You know, generally Consumer Reports is doing good stuff and trying to change things for the better. But then there's the odd time where they miss it and totally don't get what's going on, as if they were any other media outlet beating a dead horse (which turned out to be a stuffed prop, the real one had already autonomously avoided the scene and carried on). Usually I sit up and listen when they have something to say, but this wasn't one of those times. March on, Tesla, and I can't wait to see how far Autopilot can go on the current hardware!
We just returned home after a 320 mile trip because of a sick puppy. We usually don't drive far but use our plane. * Driving conscientiously saves a lot of people energy and preserves a higher level of alertness for short phases of active driving * I hope my teenage sons will become comfortable to drive autopilot * Driving on autopilot is less aggressive, predictable to others and hence safer. * Similar to the autopilot in the plane one needs to preserve the basic driving skills and be able to take over.at any time AP has already been subject to some dumbing down that will in effect kill people. There were long sections of road that were speed restricted to speed limit+5. This provides a choice of driving manual with the flow or on AP but triggering others to initiate passing maneuvers. Both options are less safe than driving with the flow on AP. Us contributing to media hype really counterproductive. As responsible drivers it is important that we don't abuse the new tools but enable objective progress and reduce the number of people who get injured or killed each year. Let's be good citizens, support constructive change, and educate our fellow drivers on the benefits of the new tools. Let's resist the temptation to post "exciting click bait". We as humans are simply not designed to perform well with repetitive monotonous tasks. In fact we are so bad that aircraft at higher altitudes are required to have a functional autopilot. In case of AP failure: "The pilot should notify ATC of the inability to meet RVSM performance requirements, consider declaring an emergency and request clearance to exit MNPS Airspace." In so many words: an operational AP is required for most long distance flights. What is also required is a pilot who can take over at any time. Most driving for the purpose of getting from A to B is pretty boring and given a choice I would prefer to tend to other tasks. Yes there are moments of joy using ludicrous mode to pass with a massive performance differential. Let's use common sense and contribute for teslas to shine with a compelling safety record. This will preserve best our freedom to enjoy new productivity and safety tools and prevent being regulated possibly literately to death.
There are plenty of aircraft autopilots that do nothing more than keep your elevation and heading. Some keep constant airspeed. You have to get to very fancy aircraft before you see autopilots that do auto navigation. I am now out of my league but I am not aware of any that do collision avoidance etc.
You really need to learn more about aircraft autopilots. MOST autopilots will only bring the plane down to within 200' of the runway. Auto land requires expensive equipment at the airport. Even flying down to 200' is usually done on a CAT1 ILS which has expensive equipment at the airport. Furthermore, the entire approach is controlled in order to avoid traffic conflicts. The proper comparison would be a car on a smart highway with all cars under the supervision of a controller. Ok, before the pilots complain, I am talking IFR flight since that is where auto land is used. Contrary to what many would think, you can pick up a new Cessna 182 Skylane and you will be handed the keys and given a hearty "Good luck." The fact is that lane keep assist is pretty close to what a lot of autopilots do in its level of functionality. The main difference I have noticed is that an aircraft autopilot makes a very loud sound when it disconnects so that there is no question as to whether it has control of the plane. I restricted my comments to lane keep assist because the closes to automatic emergency braking is TCAS which gives a verbal resolution at best.
I'm not new to online forums, but with TMC at least, I can't seem to find how to "Like" this post, LOL. Also, if the following has been said already, apologies in advance: The Brain Trust at Tesla needs to bring [TMC handle] xkwizit onboard in some capacity down the road (pardon the pun).
You're new to TMC. Post some more then after a certain amount (I don't know how many), you'll be able to rate and "like". You can go back and "like" it after you have enough posts.
Educating fellow drivers is all good. However, I would add educating Tesla with great feedback on real-life human behaviour can be equally valuable. We should encourage that too. For example, if Auto-Pilot suffers from Mode Confusion (is it on or off? did it just disengage?) for some users, some of the time, it would seem plausible that improvements to Auto-Pilot could be useful too for the goal of safer roads. Mode Confusion has caused airplane crashes too and resulted in airplane auto pilot changes in the past. Humans are humans. Education goes only so far if the user-interface isn't intuitive enough.
i wonder if tesla had named the feature 'copilot' instead of 'autopilot'; hence implying that the driver is ultimately responsible for driving safety and the electronics are there as a backup, there would be alot less heat taken. it's discouraging to see innovations like this gets bashed on in its infancy by mainstream media.
I understand the copilot comment but as a pilot I find it funny. You can leave the cockpit if the copilot is at the controls. You can't if there is no other pilot even if autopilot is on. In flying an autopilot is much more restrictive than a copilot.
I agree but unfortunately the media is treating it as if we are and there are people out there who don't take their responsibility of the road seriously and damage the reputation of the system. Just was thinking of a fool proof removal of liability for Tesla. Basically if you've been forced to watch a short instructional video once and keep the AP feature safe guarded from potential irresponsible drivers (ie. Teens) with a password then it shows the manufacturer going above and beyond. Similar to passwords on pay-to-play apps on the app store. Again, I heavily stress that I do not think it should be necessary but we don't control the mainstream.
Thank you for the welcome! It's just a nick name friends gave me based off Purolator which to me (in Canada) is a private sector mail courier haha. My names Pierre and the first iteration was Purr then Purralator haha
Uhm... 'forced'? One of the things that people really like about the 'Tesla Experience' is not having to deal with a screen full of legalese every time they start the car. A mandatory instructional -- anything -- when you just want to get into the car you've been waiting for is pretty much the very last thing anyone wants to deal with... And c'mon, Man! Making such prudent, responsible, helpful suggestions about things of this sort is kind of depressing. Fools are apparently very resourceful at finding ways to hurt themselves, and then finding someone else to blame, and thereby, sue over it. Tesla Motors will be fine when it comes to those guys, don't worry about it. Oh, and the use of the phrase "I do not think" is ill-advised in any capacity around here. Ample warning, and stuff. Don't call me Prudence, or Shirley, or late for dinner.
Non tesla fatality yesterday..Same intersection where Joshua Brown was killed: U.S. Alternate 27 at Northeast 140th Court A Williston woman was killed Friday night in Levy County when she pulled in front of a pickup truck while turning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash happened at 8:10 p.m. on U.S. Alternate 27 at Northeast 140th Court. Barrett was driving a 2001 Ford SUV east on 140th Court while Colton Lee Johnston, 23, of Fort McCoy, was driving a 2005 Dodge Ram pulling a livestock trailer south of U.S. Alternate 27. Barrett turned onto the road into Johnston’s path, the release said. Johnston swerved to try to avoid the collision but struck the left side Barrett’s SUV. Johnston had minor injuries.
Please read before posting. I said forced to watch it ONCE in the entire drivers life time. If/when you have kids and your teenage son flicks on AP in ternenchal down pour at 11pm on a single lane hwy before having the AP talk with you and gets into an accident I'm betting you'll wish there was a password. Not reading peoples posts before responding is also ill advised. What's with these overly sensitive people on here? I made a suggestion that I said from the beginning should not be necessary and have explained i love AP in its current form but suddenly I'm under fire for it. If you don't agree with me then ignore it and move on.
Hey Purr @Purralator - don't worry about the crazy fans..some are more passionate than others and trigger ready...fortunately the mods @AnOutsider @doug here are doing a great job and weed out snippy threads and have banished a few posters whose only agenda was spreading vitriol and making every thread useless.
Well, now I can "like" but looks like can't check multiple visual click comments like "informative" "funny" etc. It's all about the metadata!
AP has been enabled for almost a year now, but the website still advertises the feature with no mention of "beta" or "keep both hands on the wheel and be ready to take over at any moment". Shouldn't the website mention those critical facts? The OP mentions clearly that AP is safe when used responsibly, but no description of this "its not autonomous, its just auto-pilot" is made clear on the Tesla sales website. I think Tesla should either disable AP or advertise it with the words "Keep Both Hands On The Wheel And Be Ready To Take Over At Any Moment" in bold and prominently displayed on the website.