Canadian Insurance and Tracking app with Teslas

[jjgg]

Regardless of the insurance companies' intentions to push for their tracking apps, I don't think they will be competent to develop apps that will not introduce more threats to my phone beyond their intentions - your phones' battery life and security will be compromised. They will likely outsource the app development to cheap software development labour's which tend to use questionable and hacky practices to get job done in short term but won't care if it blows up the next day.

 

[Struja]

People driving like their and others lives are worthless. Driving up the cost of insurance when they inevitably cause a claim.

This has long been dunked as a reason for rising insurance premiums. http://www.fairassociation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Lazar-Prisman-report-033115-FINAL.pdf

Two professors from York University studied the issue and concluded that the often cited “insurance claims and litigation” is but a fraction of premiums, while the biggest culprit of premiums is likely insurance company profits (which they hide better than the recipe to Coke). Any time an industry protects disclosing their earnings the way insurers do, it’s usually a pretty good indication that they don’t want the general public to know how profitable they are.

 

[IndyToronto]

Even on the assumption that the app does work to separate the less accident prone drivers, the fact that the default Regen Braking is flagged as a rapid decel/stopping event means that the TD MyAdvantage way to measure the routes DOES NOT WORK.

I don't mind turning on the less aggressive regen mode (even though I 'may' lose up to 5% of range), but every entry into a highway is flagged as a rapid acceleration penalty - this app just can't handle teslas. The only way I can measure a safe ride on the highway is to do this so gently it feels like driving a prius. You just cant drive a tesla normally and be acceptable to this app.

 

[archanfel]

I agree there are loads of bad drivers. But insurance for those drivers go up on their own.

Opting into this is short term gain for some demographics. But that will be short lived also, once they get more adopters. Your rates will go up. They are banking on this long term strategy.

Based on the comments here and from my friends, there will not be a lot more adopters.

They can drive up the rates anyway, they don't need driving stats. And any driving stats they got would probably be counter productive since only "good" (more like slow rather than good) drivers will get enrolled.

It's mostly a way to compete with other insurers. I don't really care. I will jump to the cheapest insurer, tracking or not.

 

[archanfel]

Even on the assumption that the app does work to separate the less accident prone drivers, the fact that the default Regen Braking is flagged as a rapid decel/stopping event means that the TD MyAdvantage way to measure the routes DOES NOT WORK.

I don't mind turning on the less aggressive regen mode (even though I 'may' lose up to 5% of range), but every entry into a highway is flagged as a rapid acceleration penalty - this app just can't handle teslas. The only way I can measure a safe ride on the highway is to do this so gently it feels like driving a prius. You just cant drive a tesla normally and be acceptable to this app.

There is no such thing as default regen braking on a Tesla. It's based on the pressure you apply to the gas pedal.

Yes, the program doesn't really work on highways ramps, but that has nothing to do with regen breaking. Just delete the trips. EVs are not great on highways anyway. At least in Toronto, I avoid highways since they don't really save me time or money. I had been doing that with my hybrid (ironically, a prius) for years.

I was doing 50km/h on a 60km zone because of construction lowered the limit to 50km/h. A guy behind me was honking and then used the ramp lane to cut in front of me. Blowing tire swerving left and right across multiple lanes. 2 mins later, I passed him stuck in left turn traffic. I got less than 100wh/km, insurance discount and a lesson to my kids. What did he get? He even had his kid with him in the front.

 

[foxswat]

I don't mind the privacy/tracking part of the app.
But the quality of those apps are absolutely piece of crap, killing your battery like crazy, I'm willing to increase my premium to not use the app if they enforce the app someday

 

[IndyToronto]

There is no such thing as default regen braking on a Tesla. It's based on the pressure you apply to the gas pedal.

Yes, the program doesn't really work on highways ramps, but that has nothing to do with regen breaking. Just delete the trips. EVs are not great on highways anyway. At least in Toronto, I avoid highways since they don't really save me time or money. I had been doing that with my hybrid (ironically, a prius) for years.

I was doing 50km/h on a 60km zone because of construction lowered the limit to 50km/h. A guy behind me was honking and then used the ramp lane to cut in front of me. Blowing tire swerving left and right across multiple lanes. 2 mins later, I passed him stuck in left turn traffic. I got less than 100wh/km, insurance discount and a lesson to my kids. What did he get? He even had his kid with him in the front.

It's the standard Regen setting - it slows down much faster than if you set it to low - making the app believe you just did a drastic brake press.

There's other things that makes it dangerous to drive to get 90%+ scores in the app. I figured out the key rules.
1. Never go on Highway.
2. Use cruise control set at the speed limit - never exceed it expect for short bursts < 5kph.
3. Make gentle turns.
4. Always slow down gently (regen braking at low setting) and press brake only below 20kph.
5. Turn very slowly that makes everyone think you're a little old lady.

#2 btw is extremely dangerous to drive at speed limit as all the cars behind get impatient, and try to pass all the time. Your experience with that one driver is not unique. In my work commute, it's almost every driver will swerve to pass. Some give me a dirty look - I wished I have a bumper sticker that says "I'm trying to game the #$%@^&^ insurance app".

 

[archanfel]

It's the standard Regen setting - it slows down much faster than if you set it to low - making the app believe you just did a drastic brake press.

There's other things that makes it dangerous to drive to get 90%+ scores in the app. I figured out the key rules.
1. Never go on Highway.
2. Use cruise control set at the speed limit - never exceed it expect for short bursts < 5kph.
3. Make gentle turns.
4. Always slow down gently (regen braking at low setting) and press brake only below 20kph.
5. Turn very slowly that makes everyone think you're a little old lady.

#2 btw is extremely dangerous to drive at speed limit as all the cars behind get impatient, and try to pass all the time. Your experience with that one driver is not unique. In my work commute, it's almost every driver will swerve to pass. Some give me a dirty look - I wished I have a bumper sticker that says "I'm trying to game the #$%@^&^ insurance app".

I do #2-#4 (aren't #5 and #3 the same?) not to game the insurance app, but because that's how I drive and how I want my kids to drive in the future. Also because my Prius had a scoring system built in (It evaluates my start up, cruising and braking for each stop and go), so I am used to it. I leave enough space in front so that I have braking distances and others can merge in front of me safely. I didn't even have to let me foot off the gas when the guy cut in front of me. And if he didn't have the patience to drive at the speed limit, he certainly wouldn't have the patience to brake check me. There is nothing dangerous about it, unless he got a gun . HIs gestures and dirty looks don't hurt me. I wish similar apps is mandatory for all drivers in the GTA, if only for their own info, our roads would be a lot safer.

The app sucks for highways though, that I agree.