AutoPilot will be mature when it can handle [this]

[bonnie]

I thought I'd start off a thread documenting conditions that I think will challenge AutoPilot. I'm comfortable with AutoPilot 2.0 in most conditions at this point.

What's your 'oh hell no' road?

For me, it's the Hood River Toll Bridge. It's one mile long, narrow, and one wrong move will put you immediately into oncoming traffic or the side of the bridge. I should also mention that logging trucks and large RVs use the bridge frequently, too.

Continuously warning of the side of the bridge, even when over near the center line:

​

And a snippet of the drive:

 

[Tam]

AP2 is learning how to cope with curves as pointed out by Bladerskb:

 

[MP3Mike]

For me, it's the Hood River Toll Bridge.

I don't even like driving over that bridge.

 

[bonnie]

I don't even like driving over that bridge.

You can't get to Everybodys' or Henni's if you don't cross the bridge.

 

[MP3Mike]

You can't get to Everybodys' or Henni's if you don't cross the bridge.

I bet you I could, it would just be a much longer drive.

 

[ecarfan]

Hi Bonnie: I know that bridge. It is unusual. Autopilot needs a "Narrow" setting, like in Summon.

 

[Doug_G]

Autopilot will be mature when it can handle snow.

 

[luckyj]

Autopilot will be mature when it can handle US

 

[dgpcolorado]

I don't even like driving over that bridge.

Nor do I! I thought it was just me...


On the subject of driving on AP, I get amused at the thought of people driving the "Million Dollar Highway" (US 550) from Ouray to Red Mountain Pass. Two lanes, little or no shoulder, steep drop offs into the gorge, no guard rails (so that avalanches can flow over the road and snow be plowed into the gorge), as well as frequent rocks on the road (when do you straddle, swerve, or just stop for a rock?). In addition to several 10 and 15 mph hairpin turns.

It is also hard for me to imagine driving the roads in my neighborhood, most of which don't have painted lines and some of which are dirt. Plus rocks on the road, of course. As well as snow at times. There are no divided highways anywhere in my county and the nearest freeway is 100 miles away.

^ US 550, from the Bear Creek Falls overlook, looking south toward Red Mountain Pass

^ US 550, looking north toward Ouray; taken at one of the few spots where the shoulder is wide enough to pull over for a picture. Rocks and avalanches on the road are common. But it is a scenic drive and highly recommended if anyone ventures over this way.

 

[henderrj]

I thought I'd start off a thread documenting conditions that I think will challenge AutoPilot. I'm comfortable with AutoPilot 2.0 in most conditions at this point.

What's your 'oh hell no' road?

For me, it's the Hood River Toll Bridge. It's one mile long, narrow, and one wrong move will put you immediately into oncoming traffic or the side of the bridge. I should also mention that logging trucks and large RVs use the bridge frequently, too.

Continuously warning of the side of the bridge, even when over near the center line:

View attachment 223619​

And a snippet of the drive:

Bonnie, you are absolutely correct! Haven't gone across it in my S yet but a friend coerced us into going to the Lavender Festival a few years ago when I was driving an S Class Mercedes. I'm sure the scenery off the bridge must have been pretty but I didn't see a bit of it I was watching so close! Definitely a white-knuckle drive. Now I really want to take my Tesla up there! Road trip!

 

[bonnie]

I average at least one roundtrip over it per day, so I'm def over the white knuckle part. Just a few more pics of the challenges, since I was stopped on the bridge during a repair & had nothing else to do.

Driving on metal grate, with the river shining through below:

And just a shot from my rearview camera, showing how tight things are (and that's not a logging truck):

 

[croman]

Autopilot will be mature when it can handle snow.

It does a great job with snow. I have a video when AS on highways was limited to 55mph (the more stable but restricted AS). This was a very intense snow. The lane markings are visible. Earlier in the morning when 5 inches were unplowed the car saw the tire tracks created by other cars and fashioned lane lines and drove decently well (I did not take a video as I was genuinely scared and had no confidence in AS not killing me). I also took a local AS video but it was a lot shakier and honestly I care more about driving safely than documenting AS's strengths and weaknesses but I wanted to have something to show people who might not deal with snow as often as I do. NOTE: I have winter tires and wheels and my car is a 75D. This was 17.9.3 fw.

 

[Doug_G]

@croman

You call that snow??? THIS is snow.

 

[wesley888]

I average at least one roundtrip over it per day, so I'm def over the white knuckle part. Just a few more pics of the challenges, since I was stopped on the bridge during a repair & had nothing else to do.

Driving on metal grate, with the river shining through below:
View attachment 224508

And just a shot from my rearview camera, showing how tight things are (and that's not a logging truck):

View attachment 224510

Looks like our old Williamsburg bridge, but wider and straighter. It used to slide our car a couple of inches left and right since the metal grate had so much repair and the pattern became irregular. Not to mention the guard rail sticking out left and right in random places. What a scary bridge to drive on. Fun time.

 

[roblab]

I average at least one roundtrip over it per day, so I'm def over the white knuckle part. Just a few more pics of the challenges, since I was stopped on the bridge during a repair & had nothing else to do.

Driving on metal grate, with the river shining through below:
View attachment 224508

And just a shot from my rearview camera, showing how tight things are (and that's not a logging truck):

View attachment 224510

We have a couple rock built 110 year old bridges in Napa Valley, where large trucks are banned and large pickups tend to drive on the double yellow. I have taken to folding my mirrors in, which gives me another 9 or so inches. Might be worth it on your bridge too. You don't often need to check on rear traffic in the mirrors going over a bridge, I think, and we also have the rear camera.

 

[MP3Mike]

@croman

You call that snow??? THIS is snow.

Where is your snow plow attachment?

 

[bonnie]

Looks like our old Williamsburg bridge, but wider and straighter. It used to slide our car a couple of inches left and right since the metal grate had so much repair and the pattern became irregular. Not to mention the guard rail sticking out left and right in random places. What a scary bridge to drive on. Fun time.

And it's a mile long ...

 

[mknox]

Autopilot will be mature when it can handle snow.

It does a great job with snow. I have a video when AS on highways was limited to 55mph (the more stable but restricted AS). This was a very intense snow. The lane markings are visible.

Quite often I drive in conditions where the lane markings are at least partially visible, but cars will eventually create a "path", if you will, in the snow that doesn't always align with the markings. So does the car follow the lane markings or the path that every other car on the road is driving in? If it tries to stay in the lane markings, it's gonna bump into other cars or at least get terribly confused when every other car is not properly in their lane.

 

[Carl]

@bonnie you should specify what you mean by "mature". Could be either (i) letting us read a newspaper for 800 km on highways or (ii) really getting us point-to-point from whichever point A to whichever point B.

As far as "(i)" is concerned, I think potholes and other "unidentified objects" (not knowing the substance, i.e. whether it's a plastic bottle it can safely run over, or a deer, or a baby) would be the last hurdles AP has to overcome before it's really safe to read a newspaper on a road trip.

As far as "(ii)" is concerned, I think that will take much more time - e.g. I have a parking spot at the office at level -2 (no WiFi or LTE working there, and furthermore the entrance is at the back of the building and does not have its own street number, so how could the car know where and how to park at the right space ).

 

[mrdoubleb]

AutoPilot will be mature when it can handle... INDIA!

'nuff said