel Autopilot Lane Change requests on the steering wheel without having to reach all the way and touch the center touch screen. It’s not convenient or comfortable.
4) There are flaws in using jiggling-the-steering-wheel to confirm alertness. Jiggle too much and you disengage the system. And in my car, I don’t like the amount of force require for the system to recognize the movement. You should be able to scroll the thumb wheel as an alternative.
5) The software still seems to struggle with maintaining straight-line steering when lanes widen or at off/on ramps
6) It would be nice to have a selection. in the menu for “optimize range” or “optimize time” and let the AI determine the best speeds to use at any moment of the trip.
7) It would be nice if the navigation software allowed you to specify a specific minimum battery level before planning a supercharger stop. I don’t like looking at my planned trip and seeing that I will arrive with 3% battery remaining. Especially in a car that doesn’t know my driving habits yet.
Overall, I am floored with the technology. I managed to traverse 2h of evening rush-hour traffic in Atlanta in the dark in a misting rain and I didn’t have to make any inputs to the pedals or steering wheel other than the wake-up-jiggles.
That being said, there are some annoyances that pop up in my Model S.
1) The AI seems to wait until the last minute to make lane changes before an upcoming exit. That doesn’t fit my driving style and I would like to be able to customize that the system prepares for an exit one or preferably two miles ahead of time.
2) I drive a lot in the left lane on the highway to avoid semi-trucks and potholes. The incessant requests to change out of the “passing lane” are really distracting and annoying.
3) In the Model S, there should be a way to cancel Autopilot Lane Change requests on the steering wheel without having to reach all the way and touch the center touch screen. It’s not convenient or comfortable.
4) There are flaws in using jiggling-the-steering-wheel to confirm alertness. Jiggle too much and you disengage the system. And in my car, I don’t like the amount of force require for the system to recognize the movement. You should be able to scroll the thumb wheel as an alternative.
5) The software still seems to struggle with maintaining straight-line steering when lanes widen or at off/on ramps
6) It would be nice to have a selection. in the menu for “optimize range” or “optimize time” and let the AI determine the best speeds to use at any moment of the trip.
7) It would be nice if the navigation software allowed you to specify a specific minimum battery level before planning a supercharger stop. I don’t like looking at my planned trip and seeing that I will arrive with 3% battery remaining. Especially in a car that doesn’t know my driving habits yet.
