Autopilot lane keeping still not available over 6 months after delivery

[stopcrazypp]

Go look at the order form. Under Autopilot Convenience Features you get:

• Traffic-aware cruise control
• Lane keeping with automatic steering
• Self-parking
• Automatic high/low beam headlights

We currently have half of those features (marked in green). So it's entirely fair to say we have "bits of autopilot." If you want to say we don't have Autopilot because we don't have all those features fine.

I'll caution however that I think a lot of people are expecting a lot more from this functionality than it really will be capable of. I'm sure Tesla will provide us with the best implementation of automatic steering. But I'm also not expecting my car to become KITT. I'm predicting that when it does come there will be a new thread about how disappointed people are with auto steering and how it's not really Autopilot. Because for whatever reason people all have their own ideas of what Autopilot means.

The truth is that Autopilot is whatever Tesla says it is. Autopilot is a marketing term. Don't dig yourself a hole of disappointment by expecting too much of it.

Right, I remember autopilot being announced as a suite of features. This thread is talking specifically about lane keeping. Somewhere up thread, I dug up references near the launch, with Tesla mentioning autopilot features being released progressively in the upcoming months and certainly TACC and the highbeams are a part of that progressive release of autopilot features.

 

[MarcG]

The truth is that Autopilot is whatever Tesla says it is. Autopilot is a marketing term. Don't dig yourself a hole of disappointment by expecting too much of it.

Customers should expect what Telsa demonstrated at the Oct. 2014 "D+A" event. If Model S event keeps to a lane by steering itself, and changes lanes at the flick of the turn signal stalk, that should be considered a full Autopilot release by their definition.

Self-parking needs some clarification. At the D+A event, Elon mentioned that in private property, Model S can park itself in your garage and be summoned to you. Where exactly "to you" that is, that's still unclear to me.

Parallel self-parking would be a bonus that I don't think was mentioned at the D+A event. People have differing opinions on how useful that is to them (I personally wouldn't ever use it...)

EDIT: I stand corrected. Watching the event video again, he does mention "automatic parallel parking" at the 9-minute mark. The list of all features is mentioned starting at 8'45".

 

[MileHighMotoring]

They could also have included auto-dimming mirrors and GPS Navigation into AutoPilot for all I care - that doesn't make it the part of AutoPilot that makes it AutoPilot. We all know darn well that the videos they showed when they announced AutoPilot was not about adaptive cruise or automatic headlights. Plus I'll add that the website verbiage has changed umpteen times since I ordered my car last year, so quoting August 2015's version doesn't apply to us anyhow. I'm hopeful Elon's tweet is a sign of good things to come in short order.

Autopilot is whatever Tesla says it is.

They said it was a car driving itself, parking itself, staying in the lane, etc. You can't say "Well the radio works, so technically you have AutoPilot." I appreciate your post, but either we have the features, or we don't. And we don't as of today.

 

[jimtelsa]

I will not get the option till all is available. just knowing I have the hardware is good enough till they have the goods ready.
They way i see it the longer it takes, tesla will give all something for the wait.

 

[GregTexas]

Parallel self-parking would be a bonus that I don't think was mentioned at the D+A event. People have differing opinions on how useful that is to them (I personally wouldn't ever use it...)

Every other car I've tested with auto parallel parking was hardly auto. They have you changing gears, using the accelerator and using the break multiple times and it took longer than if I parked it myself. It would be cool if the Tesla handled everything required to park.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I will not get the option till all is available. just knowing I have the hardware is good enough till they have the goods ready.
They way i see it the longer it takes, tesla will give all something for the wait.

I didn't have that choice - Nav and Tech and Autopilot were all grouped as one option when I purchased.

I wonder how people would feel about this issue if they paid $5k for leather interior and got a car with burlap seats, with the promise of the new interior later when they figured out how to sew it? Just live with the burlap for 6, maybe 12 months. Yeah it's not what you paid for, but the car still runs and it's still a functioning car. I think putting in those types of terms as an analogy might help people understand what OP means when he says that he's used up X percent of the warranty and the life of the car, and doesn't have what he paid for. What if you leased a car for 24 months and it didn't have certain features for most of that time? It doesn't help you at all if the feature comes 3 months before you give the car back, right? You had 15 months of full payments on the car without the promised features.

I will again reiterate that I'm not fuming over this and I love my car. But to be negative on the delay of AutoPilot is reasonable. I think some form of goodwill gesture would also be reasonable for people who've had the car for 6 months without promised features.

 

[Andyw2100]

I'm predicting that when it does come there will be a new thread about how disappointed people are with auto steering and how it's not really Autopilot.

I agree with you. There will certainly be a thread just like the one you predict. And a parallel thread about how happy people are with auto steering (lane keeping), and how it's better than they expected.

Why?

Because this is TMC. Ask three members for their opinions, and wind up with five different opinions!

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Because this is TMC. Ask three members for their opinions, and wind up with five different opinions!

No you don't!

 

[Cyclone]

Because this is TMC. Ask three members for their opinions, and wind up with five different opinions!

Lol!

 

[jerry33]

No you don't!

You're right. It's got to be at least six.

 

[stopcrazypp]

They could also have included auto-dimming mirrors and GPS Navigation into AutoPilot for all I care - that doesn't make it the part of AutoPilot that makes it AutoPilot. We all know darn well that the videos they showed when they announced AutoPilot was not about adaptive cruise or automatic headlights. Plus I'll add that the website verbiage has changed umpteen times since I ordered my car last year, so quoting August 2015's version doesn't apply to us anyhow. I'm hopeful Elon's tweet is a sign of good things to come in short order.

They said it was a car driving itself, parking itself, staying in the lane, etc. You can't say "Well the radio works, so technically you have AutoPilot." I appreciate your post, but either we have the features, or we don't. And we don't as of today.

I think you are stretching. Here is what they said about autopilot during the announcement in October 2014 (they delivered on the parts in bold):

"Building on this hardware with future software releases, we will deliver a range of active safety features, using digital control of motors, brakes, and steering to avoid collisions from the front, sides, or from leaving the road. (Please note this hardware is not available as a retrofit.)

Model S will be able to steer to stay within a lane, change lanes with the simple tap of a turn signal, and manage speed by reading road signs and using active, traffic aware cruise control. It will take several months for all Autopilot features to be completed and uploaded to the cars."
http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/dual-motor-model-s-and-autopilot

In case you think it was edited afterwards, here's an article from the same date that quotes the whole blog directly:
http://www.automotiveaddicts.com/47...s-featuring-awd-and-3-2-seconds-0-60-mph-time

The TACC and auto highbeams are a direct result of the "autopilot" hardware. And Tesla certainly claimed it was part of the Autopilot functionality. What they have yet to deliver is the lane keeping and lane changing, but to say that TACC and auto highbeams is not part of Autopilot does not match how Tesla has been marketing it.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

It will take several months for all Autopilot features to be completed and uploaded to the cars.

October 2014 to now August 2015. That's what this thread is about. Not that it wasn't provided at launch, but that it still isn't here ten months later. Just so you're clear - it's about it being ten months and counting.

 

[Matias]

The truth is that Autopilot is whatever Tesla says it is. Autopilot is a marketing term. Don't dig yourself a hole of disappointment by expecting too much of it.

No. Tesla has said, that 2015 90% of Tesla driving will be autonomous and between ramps on freeway you don't need to touch the wheel. So Tesla has itself defined, what it means by autopilot.

 

[Andyw2100]

Just for the record (and I could be wrong about this, but I don't think I am), I'm pretty sure Tesla never really talked about the automatic high beams any where, never promised them, etc. until they just released them in a software update. In other words, they were a complete and total, but pleasant surprise.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I'm crossing my fingers for a free upgraded around-view camera system in the same vein

 

[jerry33]

I'm crossing my fingers for a free upgraded around-view camera system in the same vein

I just purchased a Leaf for Denise (after her current car was murdered--I was really hoping it would last until Gen III) and I had anticipated that the around-view would be very helpful. What I actually found was that the screen was so poor that it's just about unusable for that. (It doesn't help that the guide lines cover up most of the picture). Now there's no doubt that Tesla's will be more useful, but I'm not as keen as I once was about the around-view.

 

[fiksegts]

my 650i and M4 BMW had a really great around view camera system...

I just purchased a Leaf for Denise (after her current car was murdered--I was really hoping it would last until Gen III) and I had anticipated that the around-view would be very helpful. What I actually found was that the screen was so poor that it's just about unusable for that. (It doesn't help that the guide lines cover up most of the picture). Now there's no doubt that Tesla's will be more useful, but I'm not as keen as I once was about the around-view.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

I just purchased a Leaf for Denise (after her current car was murdered--I was really hoping it would last until Gen III) and I had anticipated that the around-view would be very helpful. What I actually found was that the screen was so poor that it's just about unusable for that. (It doesn't help that the guide lines cover up most of the picture). Now there's no doubt that Tesla's will be more useful, but I'm not as keen as I once was about the around-view.

Wow, I had such a different experience. I found that I didn't even need to worry about touching anything or hitting anything while parking. I always knew exactly where every edge of the car was, and where everything surrounding the car was. It is literally so perfectly designed that it feels like a live satellite image zoomed into just above the car, a live streaming camera above the car letting you see everything around you. I couldn't have liked it more, or miss it more now.

 

[davidc18]

+1 - this is a good analogy.

I didn't have that choice - Nav and Tech and Autopilot were all grouped as one option when I purchased.

I wonder how people would feel about this issue if they paid $5k for leather interior and got a car with burlap seats, with the promise of the new interior later when they figured out how to sew it? Just live with the burlap for 6, maybe 12 months. Yeah it's not what you paid for, but the car still runs and it's still a functioning car. I think putting in those types of terms as an analogy might help people understand what OP means when he says that he's used up X percent of the warranty and the life of the car, and doesn't have what he paid for. What if you leased a car for 24 months and it didn't have certain features for most of that time? It doesn't help you at all if the feature comes 3 months before you give the car back, right? You had 15 months of full payments on the car without the promised features.

I will again reiterate that I'm not fuming over this and I love my car. But to be negative on the delay of AutoPilot is reasonable. I think some form of goodwill gesture would also be reasonable for people who've had the car for 6 months without promised features.

 

[jerry33]

Wow, I had such a different experience. I found that I didn't even need to worry about touching anything or hitting anything while parking. I always knew exactly where every edge of the car was, and where everything surrounding the car was. It is literally so perfectly designed that it feels like a live satellite image zoomed into just above the car, a live streaming camera above the car letting you see everything around you. I couldn't have liked it more, or miss it more now.

This was certainly my expectation, but the way it's implemented it only covers half the screen and you can barely make out anything.